English as a Second Language Program
The mission of the ESL component of the Writing Program is to help non-native speakers achieve college-level proficiency in English speaking, reading, and writing. Our ESL seminars (WR 097 and WR 098) prepare students for the challenges they will face in subsequent Writing Seminars (WR 100 and WR 150) and in the courses they will take throughout their college careers.
The ESL course sequence teaches students to read critically, speak articulately, and write effectively. The seminars place an emphasis on the structure of language as a basis for effective analytical writing. Students examine cultural differences in strategies for classroom discourse and learn the rhetorical conventions of academic English. Enrollment in Writing Program courses for students whose first language is not English is based upon placement test results. ESL students who do not advance immediately to WR 100 will be placed either in WR 097 or WR 098. Initial placement in WR 097 requires completion of WR 098 in the next semester, prior to taking WR 100. Students enrolled initially in WR 098 proceed thereafter to WR 100.
CAS WR 097
English Grammar and Composition (ESL only)
Prereq: placement test results. Study of conventions of academic writing along with review of grammar and mechanics. Emphasis on comprehension, summary, and critical analysis of a wide range of readings. Focus on accuracy and fluency in writing and speaking. Frequent papers and in-class writing. (4 cr.) Fall semester.
CAS WR 098
Introduction to College Reading and Writing in English (ESL only)
Prereq: placement test results or CAS WR 097. Emphasis on critical reading and analytical writing. Review of grammar and mechanics in context. Intensive practice in the patterns of academic argumentation. Various theme-based readings. Multiple writing assignments of increasing complexity. Refinement of speaking skills through discussions and oral presentations. (4 cr.) Either semester.