English Composition Requirement

Students must earn 6-7 credits of English Composition to fulfill the General Education Academic Foundations requirement. Three to four credits of either WRT 120 or WRT 123 are required as well as 3 credits of 200-level WRT coursework. These credits can be completed via transfer credit. Students must complete prerequisite coursework prior to enrollment into a 200-level WRT course.

WCU is piloting a student-guided self-placement survey to determine the appropriate course sequence for our English Composition requirement. More information about the self-placement survey (the WRITE Survey) can be found below under English Placement. In order to fulfill the requirement, students must complete one of the following course sequences or transfer in credits that fulfill the requirement:

Course sequence A: Supplemental Workshop—7 credits toward graduation, over two semesters

  • Semester 1 - WRT 123 (4 credits of writing instruction focusing on discovery, composing, revision, and genre awareness in one semester. WRT 120 plus one credit of workshop "lab" and weekly supplemental peer-mentoring.)
  • Semester 2 - WRT 200-level (3 credits of research writing instruction in one semester)

Course sequence B: Sequenced—6 credits toward graduation, over two semesters

  • Semester 1 - WRT 120 (3 credits of writing instruction focusing on discovery, composing, revision, and genre awareness in one semester)
  • Semester 2 - WRT 200-level (3 credits of research writing instruction in one semester)  

Course sequence D: Advanced—3 credits toward graduation, one semester

  • Semester 1 - WRT 200-level (3 credits of research writing instruction in one semester)  
  • The WCU WRITE survey may, in exceptional circumstances, place students into the Advanced sequence if their WRITE survey scores are particularly high and if they have a minimum GPA of 3.8 and a Reading/Writing SAT of 620 or ACT English score of 28.

Students should complete their WRT coursework within their first 60 credits at WCU.

English Placement*

The WRITE Survey

Placement in the appropriate first-year writing course is recommended by the WCU WRITE (Writing and Reading InTerest and Experience) advisory system, which all incoming students are required to take prior to the scheduling period for first-year students. The WRITE advisory survey asks students to report on their past interest and experience in school and specifically with reading and writing, combined with numeric data such as their high school GPA, English course grades and SAT or ACT scores.  After the survey is taken, the advisory system will direct students into the appropriate course sequence.

Taking the correct first-year writing courses can be a critical factor for a student's success at college.  The WRITE survey is designed to assist you in making the best decision about which of WCU’s starting courses in writing seems to be the best fit for you. The WRITE survey will integrate your answers with information we have on file to determine which course sequence is likely the best fit for you. It includes each student’s individual:

  • Standardized test scores and high school GPA (in most cases, WCU has these on file for you and scores will be provided)

  • Writing and reading history, both in and outside of school.

Students who do not take the WRITE survey will not be placed into any required First-Year Writing course or sequence until they complete the survey. 

Instructions on taking the WRITE survey can be found in the WCU Placement Portal on MyWCU. If students have questions about the WRITE survey they can e-mail the English Department at writesurvey@wcupa.edu.

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Pilot program for 2023-2024 catalog year 

WRT

WRT 120. Effective Writing I. 3 Credits.

An intensive course in writing that emphasizes skill in organization and awareness of styles of writing and levels of usage as ways of expressing and communicating experiences.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 120 requires placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Cross listed courses WRT 120, WRT 123.

WRT 123. Effective Writing with Supplemental Writing Workshop. 4 Credits.

In addition to the intensive writing work of WRT 120, this course requires added instructor workshop sessions and mandatory tutoring assistance to support enrolled student writers' growth and development. Open to First-Year Students.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 123 requires placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Cross listed courses WRT 120, WRT 123.

WRT 200. Critical Writing and Research. 3 Credits.

Continues the expository writing experience offered in Effective Writing I, and explores techniques of gathering, evaluating, and selecting materials to be used in writing research papers.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 200 requires a prerequisite of WRT 120 or WRT 123 or placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

WRT 204. Critical Writing: Approaches to Popular Culture. 3 Credits.

The strategies of critical theory and critical writing will be used to examine and explain popular culture. The course will explore multiple media - such as print, television, film, music, and various visual and electronic formats - as representations of humanities, arts, and sciences, about which students will write researched, critical cultural analyses.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 204 requires a prerequisite of WRT 120 or WRT 123 or placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

WRT 205. Critical Writing: Investigating Experience. 3 Credits.

Exploration of the student's personal history and attitudes through carefully structured compositions, including autobiographical narrative, memoir, and introspective analysis.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 205 requires a prerequisite of WRT 120 or WRT 123 or placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

WRT 206. Critical Writing: Multidisciplinary Imagination. 3 Credits.

Imagination becomes a vehicle for students to explore a variety of disciplinary and social perspectives on issues of relevance to society. Assignments cover writerly issues, such as genre, style, and language, and related issues, such as the role of imagination, innovations, and discovery in the sciences, arts, social sciences, and humanities, through documented research.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 206 requires a prerequisite of WRT 120 or WRT 123 or placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

WRT 208. Critical Writing: Entering Public Sphere. 3 Credits.

Publication is a goal for many writers. Reporters, scientists, poets, academics, and others write for publication. This class will require students to write for professional and/or class-produced print forums appropriate for humanities, arts, social sciences, and scientific fields, examining those forums in order to analyze and critique their discourse conventions. The course will provide opportunities for students to submit their work to such forums for publication. The class may also produce its own publication about writing-related news and events that students will learn about by conducting documented research projects.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 208 requires a prerequisite of WRT 120 or WRT 123 or placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

WRT 220. Critical Writing: Special Topics. 3 Credits.

Each section will have a special topic that focuses on current (inter)disciplinary issues of importance in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and/or sciences. In these courses students will investigate, research, critique, and practice rhetorical strategies focusing on each section's topic.
Pre / Co requisites: WRT 220 requires a prerequisite of WRT 120 or WRT 123 or placement via the WRITE survey.
Gen Ed Attribute: English Composition Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.