Composition Courses

In English Composition, you learn how to read critically, summarize, analyze and interpret texts of all kinds. The skills developed in our writing courses are transferable to a wide variety of college courses and career paths.

Fulfill your writing requirement

Most students at IU fulfill the English Composition requirement by enrolling in W131, W170, or W171. While W131, W170, and W171 share goals, there are some differences of emphasis between the three courses:

In W131, the focus is on academic writing in response to various cultural issues and phenomena. Much of the course is organized around strategies of analysis and argument, with readings on various topics serving as material for observation, thinking, and writing.

In W170 and W171, the focus is on sustained inquiry (i.e., reading, writing, and critical thinking) concerning a single problem or topic that lasts throughout the semester. The courses are organized around a broad question or problem and various strategies for analysis, argument, and research are taught when they are relevant for the conduct of the inquiry. The difference between W170 and W171 is that while both are inquiry-driven, W171 incorporates more use of digital technologies and introduces students to digital literacy, digital problem solving, and digital creativity.

Some students may satisfy this requirement through qualifying SAT, ACT, or AP-Composition scores. First-year students who have completed or are exempted from the composition requirement are encouraged to enroll in any of our 200-level W, G, or L courses.

W131 is a course in academic writing that attempts to integrate critical reading, thinking, and writing about phenomena and issues in our culture. Rather than practicing a set of discrete skills or often unrelated modes of discourse, the course aims to build sequentially on students’ ability to read both written and cultural texts closely and critically and to analyze those texts in ways that also engage and problematize students’ own experience, the perspectives of “experts,” and the world they live in.

W131 aims to show students how the use of sources, agreement/disagreement, and personal response can be made to serve independent, purposeful, and well-supported analytical writing.

In summary, the course offers instruction and practice in the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills required in college. Emphasis is on written assignments that require synthesis, analysis, and argument based on sources.

W131 Reading, Writing + Inquiry I - Basic Writing (3 Cr.)

The Composition program offers several sections of W131-Basic Writing (BW) each semester as well. In most important respects, the BW version of W131 is no different from other versions of W131: like other versions, the BW sections provide instruction and practice in the fundamental reading and writing skills required in college, emphasizing written assignments that require synthesis, analysis, and argument based on sources. In other respects, however, the BW version of W131 offers eligible students several advantages. For one, BW sections are considerably smaller than other W131 sections to allow for greater interaction between instructor and student. To this end, all BW sections are taught by experienced instructors who are committed to working closely with students. Eligibility to enroll in the Basic Writing sections of W131 is dependent on the student’s reported ACT English or SAT Verbal scores. Most eligible students have been identified by UDIV advising and have already been authorized, however, students who suspect they should be placed into a Basic Writing section of W131 but are blocked from enrollment should contact their advisor to determine eligibility and submit a request via our online permission form for consent to register. For more information, students may also contact:

Josh Hasler
W131-Basic Coordinator
johasler@iu.edu
Department of English
Ballantine Hall

Eligibility is based on the following guidelines:

• Basic Writing STRONGLY ADVISED
  • ACT ENGLISH 1-21 or SAT Evidenced Based Reading and Writing Score of 200-520
  • ACT ENGLISH 22 or SAT Evidenced Based Reading and Writing Score of 530-540

  Note: The Basic Writing section fulfills the English composition requirement. There is nothing that appears on a student’s transcript to indicate that a BW section was taken rather than some other version of W131.

  W131 Reading, Writing + Inquiry I - Multilingual (3 Cr.)

  ENG W131ML is designed for those students whose core educational backgrounds occurred in languages other than English. Like other sections of ENG W131, this course offers rigorous instruction in understanding college-level writing and research as a multivocal process. It bears the same amount of credit, requires the same amount of writing, and places the same emphasis on critical thinking, analytical writing, and synthesis as does ENG W131; but it encourages students to gain lexical knowledge in a particular issue or topic area, equips them to become independent writers of English, and provides them with the opportunity to focus on specific linguistic concerns.

  ENG W131ML also offers students a smaller class size and a setting that gives extra attention to the development of critical language awareness, especially as it relates to conventions of academic reading, writing, and inquiry across texts and contexts. For more information, students may contact:

  Katherine Silvester
  Multilingual Writing Coordinator
  Department of English
  Ballantine Hall 440
  klsilves@indiana.edu

  Eligibility is based on the following guidelines:

  Multilingual Writing STRONGLY ADVISED

  • ACT ≤ 21 (optional 22)
  • SAT Evidence Based Reading & Writing ≤ 520 (optional 540)
  • TOEFL ≤ 105
  • Completion of SLS-T131, if required

  Note: Seats permitting, Multilingual Writing is an excellent option for any student who identifies as multilingual and would like to take the class. For students who are not immediately eligible to enroll, please complete a permission request. Students and their advisors may also contact the Multilingual Coordinator for assistance.

