Communication Skills Department
100 Level Courses
CSE103 Advanced Reading and Study
3 credits; 3 hours
This course is designed for the development of reading and study skills at an advanced level. Emphasis is on such skills as vocabulary improvement, previewing, note-taking, test-taking, summarizing and critical analysis. Students explore different types of exposition and styles of writing. Content area materials are utilized.
Prerequisite: CSE099, ENA/ENG099, MAT095
CSE105 Vocabulary Enhancement
3 credits; 3 hours
This course introduces students to methods of expanding their vocabulary. The development of modern English is studied to explain the state of current vocabulary. Various types of dictionaries, Greek and Latin word elements and meanings derived from context are explored. Special consideration is given to introducing the students to the vocabulary essential to their major area of study.
Pre- or Corequisite: CSE099, ENA/ENG099
CSE110 Literacy and Propaganda
3 credits; 3 hours
This course introduces students to methods of understanding a highly developed and pervasive discourse: propaganda. Emphasis is placed on reading materials that use the persuasive and argumentative language of politics, advertising, cultural discussions and the media. Political speeches, essays, editorials, and articles are used to enlarge the student's experience with the materials and tools of propaganda. The student will acquire the intellectual framework and sophisticated level of literacy needed to recognize and respond to the aims of propaganda.
Prerequisite: CSE095, ESL/ESR099
Pre- or Corequisite: CSE099, ENA/ENG099
Liberal Arts Elective
CSE120 Reading the Biography
3 credits; 3 hours
This course will introduce students to the critical reading and evaluation of biographies, autographs, memoirs, diaries and journals. The aims of the course will be to: evaluate claims to truth and truthful recollections; examine historical claims through first person accounts; develop awareness of the methods and techniques of biographical and autobiographical writing; understand the uses of biographical writing and its place in society; and explore biographies and autobiographies as vehicles for the creation of the self. The student will become proficient and develop deeper appreciation of biographical narratives and their uses in self-understanding. The materials to be read in class will vary by semester and the course may be thematically organized.
Pre- or Corequisite: ESL/ESR098
Liberal Arts Elective
CSE150 The Evolution of the Reading Experience
3 credits; 3 hours
This course is designed to familiarize the student with the cultural and technological factors which have defined and influenced the activity of reading. The emphasis of the course will be on the evolution of reading and the gradual changes affecting the reading experience. Students will be expected to understand significant developments that relate to reading: the invention of writing, the creation of books, the invention of the printing press, and more recent changes in print communication. This course will explore reading from the perspectives of other cultures and will trace the varieties of reading experiences that have been key features in the transformation of Western and non-Western cultures.
Prerequisite: CSE099, ENG099
Liberal Arts Elective
CSE200 Speed Reading
2 credits; 3 hours
This course is offered for students who are interested in power reading techniques. Emphasis is placed on the development of effective reading habits and the techniques of rapid reading, identifying author’s patterns of writing, skimming, scanning and ongoing practice with mechanical aids and timed exercises.