Special Sections
Instructors tailor special sections of English 1101, English 1102, and LMC 3403 to meet the needs and match the interests of students in programs across campus.
English 1102 Example
In Spring 2015, Dr. J. Stephen Addcox and Dr. Joshua Hussey proposed and co-taught special sections of English 1102 entitled “Gaming the System: The narrative of Interactive Media.” Their combined courses asked students to develop communication strategies through narrative analysis in a variety of interactive media and video games, as well as to develop practical skills in presentation, collaboration and multimodal design. To refine their approaches to LMC’s WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and non-verbal) communication modules, students designed and composed unique artifacts that respond to material on games and narrative theory. In order to provide a context for the production of these artifacts, this class examined narrative and virtual ecosystems in a variety of media: it addressed the book and the process of reading as a formal experience, but its primary emphasis was the form, function, and experience of narrative in video games and other interactive media.
Linked Courses
The Writing and Communication Program`s linked courses enable students to work on projects under the supervision of instructors from their discipline as well as an instructor from the Writing and Communication Program. Linked courses foster creative partnerships between colleagues in different disciplines and give students the advantage of synergy in their learning.
Technical Communication Example
In Spring 2009, a linked course paired LMC 3403: Technical Communication Practices with the Senior Design program at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering. The goal was to teach students written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal communication in a client-centered environment. Students in this linked course learned to write effective communication (emails, memos, proposals, and reports) in service of their Senior Design project. The course turned the client project into a laboratory for studying communication strategies. Students learned the importance of communicating to specific audience(s), knowing genre conventions, and assessing the rhetorical situation; they also learned the basics of usability and user-centered design. Additionally, students learned how to function productively in groups by studying collaborative techniques, listening strategies, and effective meeting planning. LMC 3403 Instructor: Daniel Vollaro