Welcome to English 101 at the University of Maryland. The broad goal of the course is to familiarize you with the kind of writing you will have to do in college, broadly referred to as academic writing. The characteristics of academic writing are shared across disciplines and levels at the university. Academic writing is grounded in inquiry. When we engage in academic writing, we first seek to determine what is known—and credible—about a topic and, then, we ask questions about what is known. This inquiry, in turn, leads to the construction of new knowledge as we forge new arguments on the foundations of what has already been thought and done. Thus inquiry and writing build on the thoughts and ideas of others; when we participate in academic discourse, we join in a conversation respectfully and ethically, giving credit where credit is due. As part of this attitude of inquiry, academic writing is based in evidence. Also, because academic writing is part of a larger conversation within and often across disciplines, one of its conventions is rigorous review by peers.

In English 101, you will expand your skills of inquiry, enter into conversations, and learn the rigors of research, using evidence, and peer review. Your work in English 101 will be oriented by several concepts:

• Rhetoric, defined by Aristotle as "finding the available means of persuasion," is the study of effective language use. Rhetoric provides a method for successful, persuasive, academic argumentation, organization, and style. Through rhetoric, we are attentive to issues of the rhetorical situation of any writing (its audience, purpose, writer, context, and genre) as well as the role of rhetorical appeals in any persuasive discourse.
• Inquiry, a seeking for information through questioning. One tool we use to teach inquiry is stasis theory, a rhetorical concept with its roots in legal theory. Stasis theory offers a way of inventing, analyzing, and categorizing what is at issue in a situation with a series of questions: does something exist, how is it defined, what are its causes, what are its effects or consequences, how do we value it, what shall be done about it, and who has the right to act on these questions.
• Writing Process. We stress that writing is a process, and while that process varies for each writer, drafts, feedback and revision are essential elements for any effective process.
• Research and critical reading of academic sources invites students into the conversations of various disciplines. We also introduce students to the type of sources that are acceptable for academic papers and to guide you in being learning the ethics and methods appropriate integration and documentation of those sources.

On completion of an Academic Writing course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of writing as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate sources, and as a process that involves composing, editing, and revising.
2. Demonstrate critical reading and analytical skills, including understanding an argument's major assertions and assumptions and how to evaluate its supporting evidence.
3. Demonstrate facility with the fundamentals of persuasion as these are adapted to a variety of special situations and audiences in academic writing.
4. Demonstrate research skills, integrate their own ideas with those of others, and apply the conventions of attribution and citation correctly.
5. Use Standard Written English and edit and revise their own writing for appropriateness. Students should take responsibility for such features as format, syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the connection between writing and thinking and use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating in an academic setting.