This course is designed to offer students intensive practice in genre writing, reading comprehension, textual analysis, academic vocabulary, and American rhetoric and aims at helping students develop the rhetorical knowledge and multimodal competence that are required for success in American academic contexts. In addition to assist students in developing academic literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking) as a way of understanding and communicating disciplinary knowledge and concepts, this course also aims to teach and encourage students § to communicate effectively in academic, professional, and civic contexts, to use critical thinking skills when reading and preparing texts for a range of audiences, contexts, and purposes; § how to analyze writing pieces, textually and visually; § to be nimble writers, who can adapt their writing to current digital formats and changing conventions in their fields; § to become writers who can collaborate effectively with peers; § to become lifelong learners who will continue to read widely and practice and improve their writing.