WRT 090 - Introduction to Academic Writing

Credits: 4
Instructional Contact Hours: 5

Provides those who are not yet prepared for academic work in the regular composition sequence ( ENG 111, ENG 111A, ENG 112, or OAT 150, OAT 151, OAT 152 ) with opportunity to improve their writing skills in an interactive and collaborative setting. Includes practice of personal and academic writing with special attention given to individual needs, which may include organization, sentence structure and variety, correct usage, and vocabulary development. Practices active reading strategies to understand, interpret, and apply information from reading. Does not earn credit towards graduation. Must earn a grade of "C" or better in WRT 090 for progression to the next level. Credit may be earned in ENG 090 or WRT 090 but not both.

Prerequisite(s): WRITING LEVEL 1
Corequisite(s): None
Lecture Hours: 60 Lab Hours: 15
Meets MTA Requirement: None
Pass/NoCredit: No

Outcomes and Objectives

Use a writing process for pre-college and college essays at the basic level
1. Plan and brainstorm ideas for an essay before beginning to write.
2. Produce drafts of an essay and show an understanding of revision.
3. Participate effectively in writing groups and conferences.
4. Demonstrate an ability to work with written comments.
5. Produce edited, properly formatted essays.
Write basic college level essays.
1. Use introductions, conclusions, and paragraphs.
2. Write essays that demonstrate a sense of organization.
3. Use topic sentences.
4. Use transitions between sentences and paragraphs.
5. Write at least two essays with a clear thesis.
Demonstrate abilities with the more complex aspects of an essay.
1. Demonstrate ability to develop significant ideas and use supportive, specific examples.
2. Write essays that lack confusion.
3. Write essays that demonstrate an awareness of audience.
4. Reduce number of errors in grammar, usage, and punctuation.
Produce written responses to texts at the basic level.
1. Demonstrate ability, both orally and in writing, to make personal connections to the ideas in a piece of reading.
2. Demonstrate an ability to negotiate unfamiliar vocabulary, as well as make new words a part of one's own vocabulary.
3. Demonstrate basic skills for information literacy, including accessing, analyzing, and using resources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and the Internet.