Composition 211: Sophomore Research Conference

The Milligan College Composition Program offers a 2-semester sequence that begins with a focus on rhetoric and argument during the spring semester of the freshman year. The initial foundation in argumentation prepares students to read, think, and write critically in preparation for work in all disciplines. Students learn the art of rhetoric: how to recognize effective arguments, how to construct effective arguments, and how various rhetorical situations shape the context of effective communication. As sophomores, students begin to focus on advanced analysis and synthesis in the broader context of the Humanities and of their specific disciplines. This unique course prepares students to think, read, and write in upper division liberal arts classes as well as in their various fields. Students build on the first semester’s rhetorical foundation by focusing on different citation styles, longer essays, and multi-faceted argumentation. The Writing Faculty showcases some of the most innovative and well-written research in a Research Conference at the end of the Fall semester.