Introduction to College English

To pass any English 101 course at Dawson College, students must demonstrate the following abilities:

Reading

• Recognizing major literary genres: poetry, drama, fiction and essay
• Recognizing rudimentary elements of literature: character, setting, plot, tone and theme
• Recognizing basic elements of literary language: connotation vs. denotation, figures of speech
• Identifying the thesis of an expository text
• Recognizing basic patterns of argument, development in an expository text

Writing

• Using a dictionary to find definitions and correct spelling in the context of the preparation of assignments and essays
• Using a handbook to clarify questions of grammar and mechanics
• Writing sentences free of structural flaws
• Constructing coherent paragraphs, using the form of topic sentence, body, transition
• Constructing a thesis relevant to a primary literary text
• Organizing logical support for a thesis, using outlining, clustering, brainstorming, etc.
• Writing an essay that introduces and supports a thesis (i.e. is not just a summary), demonstrates logical development and a tone appropriate to argument and analysis at the college level, integrates quotations from a primary text, and follows MLA rules for format documentation.

Please note that not all the courses listed below are offered every term: