1.1 What is College Composition?
Welcome to your College Composition course at Lorain County Community College.
You may not have realized this when you enrolled, but College Composition is one of the most important courses you’ll take at LCCC. Here, you’ll gain skills in writing, critical thinking, and information literacy that will make you successful in your other college courses. These skills will also serve you well after you’ve finished school. What you learn about writing will help you advance in your career, engage in public life, or simply write privately for yourself. Whatever goals brought you to LCCC (and brought you here, to this class), College Composition will help you achieve them.
That’s a big promise to make, but we make it with confidence. This course is built on years of research that tells us what makes a person a more proficient writer. One thing is rhetorical knowledge, such as understanding how your audience and purpose shape what you write. Another is knowledge of composing processes, which means learning that the best writing evolves over many stages of planning, drafting, and revision. Third, critical thinking strategies will help you analyze, evaluate, and respond to the ideas of other writers. Finally, knowledge of writing conventions will ensure that you communicate your own ideas in a form that’s acceptable in the context in which you’re writing, whether that’s in the classroom, on the job, or elsewhere.
That’s a lot of material to cover, which is why College Composition can be a challenging course. However, that’s also why taking this course can be such a transformative learning experience. There’s so much to gain. Furthermore, rest assured that you will have all the support you need along the way. Your instructor will be your guide, and this textbook will be an indispensable resource. The chapters that follow give you all the information you will need to complete your writing assignments. Moreover, the remainder of this chapter provides additional information about why this course matters, how you can complete it successfully, and what academic services are in place to support you.
Continue Reading: 1.2 Why am I in this class?
