Students will work to improve the skills of expository writing and critical thinking.  The course will include a lot of drafting, peer review, and revision as well as various exercises to improve argument, organization, and style.  Students will extend their knowledge of research tools and practice evaluation of sources.

Our readings will focus on American Literature and the Environment and will include Emerson, Thoreau, Muir, Leopold, Dillard, and Berry.

All daily assignments will be offered in , UGA's electronic writing environment.

Students will write three essays approximately 1,000-1,500 words and will offer one presentation to the class. For each essay, students will offer drafts, peer reviews, revisions, various analyses of their own and their peers' writing, and reflections on their learning. For each essay, the student will be given a process grade (20%) and an essay grade (80%). The instructor will comment on the final document, and then the student will be required to offer a reflection on the writing process before he or she receives the grades for the whole process.

In addition to writing papers and doing other work, all students will create a Final Writing Portfolio. The Portfolio will include:

• a biography of the portfolio author and, if desired, a picture of the writer or other relevant image;
• an Introductory Reflective Essay that presents a significant "thesis" to be supported by the individual writing exhibits;
• two essays written for the class -- revised, edited, and polished as final products for the portfolio;
• one example of writing that demonstrates and discusses the student's revision process;
• one example that demonstrates and discusses the student's contribution to peer review;
• one "wild card" submission chosen by the student.

The reading forum will count as 10% of the final grade. The four essays will count as 60% of the final grade (10%, 15%, 15%, and 20% respectively). The portfolio will count as 30% of the final grade.

Many of our short readings will be offered electronically; the longer works we will read will probably include the following (though you should check back here closer to the term for details):

Thoreau, Walden

Leopold,  A Sand County Almanac

Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

The St. Martin's Handbook, 6th ed., ed. Lunsford and Connors

Because writing skills develop slowly over time, students’ regular attendance is essential in First-year Composition. As stated in First-year Composition at UGA, on the fifth absence MWF classes) or the fourth absence (TTH classes), no matter what the reason, students can expect to be dropped either with a W or a WF before the midpoint of the semester and with a WF after midpoint.