Composition Program

College Writing and Reading is an important course in developing a student's abilities in English composition. The course has specific prerequisites and learning outcomes so that all ENG 101 students have shared expectations and experiences. 

ENG 101. COLLEGE WRITING AND READING I

3 Credits

The course prerequisites are as follows:

• Evidence of competence on an English placement test.
• Introduction to the composing process through practice in analysis and rhetoric as well as narrative and expository forms appropriate to academic writing.
• Students also conduct research using print and online sources, correctly document sources and write persuasively.

REQUIREMENTS

Students will be exposed to both formal and informal types of writing, so that all ENG 101 students will have common writing experiences and learn the processes of writing. A multiplicity of genres should be written and students should conduct formal research near the end of the semester in preparation for College Writing and Reading II.

Required Assignments in all Sections

Formal Writing

• At least four essays that stress analytical/academic writing and the principles of rhetoric.
  • At least one of these essays should respond to a work of nonfiction prose.
  • The last essay in the course should contain a research component to prepare students for ENG 200/201.
  • All essays should be completed through a series of drafts, giving students the opportunity to receive input from the instructor and from peers at some point in the process.
  • Other possible formal writing assignments might include a narrative, critical essay or multimedia assignment that focuses on rhetoric or analysis/persuasion.
• Students should focus on the composing process: pre-writing/invention, writing/drafting, and revising/rewriting.
• Students should be encouraged to use and learn communication technologies as well as basic writing skills.

Informal Writing

1. Instructors should include a series of on-going exercises involving the various elements of writing (voice, tone, audience, purpose, context, rhetoric, research, etc.) to give students experience with the composing process.
2. Various types of journals can be helpful in allowing students to practice writing (such as Blackboard, blogs, wikis, or other types of free online formats for journal exercises).

Instructors may supplement these requirements with work that gives students additional writing practice, such as stylistic exercises, additional journaling or other essays. Additional attention also should be given to exercises geared toward enhancing students' reading comprehension.

Instructors are encouraged to have at least one required conference with students over the course of the term. These may be individual/one-to-one conferences or group conferences. Students in ENG 101 should be exposed to at least one library instruction session.

Instructors also should encourage students to visit the Writing Center regularly. Instructors should consult the common textbook policy that enables students to save money and that creates a cohesive program of composition for all students.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students will:

• Identify the structural components, including thesis, supporting evidence and various rhetorical strategies, for all essays read and written.
• Articulate in a variety of venues how audience expectation shapes purpose in their own writing and in the essays they read. [CMP1]
• Demonstrate how multiple assigned readings are 'in conversation' with one another through a variety of writing and speaking opportunities. [CMP2]
• Summarize an array of viewpoints they have read on a given topic.
• Synthesize these viewpoints as a means of 'mapping' a field of perspectives.
• Analyze these viewpoints in order to assess how and where their own views and experiences relate to those they've encountered in their reading. [CMP3]
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the stages of the composing process.
• Engage in rubric-guided peer review.
• Demonstrate through proofreading and editing an awareness of the difference between a working draft and a polished version of an essay.
• Enact a revision of their writing, thereby demonstrating an awareness of the ongoing nature of the writing process. [CMP4]

ENG 103 is the accelerated, one-semester version of the composition sequence. This course seeks to give students practice in a variety of written forms, with primary attention given to writing for academic purposes.

COLLEGE WRITING AND READING (ADVANCED)

ENG 103: 3 Credits

The course prerequisites are as follows:

• Special competence demonstrated in an English placement test.
• Advanced Placement test or CLEP test.
• College-level writing and reading for advanced students.
• Extensive practice in composing processes and in gathering, analyzing, synthesizing and documenting information from sources.

Academic writing is characterized by an inquiring, balanced, informed voice and a tolerant intellectual stance. More specifically, it normally demands the following:

• Familiarizing oneself with a body of facts, interpretations or opinions about a given topic;
• Articulating questions that can be examined profitably through research;
• Surveying and assessing conflicting facts, interpretations or opinions;
• Adopting and supporting a position, while also remaining tolerant toward conflicting points-of-view and acknowledging their appeal.

These proficiencies cannot be taught and mastered over a single semester of study. They require attention in all courses at all levels of instruction. The following sequence of assignments is designed to initiate the long-term process of learning to write and read for academic purposes:

1. An essay that draws upon personal experience to support a generalization.
2. A critical analysis of one or more texts (including films, advertisements, and so forth).
3. Two research-based essays, at least one of which should be persuasive.

All essays should be completed over a series of drafts, giving students the opportunity to receive input from the instructor or from peers at some point in the process. These are only core assignments, to be supplemented with such appropriate exercises as journaling, writing summaries and paraphrases, or writing additional research-based essays. All instructors will provide guidance in the use of the library.

