An introduction to communication contexts and processes emphasizing both conceptual and practical dimensions. Participants engage in public speaking, small group problem solving and leadership, and writing exercises while acquiring theoretical background appropriate to understanding these skills.

Bridge to Academic Literacies introduces students to the basic conventions of academic literacies and composition in preparation for further study. This course provides students with activities to generate thoughts and ideas in their language repertoire, including ASL and English, for composing texts needed for academic success. Through translanguaging work, students will demonstrate their understanding of learned materials, create a thesis on an issue, develop support, and practice the composing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Students will understand the composing process as a means of producing a final product with a well-planned structure and well-informed content. Topics for course assignments include historical, social, and cultural context.

This course introduces students to genres of writing in the humanities and social sciences (HSS). Students will explore various multimodal materials from a wide range of HSS texts. They will develop a range of academic discourse skills necessary for undertaking coursework in RIT’s University Writing Program. Course assignments and discussions will also address bias in language. Students will compose a variety of texts to strengthen their knowledge of HSS genres and contexts. Assignments include summaries, reaction papers, journal entries, presentations, and formal essays.