This rigorous, introductory college-level course will offer students the opportunity to enter the discursive environment of the academy as practiced in colleges and universities. This course will challenge students to think critically about how authors utilize language for a variety of purposes. Students will learn to sustain and support formal investigations of topics in language and frame powerful critiques, both spoken and written. Students will develop their ability to independently analyze, deconstruct, interpret, and synthesize the broad array of works they encounter, expressing their responses in creative and expository written and oral presentations.