Writing is a way of making meaning, but it also is a form of social action.
People write because they are members of a community, hoping to influence others by what they say. They use writing to identify themselves with a group and, sometimes, to alter what the group thinks or does. They write to acquire particular ways of communicating as college students, as prospective scientists, business people, historians, teachers. They practice the forms of discourse appropriate for communicating with other members of the community. English 11 is both an introduction to college writing and a workshop in which students investigate the ways discourse functions in various communities.