ENGL M01A: Official Course Description and Objectives
Every course at Moorpark College follows an official Course Outline of
Record (COR). Here are the course description from the Catalog and the
learning objectives from the COR; they give you a good idea of what kind
of work to anticipate and what you can expect to learn in this class.
Description: Emphasizes expository writing that demonstrates the
principles of thesis and support, logical organization and development,
clear paragraph and sentence construction, control of diction, and command
of the conventions of English usage. Develops research, documentation,
analytical, and interpretive reading skills.
Objectives: Upon successful completion of the course, a student will be
able to
- compose several expository papers from 2 to 10 pages long,
totaling 8,000 words (35 pages), employing such skills as:
- use of the stages of the writing process: generating ideas, drafting,
revising, and editing.
- awareness of audience and purpose.
- clear statement of thesis, focus, or controlling idea.
- logical organization.
- full and convincing development of ideas, including appropriate
rhetorical strategies, paragraph construction, effective transitions, and
convincing support.
- control of diction.
- adherence to the conventions of standard written English.
- compose timed essay examinations with clear thesis, logical
organization, convincing arguments, and specific supporting detail.
- organize and compose a 7-10-page research paper incorporating and
accurately documenting a variety of appropriate source materials.
- analyze a variety of essays and at least one book-length work.
- demonstrate critical thinking skills in oral and written
discussion of assigned readings.
- identify and assess the main idea of essays and write clear,
relevant responses in informal journal entries and formal essays.
Course Learning Outcomes
Every course also has specified outcomes to be assessed regularly, to
ensure that students are actually learning what instructors intend them to
learn. The CLO's for this course are:
- identify and discuss the thesis and main supporting points of a
published essay.
- write an essay that (a) is thesis-driven, (b) is clearly
organized, (c) is supported by specific evidence, and (d) follows the
conventions of Standard Written English.
- write a research paper that (a) effectively incorporates relevant
research and (b) follows MLA format for citations and Works Cited page.
Return to 1A syllabus