UMass Boston

Mission: The Composition Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston supports students of diverse linguistic backgrounds in their development as writers and critical thinkers across disciplinary, professional, cultural, and community contexts. Our work is founded on the knowledge that writing is a social and rhetorical activity learned over a lifespan.  

Our two-course sequence, English 101 and English 102, meets the UMass Boston General Education Verbal Reasoning and Expression requirement by helping students learn how to observe and adapt to new writing contexts by knowledge and practices in four key areas: rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, reading and composing; knowledge of composing processes; and reflective awareness.

Ten key concepts in writing and rhetoric make up the core content of English 101 and English 102:

English 101: Learning Outcomes
Most students who pass English 101 should be able to... 

• understand and use key concepts, especially audience, purpose, and rhetorical situation
• write with a sense of purpose in response to rhetorical situations
• read (alongside writing) to understand and engage with complex ideas and multiple perspectives
• read to observe and learn from the rhetorical strategies used in a variety of genres
• use strategies of analysis and synthesis to discover, develop, and articulate ideas in relation to the ideas of other writers
• use writing and revision to develop new ideas and perspectives
• act on feedback about in-progress writing
• approach writing as a subject of study as well as a practice
• use an evolving vocabulary for reflecting on composing processes and rhetorical choices in their own writing
• use reflection to develop and demonstrate conscious awareness of their own writing knowledge and practice as it develops over time and across contexts
   

English 102: Learning Outcomes
Most students who pass English 102 should be able to ... 

• understand and use key concepts, with additional emphasis on discourse community, context, and genre
• use conventions of written genres that suit particular purposes and discourse communities
• locate secondary sources and evaluate them for credibility and relevance
• use strategies of analysis and synthesis to develop and articulate an evidence-based position that is complex and purposeful
• plan, pursue, and revise a sustained and feasible line of inquiry
• give and act on feedback about in-progress writing
• approach writing as a subject of study as well as a practice
• use an evolving vocabulary for reflecting on composing processes and rhetorical choices in their own writing
• use reflection to develop and demonstrate conscious awareness of their own writing knowledge and practice as it develops over time and across contexts