Writing Guide: A Comprehensive Course in Composition and Rhetoric
QVT8X4TS · 20 modules
This course guides students through the full arc of college composition, from foundational digital literacy and personal narrative writing through rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and research-based writing. Students will build a portfolio of diverse genres—including literacy narratives, profiles, proposals, evaluations, analytical reports, rhetorical analyses, position arguments, and multimodal projects—while developing critical thinking and research skills applicable across academic and professional contexts. The course emphasizes that writing is both a process and a rhetorical act shaped by audience, purpose, and context. Students will progress from personal and reflective writing toward more complex, evidence-based, and publicly oriented forms of composition, culminating in a portfolio that documents their growth as writers. Along the way, they will learn to analyze texts and images critically, conduct and document research, and adapt their writing for different modes, audiences, and forums, including digital and multimodal platforms. This textbook is designed to replace a traditional writing handbook, offering in-depth chapters that combine conceptual explanation, models, and guided practice for each genre and skill. It is well-suited for first-year composition or introductory writing courses that emphasize genre awareness, rhetorical flexibility, and the writing process as a tool for lifelong communication.
Prerequisites
Basic reading and writing proficiency at the high school level; no prior coursework in composition theory or research writing required.
Module Outline
20 modules
The Digital World: Building on What You Already Know to Respond Critically
Introduces digital literacy concepts and strategies for critically engaging with online texts, media, and information sources.
Language, Identity, and Culture: Exploring, Employing, Embracing
Explores how personal identity, culture, and language shape voice and rhetorical choices in writing.
Literacy Narrative: Building Bridges, Bridging Gaps
Guides students through crafting a literacy narrative that reflects on personal experiences learning to read and write.
Memoir or Personal Narrative: Learning Lessons from the Personal
Teaches students to write a memoir or personal narrative that draws meaningful lessons from lived experience.
Profile: Telling a Rich and Compelling Story
Covers techniques for researching and writing a vivid profile of a person, place, or event.
Proposal: Writing About Problems and Solutions
Introduces strategies for identifying problems and proposing well-supported, feasible solutions in writing.
Evaluation or Review: Would You Recommend It?
Explores how to establish criteria and support judgments in evaluative writing such as reviews.
Analytical Report: Writing from Facts
Teaches students to gather and present factual information in an organized, objective analytical report.
Rhetorical Analysis: Interpreting the Art of Rhetoric
Introduces rhetorical concepts (ethos, pathos, logos) and teaches students to analyze how texts persuade.
Position Argument: Practicing the Art of Rhetoric
Guides students in constructing a well-supported position argument using rhetorical strategies.
Reasoning Strategies: Improving Critical Thinking
Covers logical reasoning, common fallacies, and strategies for strengthening critical thinking in argumentation.
Argumentative Research: Enhancing Rhetoric with Evidence
Teaches students to integrate research evidence into persuasive, well-reasoned argumentative writing.
Research Process: Accessing and Recording Information
Introduces strategies for locating, evaluating, and recording information from print and digital sources.
Annotated Bibliography: Gathering, Evaluating, and Documenting Sources
Guides students through creating an annotated bibliography that evaluates and documents credible sources.
Case Study Profile: What One Person Says About All
Explores how case studies can be used to draw broader insights from individual experiences.
Print or Textual Analysis: What You Read
Teaches close reading and analytical strategies for interpreting print and textual sources.
Image Analysis: What You See
Introduces techniques for analyzing visual images and their rhetorical or communicative functions.
Multimodal and Online Writing: Creative Interaction between Text and Image
Guides students in designing multimodal compositions that combine text, image, and digital media.
Scripting for the Public Forum: Writing to Speak
Teaches students to adapt written work into scripts suitable for oral or public presentation.
Portfolio Reflection: Applying and Integrating Your Growth as a Writer
A capstone module in which students select, revise, and synthesize work from across the course into a portfolio, reflecting critically on their rhetorical growth and applying integrated skills to a new reflective essay.