Welcome to English 1A!

English 1A: Addiction, Race, and Environment

To begin working on the course, select "Modules" from the menu at the left, and begin working through the materials and assignments for Week 1.  

The Essentials: Reading

• 1 full-length book: Between the World and Me
• Several longish articles/videos in each unit, in addition to your own research sources

The Essentials: Writing

• 4 essays—ranging from 2-3 pages to 4-6 pages
• Several weekly discussions, both small-group and whole-class
• Several quizzes and writing activities

Unit 1: Addiction

In this unit we will learn about the intersection of addiction, habit, and social environment via two key readings.  During this unit the writing skills we will work on are essay and paragraph structure, and working with sources.

Unit 2: Race

During this unit we will read Between the World and Me by Ta'Nehisi Coates, which is arguably the most important text on race of our generation.  You will write an analysis of one of Coates' major themes in the book.  During this unit we will learn about how to use the library's research resources, how to avoid plagiarism, how to use MLA citation style properly, and how to give proper contextual information when incorporating quotes or paraphrased evidence.

Unit 3: Environment

PLEASE NOTE: I am still debating with myself about this specific environmental topic, and may change it in the early weeks of the course.  Coates's book leads us straight into a consideration of our relationship to the environment.  We will consider this issue through the controversy surrounding the Standing Rock Sioux protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline.  You will learn the basics of rhetorical strategy and how to execute a rhetorical analysis of an argumentative text.  Then you will compose your own argument about the Standing Rock controversy in a final argumentative essay.