Goals, Means, and Outcomes for English 101

All elements of English 101--course syllabi, assignments, and classroom activities--stem from the program goals, means and outcomes. The first three goals span the four areas outlined in the WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition: rhetorical knowledge; writing processes; critical thinking, reading, and writing; and knowledge of conventions. And in keeping with the mission of Xavier University, the fourth goal emphasizes the ethical and societal ends of a Jesuit rhetorical education. The means describe the practices required to meet the goals and outcomes.

Goal 1: Rhetorical Knowledge and Writing Processes
Students will be writers who have developed an effective writing process guided by the rhetorical elements of audience, purpose, and cultural context.

Outcomes for Goal 1:
By the end of the semester, students should demonstrate the ability to:

1. Describe and analyze multiple rhetorical situations, noting variations in audience, purpose, and context.
2. Adapt composing approaches in recognition of the shifting needs of rhetorical constraints.
3. Apply practices of writing as a processes (invention, drafting, revising, editing).
4. Reflect upon and articulate the rhetorical choices they have made.  

 

Goal 2: Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
Students will understand writing as an art that helps them solve problems analytically, creatively, and rhetorically and as a means of inquiry, thinking, communication, and argumentation.

Outcomes for Goal 2:
By the end of the semester, students should demonstrate the ability to:

1. Utilize rhetorical vocabulary to analyze writing by others and themselves.
2. Integrate and synthesize their own ideas with those of others.
3. Evaluate an issue or question and respond in the service of developing their own view.

Goal 3: Knowledge of Conventions
Students will be writers who understand the role and use of information.

Outcomes for Goal 3:
By the end of the semester, students should demonstrate the ability to:

1. Observe the rules of academic honesty, intellectual property, and citation style(s).
2. Identify rhetorically appropriate information from academic and popular sources.
3. Make use of external information to corroborate, expand, and alter personal knowledge.

Goal 4: Writing in Community
Students will be writers who understand the power and ethical responsibility that come with the production of written discourse.

Outcomes for Goal 4:
By the end of the semester, students should demonstrate the ability to:

1. Evaluate the ethical, moral, and cultural implications of texts that they compose and encounter.
2. Acknowledge multiple views, opinions, and perspectives in their writing.
3. Respectfully represent cultural difference in the texts that they create.

English 101 instructors help students meet the program goals and outcomes through these means. Evidence of these means should be present on the course syllabus, in major projects, and in activities such as: 

1. Completion of at least four major projects that involve textual analysis and/or production in multiple genres for both academic and public audiences.  
2. Projects that must include rhetorical analysis, research-based argument that addresses counterarguments, reflective writing, and a multimodal argument. 
3. Engagement with the writing process such as responding to comments on drafts and revising writing based upon feedback from peers and instructors. 
4. Classroom instruction including lectures, class discussions, collaborative learning and writing, guided writing practice, and providing feedback on peers' writing. 
5. Individual writing conferences with the instructor.