Instructors are urged to have at least two required conferences with students over the course of the term. These may be individual/one-to-one conferences or group conferences. Finally, Instructors should follow the common textbook policy.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS)

Students will:

• Identify the structural components, including thesis, supporting evidence and various rhetorical strategies, for all essays read and written.
• Articulate in a variety of venues how audience expectation shapes purpose in their own writing and in the essays they read. [CMP1]
• Demonstrate how multiple assigned readings are 'in conversation' with one another through a variety of writing and speaking opportunities.
• Conduct research based upon the questions that develop through their own analyses of assigned texts, thereby furthering their own learning processes and developing their own information literacies. [CMP2]
• Conduct research, thereby familiarizing themselves with online databases, web-based materials, and print-based sources. Students will summarize an array of viewpoints they have read on a given topic.
• Synthesize these viewpoints as a means of 'mapping' a field of perspectives.
• Analyze these viewpoints in order to assess how and where their own views and experiences relate to those they've encountered in their reading. [CMP3]
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the stages of the composing process.
• Engage in rubric-guided peer review.
• Demonstrate through proofreading and editing an awareness of the difference between a working draft and a polished version of an essay.
• Enact a revision of their writing, thereby demonstrating an awareness of the ongoing nature of the writing process. [CMP4]
• Develop the ability to identify key issues/questions that require additional information. For each topic discussed, students will be able to answer the question 'what's at stake here?' [IL1]
• Become proficient at identifying appropriate sources for various research questions. [IL2]
• Be able to discern reliable sources from unreliable ones. [IL3]
• Identify specific research topics and will develop a sound knowledge base through their own research to analyze and/or argue a chosen issue or position. [IL4]
• Students will learn and practice MLA documentation. Students will know what plagiarism is. [IL5]

College Writing and Reading II is an important course in developing a student's writing abilities. Learn more about the course expectations and outcomes here.

COLLEGE WRITING AND READING II

English 201: 3 Credits

The course prerequisites are as follows:

• ENG 101 or 100 and sophomore standing.
• College-level writing and reading, including continued practice in the composing process, with emphasis on argumentation and research.
• Projects will employ a rhetorical approach to identifying, evaluating, analyzing, synthesizing and documenting information from print and online sources.

COURSE GOALS

One goal of English 201 is to facilitate the transition from writing and reading based on personal experience to writing and reading for the variety of academic purposes.

The gradual acquisition of the conventions of academic writing is involved in that transition, including: 

• Inquiry-based research;
• Attaining a balanced, informed voice;
• Tolerant, intellectual and persuasive stance.

More specifically, research writing normally demands the following:

• Familiarizing oneself with the definition and applications of rhetorical principles;
• Familiarizing oneself with a body of facts, interpretations, or opinions about a given topic (understanding the chosen topic);
• Articulating questions that can be examined productively through research (thesis statements or main points);
• Surveying and assessing conflicting facts, interpretations, or opinions (entering the
• Conversation and understanding opposing positions);
• Adopting and supporting a position, while also remaining tolerant toward conflicting points-of-view and acknowledging their appeal (understanding their position and why they have/hold it).

Requirements in all Sections

Formal Writing

The proficiencies required cannot be taught and mastered over a single semester of study. They require attention in all courses at all levels of instruction. The following sequence of assignments is designed to initiate the long-term process of learning to write and read for academic purposes and beyond.

• Two analyses of texts, which will encourage students to explore the techniques writers employ to present information to specific audiences and for specific purposes (analyses should be rhetorical in nature).
• Two extended essays integrating research, at least one of which should be persuasive or argumentative and ask students to take a position on a particular topic.

Informal Writing

1. Instructors should include a series of on-going exercises involving the various elements of writing such as voice, tone, audience, purpose, context, rhetoric, and research. This gives students experience with the composing process.
2. Various types of journals can be helpful in allowing students to practice writing such as Blackboard, blogs, wikis, or other types of free online formats for journal exercises.
3. Ask students to be critical consumers of the world around them.

All essays should be completed over a series of drafts, so students will understand the composing process. Students will have the opportunity to receive input from the instructor and from peers at some point in the process.

Things to note:

• These are only core assignments. They will be supplemented with appropriate exercises such as writing summaries, paraphrases or writing additional research-based essays.
• All students in ENG 201 should have at least one library instruction session.
• Instructors are urged to have at least one required conference-either one-to-one or group conferences with students over the course of the term.
• Instructors also should encourage students to visit the Writing Center regularly.
• Finally, instructors should follow the common textbook policy.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students will identify the structural components for all essays read and writer. This includes supporting evidence and various rhetorical strategies for all essays read and written.

Students will articulate in a variety of venues how audience expectation shapes purpose in their own writing and in the essays they read. [CMP1] Additionally, students will:

• Demonstrate how multiple assigned readings are 'in conversation' with one another through a variety of writing and speaking opportunities.
• Conduct research based upon the questions that develop through their own analyses of assigned texts, thereby furthering their own learning processes and developing their own information literacies. [CMP2]
• Conduct research, thereby familiarizing themselves with online databases, web-based materials, and print-based sources.
• Summarize an array of viewpoints they have read on a given topic.
• Synthesize these viewpoints as a means of 'mapping' a field of perspectives.
• Analyze these viewpoints in order to assess how and where their own views and experiences relate to those they've encountered in their reading. [CMP3]
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the stages of the composing process. Students will engage in rubric-guided peer review.
• Demonstrate through proofreading and editing an awareness of the difference between a working draft and a polished version of an essay.
• Enact a revision of their writing, thereby demonstrating an awareness of the ongoing nature of the writing process. [CMP4]
• Develop the ability to identify key issues/questions that require additional information. For each topic discussed, students will be able to answer the question 'what's at stake here?' [IL1]
• Become proficient at identifying appropriate sources for various research questions. [IL2]
• Be able to discern reliable sources from unreliable ones. [IL3]
• Identify specific research topics and will develop a sound knowledge base through their own research to analyze and/or argue a chosen issue or position. [IL4]
• Learn and practice MLA documentation. Students will know what plagiarism is. [IL5]