English Composition
Course Descriptions

A. Non-Native Speakers of English

English 013, 015 and 100

Non-native speakers of English at WSU fall into two categories: non-residents, who are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) before being admitted to full-time academic study; and permanent residents or citizens, who are not required to take the TOEFL. The TOEFL, by itself, does not permit any student to enroll in English 013, 015, or 100. Prerequisites for these courses, along with course descriptions, are provided below.

English 013 - Basic Skills for ESL I (CR/NCR grading)

English 013 is the first in a possible two-semester sequence of developmental ESL courses which students may be required to take before enrolli ng in English 100. This course helps students develop the basic skills needed for college-level writing. It reviews the fundamental elements of written English, emphasizing the acquisition of basic grammatical and syntactical structures and the writing of paragraphs and short essays. The course also emphasizes reading comprehension skills. Students scoring below a certain level on the English departmental placement exam or presenting an ACT English score of 14 or below will enroll in English 013. (Students may also enroll in English 013 without placement exam or ACT scores, but the placement exam is highly recommended.) English 013 students must pass an exit exam: their teacher then determines, based on coursework and exit exam scores, whether a student will go on to take English 015 or 100.

English 015 - Basic Skills for ESL II (CR/NCR grading)

This course extends the skills developed in English 013. Students who have passed English 013 but are not yet ready to take English 100 will be r equired to enroll in English 015. Intensive review of basic grammatical and syntactical structures continues, and students begin writing academic-length essays. Reading comprehension skills also continue to be emphasized. Students must have received an appropriate score on the English departmental placement exam, a score between 15-19 on the English section of the ACT, or credit in English 013 before they may enroll in English 015. Students who pass English 015 may enroll the next semester in English 100.

English 100 - English Composition (Equivalent of English 101, 3 -credit hours)

This course is the equivalent of English 101 but is designed specifically for non-native speakers. ESL textbooks address grammar problems peculiar to ESL learners, and multicultural readers provide a broad perspective for discussion of significant issues for writers. Students learn to write full-le ngth academic essays by organizing and developing ideas to fulfill a controlling purpose. Thoughtful reading and discussion of course texts also help students to think, read and write more analytically and precisely. Students must receive an appropriate score on the English departmental placement exam, or a score of 20 or above on the ACT, or placement authorization from the English Department upon completion of English 013 or 015 before they may enroll in English 100. Students who pass the English 100 exit exam may take English 102 next semester.

B. Native Speakers of English

English 011 --- Course Description

Students who pass the English Placement Test or who score 20 or above on the English section of the ACT may take English 101. Others should take English 011 to prepare for English 101. Credit in English 011 indicates s atisfactory progress, and the student may enroll in English 101. The "credit" does not apply toward a degree.

I. Description: English 011 is a basic skills course designed to prepare students for regular college composition. The work done in English 011 classes will give inexperienced, developmental writers practice in organizing their thoughts in such a way that these thoughts can be expressed in writing and communicated clearly to a reader .

II. Objectives: By the end of the semester, 011 students should have developed a heightened awareness of language, a greater fluency of expression, the ability to employ the fundamentals of usage demanded by standard written English, and proficiency in expressing and supporting in writing a clear, central idea. To achieve these objectives, the students will do assignments that involve:

• Working with words
  • finding clear and appropriate nouns, verbs and modifiers to communicate ideas
  • improving familiarity with meaning and the appropriate con text for words
  • increasing fluency by adding new words to their vocabularies
    
• Practicing writing
  • using prewriting strategies to generate ideas for essays
  • exploring ways to organize ideas into clear thesis statements and paragraphs
  • developing ways to generate support for an essay with suffi cient specific details
  • revising sentences and paragraphs for clarity and clear organi zation
  • writing short essays that imitate the style and organization of model essays
    
• Learning about English fundamentals
  • reviewing basic rules of standard written English
  • practicing correct usage
  • revising essays for clear, appropriate words and sentences
    
• Composing original essays
  • reading essays and responding orally and in writing
  • writing clear thesis statements
  • learning to present evidence, give examples, show reasons
  • arranging details in logical order
  • communicating ideas to a reader

III. Requirements: Students in 011 will undertake two main tasks: to review the rules of standard written English and to practice writing by planning, composing, revising and proofreading their own compositions. Students will keep journals; review grammar and usage by identifying and correcting errors on exercises and exams; read essays that present topics and models for organizing essays, such as comparison, cause and effect and argument; and write in-class and out-of-class essays. All students must utilize the additional support available in the Writing Center for further review of specific writing problems. All students must pass a departmental final to receive credit for the course and thereby qualify for entry into English 101.

B. Native Speakers of English

English 101 --- Course Description

I. Description: This course helps prepare students for future writing assignments in other college courses and for those writing tasks that might be required by situations outside the university. English 101 has an exit (or final) examination. Students must pass the exit exam to pass the course.

