English 118 - COLLOQUIA IN WRITING

In sections limited to 15 students each, this course primarily provides systematic instruction and practice in reading and writing academic prose, with emphasis on argumentation. The course also provides instruction and practice in conducting research and in public speaking. Bilingual students and nonnative speakers are encouraged to register for sections taught by Ethan Myers and Morgan Sheehan-Bubla. Priority is given to incoming students in the fall-semester sections. Course may be repeated for credit with another instructor. We are immersed in a culture of persuasion: advertisers make claims, politicians promises. Yet, despite what we believe about how we make decisions, successful persuasion is often based more on emotion than logical evidence. We examine the rhetoric of persuasion from the ancient Romans to the intentionally addictive nature of social media in order to separate the hype from the content and to develop our own, authentic persuasive styles.(E)

Topic: From Cicero to Trump: What We Say in Order to Get What We Want. Nonnative speakers are strongly encouraged to enroll in sections 1, 2 or 10, which are specifically designed to meet their needs.