Experiencing English 112 with Meg Gardiner
English 112, taught by Margaret (Meg) Gardiner, is a full semester class worth 3 credits that covers the expansive topics of English composition, argument, and rhetoric. Each semester, Gardiner chooses a theme for the papers students write. This year’s theme was the environment, and we wrote a total of four papers, including an analysis paper, response paper, position paper, and research paper. There was a revision process for each assignment. Last year’s theme was education, and she is still determining if next fall’s ENG 112 will be either education or environment-based.
The class was laid back, but content rich, and very engaging. Gardiner is interesting, humorous, high energy, and well equipped for teaching. Forget about boring powerpoint presentations in this class; Gardiner prefers to teach through workshops, class activities, group editing and discussions.
According to the syllabus, “ENG 112 further develops students’ ability to write in academic and professional contexts. Students will apply critical thinking and reading techniques, demonstrate knowledge of rhetorical strategies, and conduct independent research to produce a range of academic and multimodal texts that effectively analyze, synthesize, and argue, culminating in a fully documented research paper.” The only prerequisite is the successful completion and passing of ENG 111.
I asked Gardiner what her goal for her students was, and she laughed and said “I just want everybody to pass!” as she put her head down on the table. She shared that she wanted her students to “come out of class with confidence in our writing style and an understanding that instructors are actually interested in their ideas.” She added, “We want to know what you think.” Indeed she does, as she always cultivates discussions, open topics, and free thinking in her classroom.
Gardiner shares a wide breadth of knowledge with her students from personal experience. She has been a teacher for 27 years, and has been with PVCC since 2019. She also teaches ENG 111 at PVCC, and a January-term course on public speaking at UVA. She has a master’s degree in English and Women’s Studies from UVA.
No matter how many English courses one has taken, I can confidently say that students will learn something new in this course! There is a wide variety of topics covered in this course, but it focuses predominantly on argument. Students could write how they wanted and share what they believed important to each topic. The final research paper was topic-specific but broad enough for students to find something they were passionate about, and therefore could write a quality paper. All assignments in ENG 112 are due at the end of the semester, and throughout the semester they are peer reviewed, edited by Gardiner, and given either a “Complete” or “Incomplete” grade until being fully graded at the end of the year.
If a student is interested in attending a class with Gardiner, specifically ENG 112, they are welcome to check out SIS on the PVCC portal to see when and where the class will be held. She did share that she will not be teaching ENG 112 in the spring next year. There are many enthusiastic and knowledgeable professors who are teaching English 112 in the Spring, including Justin Wert, William Edwards, Nicole Oeschslim, Charles Quinn, and Bruce Glassco. Their profiles and credentials are on the PVCC website in addition to the section they are teaching.