  W170 Projects in Reading and Writing (3 cr.)

  W170 represents an alternative to W131, satisfying the freshman composition requirement but designed to offer more intensive writing and reading instruction around some theme or question. Open to all freshmen, it typically attracts those who are slightly more serious about reading and writing and more comfortable assuming a greater responsibility for their own learning.

  As a reading and writing course, W170 has essentially the same goals as W131. Both courses assume that students will write analytical, argumentative, and investigative academic essays based on sources and that they will take their essays through a full cycle of drafting and revising.

  W171 Projects in Digital Literacy and Composition (3 cr.)

  W171 represents an alternative to W131, satisfying the freshman composition requirement but designed to offer more intensive writing and reading instruction around a theme or question related to the digital landscape shaping our world. Moreover, the course incorporates more use of digital technologies and introduces students to key concepts of digital literacy, digital problem solving, and digital creativity. Open to all freshmen, it typically attracts those who are slightly more serious about reading and writing and more comfortable assuming a greater responsibility for their own learning. It does not require any tech expertise, just a healthy curiosity for digital tools and questions.

  As a reading and writing course, W171 has essentially the same goals as W131. Both courses assume that students will write analytical, argumentative, and investigative academic essays based on sources and that they will take their essays through a full cycle of drafting and revising.

  Develop your writing ability

  Employers of all kinds value effective communication and critical thinking abilities—skills vital to 21 st century careers. You can develop these skills, and improve your writing, in our upper-level composition classes.

  W202 English Grammar Review (1 cr.)

  This 1 credit, eight-week course will provide a basic understanding of grammatical terms and principles sufficient to enable students to edit their own prose with confidence. Despite the course title, no prior knowledge of grammar will be assumed or required. No authorization is required for this course. Does not count in the major or minor.

  W203 Creative Writing (3 cr.)

  This course is an exploration of creative writing, including craft concepts and the workshopping of students’ own original poetry or fiction. Does not satisfy the English composition requirement. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

  W231 Professional Writing Skills (3 cr.)

  This course is designed to help students, in any field, develop writing and research skills which will be useful in the professional world and any future writing project. This course concentrates on the writing of concise, informative prose, and emphasizes the importance of writing with a clearly defined purpose and audience.

  Assignments will be based on general principles of communication but will usually take the form of writing done in the world of work: letters, memos, summaries, and abstracts, reports, proposals, etc.

  Students will often be able to write on subjects related to their field of study. The course requires constant, careful attention to writing and rewriting, and many classes will be conducted as workshops, with writing exercises and detailed discussion of the work of class members.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT

  W240 Community Service Writing (3 cr.)

  Integrates service with learning to develop research and writing skills requisite for most academic and professional activities. Students volunteer at a community service agency, write an assignment for public use by the agency, and perform course work culminating in a research paper on a related social issue.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT

  W241 Collaborative Digital Writing (3 cr.)

  Workshop-oriented class integrating service learning and digital forms of public and professional writing through online collaborations. Students work in teams addressing real community needs through research and writing that culminates in a portfolio showcasing individually- and team-authored documents.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT

  W270 Argumentative Writing (3 cr.)

  Offers instruction and practice in writing argumentative essays about complicated and controversial issues. The course focuses on strategies for identifying issues, assessing claims, locating evidence, deciding on a position, and writing papers with clear assertions and convincing arguments.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT

  W280 Literary Editing and Publishing (3 cr.)

  Principles of editing and publishing literary writing. Kinds of journals, varieties of formats (including print and e-zine), introduction to editing and production processes. Possible focus on genre publishing (fiction, poetry, non-fiction prose), grant writing, Web publishing, etc. May not be repeated for credit.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT

  W321 Advanced Technical Writing: Visual Literacy and Document Design (3 cr.)

  This course investigates the rhetorical principles that inform the composition and design of effective professional writing.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF W231 OR INSTRUCTOR’S PERMISSION

  W350 Advanced Expository Writing (3 cr.)

  Advanced writing course focuses on the interconnected activities of writing and reading, especially the kinds of responding, analyzing, and evaluating that characterize work in many fields in the university. Topics vary from semester to semester.

  PREREQUISITE: COMPLETION OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT