Writing Program

Coordinator:  Darcy Gioia

Course Description:
English 098 (Composition Skills) is a 4.5 “E” credit course which meets for three eighty-minute periods each week. In English 098, students gain the necessary skills and confidence in their reading and writing to succeed in subsequent Writing Program courses and in the University as a whole. The course adheres to the Writing Program's pedagogical premise that challenging readings stimulate students' thinking and writing. Students will write five 4-5 page essays (both rough and final draft) and complete a two day in-class midterm and final exam.  Students receive a grade of Pass or Fail.  Students who successfully complete English 098 will then register the following semester for either 100R (Basic Composition with Reading) or 100G (Basic Composition with Grammar) at the Writing Program’s discretion.

Required Texts:
Colombo, et.al., Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing  (7th Edition)
Ruszkiewicz,et. al,  Handbook for Writers

Grading Criteria:
In order for students to pass English 098, papers 4 and 5 should:

• be 4-5 pages long and address the assignment
• have an academic introduction which concludes with a thesis
  
• show basic comprehension of the texts involved
• move toward analytic reasoning and away from narration, description or summary
• show balance between authors
• demonstrate an emerging voice
• be relatively free of grammatical errors which hamper meaning