General Education: Communication Skills Courses

(Also SPA 110) Introductory course to Spanish Language and Culture. Basic language skills for the student who has no previous knowledge of the language. Course will cover different language functions, basic vocabulary, simple grammatical structure, oral recitation and written composition. In addition to language studies, the course will compare and contrast American, Latin American, Latino and Spanish cultures.

(Also LAC 110) Introductory course to Spanish Language and Culture. Basic language skills for the student who has no previous knowledge of the language. Course will cover different language functions, basic vocabulary, simple grammatical structure, oral recitation and written composition. In addition to language studies, the course will compare and contrast American, Latin American, Latino and Spanish cultures.

(Also LAC 115) Introductory course to French Language and Culture. Basic language skills for the student who has no previous knowledge of the language. Course will cover different language functions, basic vocabulary, simple grammatical structures, oral recitation and written composition. In addition to language studies, the course will compare French and French diasporic cultures in the Caribbean, Africa and elsewhere.

(Also FRN 115) Introductory course to French Language and Culture. Basic language skills for the student who has no previous knowledge of the language. Course will cover different language function, basic vocabulary, simple grammatical structures, oral recitation and written composition. In addition to language studies, the course will compare French and French diasporic cultures in the Caribbean, Africa and elsewhere.

(Also SPA 120) Further development of language skills to broaden awareness and increase appreciation of the culture

Introduction to the craft of writing. Frequent in-class and home assignments to explore various writing techniques and hone developing skills. This course culminates in a final portfolio of completed fiction, poetry and short drama. Designed primarily for freshmen

(Also LAC 120) Further development of language skills to broaden awareness and increase appreciation of the culture.

(Formerly JOU 122) This course focuses on the theory and skills of preparing and presenting public speeches. The emphasis in this course is on practice and evaluation of classroom presentations and professional speeches.

(Also FRN 125) Further development of language skills to broaden awareness and increase appreciation of the culture.

(Formerly JOU 128) The nature and effect of contemporary mass media; history of the mass media; regulations regarding present and future uses; economic restraints and social control.

An introduction to various literacy genres: poetry, drama and fiction. Specific syllabus at the discretion of the instructor. Emphasis on the literature of western Europe and the United States. Focus on literature and its relation to society

(Also LAC 205) Fundamentals of Spanish usage, oral and written. An introduction to Spanish diction and phonetics. The student acquires fluency in the reading of selections from the literary works as well as from training in correct pronunciation.

In this class, you will learn and practice genres for professional and technical writing. You will extend your knowledge of planning, revising, and editing text and adjusting rhetorical strategies for different audiences from first-year writing. We will emphasize collaborative writing, technical skills for designing documents, editing for clarity and consistency, and exhibiting a professional ethos in writing, information design, and online communications.

(Also WRT 229) This course surveys the highlights of the Western rhetorical tradition and what they can teach us about how we communicate in contemporary society. Generally speaking, rhetoricians study verbal and nonverbal language and communication. Certainly, language affects everything we do: how we think, learn, identify ourselves, and interact with others. According to American rhetorician Kenneth Burke (18971993), language “reflects, deflects, and selects” reality. In this course, we will look carefully at how this occurs and how the Western rhetorical tradition has influenced our current knowledge of what language does. Rhetoric is perhaps one of the oldest disciplines. What we know of its history has been shaped by Western rhetoricians over the ages-from the ancient Greeks, (Isocrates, Plato and Aristotle), to the Romans, (Quintilian and Cicero), through Medieval Times, (St Augustine) to the Renaissance (Petrus Ramus and Erasmus) and Enlightenment (Sir Francis Bacon and John Locke), and beyond to the 20th and 21st Centuries. This tradition constitutes a Western historical narrative that has shaped what we think rhetoric is and what it does, and is by no means Gospel. Other rhetorics are interrupting this dominant narrative about what the rhetorical tradition is. The field of rhetoric is much too broad to survey, even superficially, in one semester. Consequently, the lens (or to borrow a term from Burke, the terministic screen) we will use to examine the field will focus on the theories of those rhetoricians who have been most influential in a Western tradition.

(Also PHL 226) This course surveys the highlights of the Western rhetorical tradition and what they can teach us about how we communicate in contemporary society. Generally speaking, rhetoricians study verbal and nonverbal language and communication. Certainly, language affects everything we do: how we think, learn, identify ourselves, and interact with others. According to American rhetorician Kenneth Burke (18971993), language “reflects, deflects, and selects” reality. In this course, we will look carefully at how this occurs and how the Western rhetorical tradition has influenced our current knowledge of what language does. Rhetoric is perhaps one of the oldest disciplines. What we know of its history has been shaped by Western rhetoricians over the ages-from the ancient Greeks, (Isocrates, Plato and Aristotle), to the Romans, (Quintilian and Cicero), through Medieval Times, (St Augustine) to the Renaissance (Petrus Ramus and Erasmus) and Enlightenment (Sir Francis Bacon and John Locke), and beyond to the 20th and 21st Centuries. This tradition constitutes a Western historical narrative that has shaped what we think rhetoric is and what it does, and is by no means Gospel. Other rhetorics are interrupting this dominant narrative about what the rhetorical tradition is. The field of rhetoric is much too broad to survey, even superficially, in one semester. Consequently, the lens (or to borrow a term from Burke, the terministic screen) we will use to examine the field will focus on the theories of those rhetoricians who have been most influential in a Western tradition.

Understanding the ways in which visual ideas function and what they represent in our media landscape of advertising, news and popular culture requires important navigational tools and critical thinking skills. This class will explore a range of concepts and theories used to acquire analytical approaches towards the achievement of visual literacy.

This course is designed as an intensive study in English grammar, punctuation, and usage. After reviewing the intricacies of English grammar, students will be required to apply their knowledge by revising and editing their own written work.

(Also WRT 256) Writing in 21st century workplaces does not only involve typing emails and documents. In this class you will learn to compose in a variety of digital platforms by drawing upon both technical and rhetorical skills that you will develop over the course of the semester. You will deploy design processes with purpose, audience input, and revision in mind, building on your previous writing courses while composing for real audiences.

(Also CAT 256) Writing in 21st century workplaces does not only involve typing emails and documents. In this class you will learn to compose in a variety of digital platforms by drawing upon both technical and rhetorical skills that you will develop over the course of the semester. You will deploy design processes with purpose, audience input, and revision in mind, building on your previous writing courses while composing for real audiences.

(Also ENG 267) This course will examine the evolution of the English language by reading texts (e.g. Beowulf, Chaucer, the King James Bible) to trace the development of the language from Old to Modern English. In order to explore the debates about language in modern America, we will also examine the evolution of the controversies surrounding African-American English.

(Also HIS 267) This course will examine the evolution of the English language by reading texts (e.g. Beowulf, Chaucer, the King James Bible) to trace the development of the language from Old to Modern English. In order to explore the debates about language in modern America, we will also examine the evolution of the controversies surrounding African-American English.