Writing Program

Writing Program courses are designed to help students become the most proficient writers possible. The courses stress the writing process, along with purpose, audience, correctness, research techniques, and visual layout. Integrated Reading and Writing is designed to prepare students for success in Freshman Composition. Freshman Composition I focuses primarily on informative academic writing and introduces persuasive writing, while Freshman Composition II focuses on argument and persuasion. Freshman Composition I and II papers emphasize the use of source material and appropriate documentation of that material. All of the classes include an oral component, providing time for students to practice and sharpen their oral presentation skills. These courses prepare students for demands of the academic and professional worlds. Freshman Composition I and II are also enhanced with quantitative literacy. In addition, WRC 3013 Writing Strategies for the Pre-law Student and WRC 4123 Topics in Writing further prepare students for careers in which writing is a critical skill.

Writing Program (WRC) Courses

WRC 1013. Freshman Composition I. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = ENGL 1301)

Freshman Composition I, an informative writing course, focuses on developing and expressing ideas clearly and effectively. Students learn to communicate with professional and academic audiences through written, oral, and visual methods by means of individual and team projects. Students review principles of the writing process, including planning, organization, development, revision, and editing. They are also introduced to rhetorical techniques and quantitative literacy. Students critically read and analyze primary and secondary texts to use in developing writing skills through practice with summary and paraphrase, analysis, and synthesis of multiple sources. The course offers students opportunities to reflect on their work, engage in library research, and practice ethical decision-making through responsible selection, use, and documentation of sources. This course, or an equivalent, is required to fulfill the Core Curriculum requirement in Communication. Student must be TSI complete in Reading and Writing. Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer. Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRC1 $12; LRF1 $30; STSF $6.

WRC 1023. Freshman Composition II. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = ENGL 1302)

Prerequisite: WRC 1013. Building on the skills introduced in Freshman Composition I, Freshman Composition II focuses on persuasive communication and critical thinking. The course provides intensive writing practice in developing argumentative claims, addressing logical fallacies, and understanding bias and assumptions to help students write clear and effective arguments. Students will further develop the ability to communicate with professional and academic audiences through written, oral, and visual methods by means of individual and team projects. Freshman Composition II continues to develop quantitative literacy skills and to promote ethical decision-making through responsible methods of data analysis and research. The course develops students’ critical thinking skills through the analysis and evaluation of primary and secondary sources in order to create source-based arguments. The course also encourages students to think critically through self-reflection. Students may enroll in a discipline-specific section of the course, such as business, communication (documentaries or internet arguments), environmental issues, quantitative literacy, science/pseudoscience, or social sciences. This course, or an equivalent, is required to fulfill the Core Curriculum requirement in Communication. Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer. Course Fees: DL01 $75; LRC1 $12; LRF1 $30; STSF $6.

WRC 3013. Writing Strategies for the Pre-law Student. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Completion of Core Curriculum requirement in Communication. This writing course is designed for students planning to become attorneys. It emphasizes clear, concise writing, as well as editing conventions necessary to produce readable and correct prose, free of jargon and inflated language. It provides students with an opportunity to improve their ability to express their understanding of law and its application to fact scenarios. The course introduces organizational strategies used to identify relevant elements of facts and law appropriate to the construction of well-written arguments and documents. Generally offered: Spring, Summer. Course Fee: LRF1 $30; STSF $6; WRC1 $5; DL01 $75.

WRC 4123. Topics in Writing. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Writing-intensive course on various aspects of writing, such as Writing Center tutoring, scientific technical writing, legal technical writing, and writing in the disciplines. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Formerly WRC 3123. Credit cannot be earned for both WRC 3123 and WRC 4123.). Course fees: DL01 $75; LRF1 $30; STSF $6.