Welcome to English 1101

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.
Voltaire

Hi! I'm glad you're taking my class. In English 1101, we (as in you, me, and your classmates) will prepare you for the various types of writing you’ll do in college (and beyond), regardless of your major. My primary objective during the semester is for your writing to demonstrate improvement—to me, but more importantly, to you.

Everything we’ll do together stems from this premise: You were born a writer. I cannot turn you into something you already are; however, I can help you explore and give voice to your unique, multi-faceted experience as a human being. How? Through a rigorous examination of the craft of writing. (See what I just did? I used a sentence fragment. Try that in high school, and you’re toast. In this class, we’ll revisit the rules so we can break them—or not—as each situation warrants.)

As Voltaire’s quote above suggests, we’ll use writing as a means to ask questions, the answers to which are neither right nor wrong. We’ll work toward the acceptance of doubt—in the writing process, as well as in life—through cultivating uncertainty. In other words, this class will challenge your intellect, invite you to see the world in new ways, and help you make informed choices about issues with many interesting and contradictory facets.

So, with this in mind, let's get underway exploring the great unknown...