College Writing Program

Criteria for 105E Placement

Please note:
WRT 105 and WRT 105E were formerly CAS 105 and CAS 105E.

Reasoning and Writing in the College - satisfies the primary writing requirement.

This course is an extended version of Reasoning and Writing in the College, WRT 105, and as such introduces students to disciplinary writing at the college level. It provides instruction and practice in clear and effective writing and in constructing cogent and compelling arguments, as students draft and revise numerous papers of different forms and lengths. These papers will introduce some of the forms of writing students will be expected to produce later in their college careers as well as in their public and professional lives after graduation. The subject of the course is writing, but since writing is about something, each section of 105 will present various texts, mostly written, for analysis and discussion in preparation for constructing extended argumentative essays and a final research paper. Students will consider the roles of audience and purpose in shaping the organization, style and argumentative strategies of their own papers, and they will learn to become critical readers of their writing through peer critiques and revision and editing workshops. All extended versions of Reasoning and Writing in the College will include an additional class session each week and will be taught in computer labs and limited to 10 students. Places in these sections will be reserved for students whose writing placement results suggest that they need a more intensive writing experience to meet the demands of college and professional writing.

Essay Structure

• The essay presents a clear descriptive or analytical thesis.
• Individual paragraphs build on one another and develop the essay’s thesis.

Strength of Argument

• The essay follows a logical pattern of development; it uses, for example, paragraphs to advance the argument as the paper proceeds (as opposed to reiterating ideas).
• The essay presents others’ ideas accurately and incorporates evidence for claims.

Language Use

• The prose style easily communicates ideas; language usage problems do not interfere greatly with the flow of the text.
• The essay generally uses appropriate transitions between paragraphs.
• The writer demonstrates an awareness of his or her intended audience, using appropriate tone and language.

Last Modified: Friday, 24-May-2013 09:49:54 EDT