Forget that archaic image of the scientist or scholar working alone until he yells “Eureka!” Modern knowledge-making requires teamwork. It builds on the work of others through ongoing conversation, debate and revision.

Professional scholars often reread existing texts numerous times, while annotating, drafting and revising extensive notes. In English 101 and English 102, you will develop your version of this scholarly process and use writing to construct new readings of texts you may initially find too difficult.

You will also learn to use the revision process not simply to make your essays well organized and clear but to help you become a more powerful and insightful thinker, as your conversation with scholars leads you to fresh insight, analysis and argument.

Rereading and revision, in this work process, is the place where creativity and originality emerge, because you learn to rethink and question what has come before or has been widely assumed.

Your goal as a reader and writer is not simply to write good papers that are clearer and better organized than your first attempt but to learn how to revise, at the conceptual level, and produce the very best paper you can.