II. Objectives: By the end of the course, students should be able to write essays by organizing and developing ideas to fulfill a controlling purpose. Their papers should be free of errors that call attention to themselves such as misspellings, sentence fragments and run-on sentences.

III. Goals: Writing involves creating something that requires time to take a recognizable form and shape. In English 101, students examine how this mysterious process works. English 101 emphasizes the following areas:

1. Reading critically, exploring the ideas of others and analyzing essays to discover both effective structures for their own writing, and issues and ideas to explore in their own essays.
2. Structuring the writing process to help students express ideas effectively in written form.
3. Re-thinking and revising initial drafts so that students are satisfied with what is said, and so that readers can understand their writing as well.
4. Concentrating on the "how" of what an essay says - locating any surface or mechanical problems, such as those with gram mar, spelling, or punctuation, and learning ways to avoid them in order to present ideas in the clearest and most understand able form.

IV. Requirements: Students' grades are based on fulfillment of these requirements.

1. Readings in the text require careful consideration of the ideas of others.
2. In-class discussions provide the opportunity to consider the reading and writing assignments and the overall purpose of the class. Participation is essential. Preparation of the daily assignments and some thought about their roles as writers and learners will give students the background they need for these discussions and for later writing assignments.
3. Working in small groups and editing groups provides the opportunity for students to develop ideas, to discuss drafts of papers, to comment on and to be commented on by their classmates, and to edit their writing.
4. Conferences provide opportunities for students to work intensively with their instructors on specific areas.
5. Papers provide the opportunity to write to fulfill specific purposes and to indicate competence in these areas:
   • developing and supporting a central idea.
   • reading critically and discussing the ideas of others.
   • organizing writing effectively.
   • attending to stylistic and mechanical matters.
6. Journals are the students' best entry into discovering meaning in their reading and relating that reading to their writing. Regular and thoughtful journal entries are vital to students' progress as careful readers and writers.
7. The Writing Center in room 601 of Lindquist Hall provides help with writing assignments and writing concerns. Students are required to visit the Writing Center during the course of the semester.
8. The Exit Exam is an in-class final essay exam. Students must pass the exit exam in order to pass the course.
9. Additional requirements: Attendance, class participation, preparation for class, quizzes, homework, and other assignments also contribute to students' final grades.

B. Native and Non-Native Speakers of English

English 102 --- Course Description

I. Description: English 102 introduces students to college level research. This course extends the skills that students acquired in English 101. Areas of emphasis are critical reading, often in specific disciplines, an informed response to such reading, and the use of research techniques that enable the students to write well-reasoned, appropriately documented research papers. English 102 has an exit (or final) exam. Students must pass the exit exam to pass the course.

II. Objectives: So that students will be able to adopt a critical stance toward a significant idea, instructors will ask students to:

• read carefully and evaluate various and competing opinions;
• identify their own positions in relationship to those opinions;
• become familiar with ideas that are crucial to the issues the students are exploring.

So that students will be able to communicate significant ideas effectively, instructors will sk them to:

• explain strategies writers use to present their meaning;
• evaluate how well other writers express their ideas;
• explain their ideas both to their instructors and to other audiences.

III. Goals:By the end of the course students should be able to:

• read carefully and critically
• write accurate and coherent accounts of their reading and research
• analyze and discuss the techniques authors use to achieve their own purposes
• compare the ideas of other writers with each other and with the students' own ideas
• develop proposals for an extended argumentative research project
• combine research materials into coherent, well-supported and original essays
• cite and document research materials appropriately and accu rately

IV. Requirements: Students' grades are based on their fulfillment of these requirements.

1. Readings in the text require careful consideration of the ideas of others.
2. In-class discussions provide the opportunity to consider the reading and writing assignments and the overall purpose of the class. Participation is essential. Preparation of the daily assignments and some thought about themselves as writers and learners will give students the background they will need for these discussions.
3. Editing groups provides the opportunity for students to discuss drafts of papers, to comment on and to be commented on by their classmates, and to edit their writing.
4. Conferences provide the opportunity for students to work more intensively with the instructor on specific areas.
5. Papers provide the opportunity to explain the ideas of others, and develop and support their own ideas.
6. Journals are the students' best entry into discovering meaning in their reading and how their reading relates to their writing. Regular and thoughtful journal entries are vital to the way students comprehend what they read and the way they write.
7. The Writing Center in room 601 of Lindquist Hall provides help with their writing assignments and writing concerns. Most instructors require students to visit the Writing Center during the course of the semester.
8. The Exit Exam is an in-class final essay exam. Students must pass the exit exam in order to pass the course.
9. Additional requirements: Attendance, class participation, preparation for class, drafts of work in progress, and other assignments also contribute to students' final grades.