Courses


First Year Writing | Advanced Writing (202s)Basic Writing

A core feature of the Penn State Program in Writing and Rhetoric is its two-part writing sequence. Every Penn State student takes courses in both First-Year Writing and Advanced Writing in the Disciplines. First-Year Writing courses focus on Rhetoric and Composition and prepare students for college-level writing. The second portion of the sequence allows students to choose from advanced writing electives, each with a unique disciplinary focus.  As a result, every Penn State student receives grounding in rhetorical principles that they can leverage as producers and consumers of writing in their personal, professional, and civic lives.

See also Registering for English 15 and 202 FAQ.

First-Year Writing

First-year writing courses, which include ENGL 15, ENGL 30H, and ENGL/CAS 137H/138H, are designed to help students gain an understanding of rhetorical principles and their application to the reception and production of texts.

ENGL 15: Rhetoric and Composition

Course Coordinator Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

Stuart Selber

Course Coordinator:
Stuart Selber

What is ENGL 15: Rhetoric and Composition?

The goal of ENGL 15 is to help students to become “critical citizens” inside and outside the university, people who engage actively and influentially with the communities they belong to because they have an awareness of how communities are created and influenced through language and other symbols. In this course you will acquire skills in rhetoric and argumentation by completing five major assignments as determined by the instructor.

Acquiring skill in rhetoric and argument means learning to write (and speak) with a coherent sense of audience and purpose, and with a strategic sense of argument and design. It also means learning to read (and listen) rhetorically, with a critical yet open-minded attention to the methods of persuasion employed by others. Such methods may be used to teach, explain, create knowledge, alter beliefs, protect the innocent, recommend actions, or reform society.

Who Takes ENGL 15: Rhetoric and Composition?

ENGL 15 is required of all Penn State undergraduates except those who pass ENGL 30H or ENGL 137H.

Credit Information

ENGL 15 is a 3-credit, one semester course. It satisfies 3 of 9 credits required for all baccalaureate degree candidates in General Education writing/speaking skills (GWS).

ENGL 15A: Culture and Diversity

Course Coordinator Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 15A: Culture and Diversity

ENGL 15A is a version of ENGL 15 with an added emphasis on culture and diversity. The term diversity can have multiple definitions. During this class, you will sharpen your argumentation skills by exploring the many layers of this term as well as how it relates to issues of social justice, race, class, gender & sexuality, higher education, and more. By focusing on diversity and rhetoric & composition, you can become “critical citizens” inside and outside the university by using writing as a tool to engage actively and influentially with the communities you belong to and as an act of inquiry.

This course attempts to emphasize diversity in a safe and yet provocative learning environment where you can develop sophistication as both a producer and consumer of knowledge as you explore and respect the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of your classmates. Major writing assignments for this course typically deal with issues of diversity in some form.

Who Takes ENGL 15A: Culture and Diversity?

ENGL 15 is required of all Penn State undergraduates except those who pass ENGL 30H or ENGL 137H.

Credit Information

ENGL 15A is a 3-credit, one semester course. In addition to meeting a 3-credit GWS requirement, this course satisfies the US Cultures requirement.

ENGL 15S: Exploring Your Options At College

Course Coordinator Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 15S: Exploring Your Options At College?

In addition to the goals and challenges of an ENGL 15 course, ENGL 15S includes an added emphasis on exploring your options at college. In this course, you will also learn about what it means to be a member of the scholarly community in a way that will bridge to later experiences in your chosen major. This course will also orient you to life in college, including helping you to adjust to high expectations, demanding workload, increased liberties, and other aspects of the transition to college life.

Who Takes ENGL 15S: Exploring Your Options At College?

ENGL 15S is adapted to the needs of students who are undecided and/or undeclared for a specific college.

Credit Information

In addition to meeting a 3-credit GWS requirement, this course satisfies the requirement for a first-year seminar.

ENGL 15S: Engaged Scholars

Course Coordinator Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 15S: Engaged Scholars?

The DUS Engaged Scholars Program is for first-year students from first-generation and under-represented communities. This program supports students as they transition to and successfully navigate Penn State, address common first-year pitfalls like time management and study skills, and hear from guest speakers on important topics like networking, paying for college, and engagement. Each fall, 10-15 seats of one section of English 15S are reserved for students in the Engaged Scholars program. These students bring diverse perspectives to the classroom and contribute to a unique learning community.

Shana Clarke, spc83@psu.edu, is the Assistant Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in DUS and oversees the Engaged Scholars Program.

Credit Information

In addition to meeting a 3-credit GWS requirement, this course satisfies the requirement for a first-year seminar.

ENGL 15S: Discover House

Course Coordinator Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 15S: Discover House?

Discover House is a special living option on the 5th floor of Beaver Hall for first-year students in the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), an enrollment unit for students who want to explore different majors before enrolling in a college. Each fall semester, one section of English 15S is reserved for Discover House students who are considering majors in the College of the Liberal Arts. Because the students in this section also live together, the classroom community is quick to develop and the possibilities broaden for things like group projects, creative peer-reviewing, etc.

The Discover House program director is Brittany Rossi, bkb21@psu.edu.

Who Takes ENGL 15S: Discover House?

ENGL 15S is adapted to the needs of students who are undecided and/or undeclared for a specific college.

Credit Information

In addition to meeting a 3-credit GWS requirement, this course satisfies the requirement for a first-year seminar.

ENGL 15E: Enhanced

Course Coordinator: Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 15E: Enhanced?

ENGL 15E allows you to earn credits towards graduation and receive multidimensional writing support from faculty, graduate students, and peers. ENGL 15E includes a 3-credit ENGL 15 workshop taught by an experienced lecturer and a 1-credit weekly ENGL 5 tutorial, with guaranteed tutorial at Penn State Learning for each assignment. In ENGL 15E you will develop college-level writing experience using the ENGL 15 curriculum while also receiving extra support to ensure you are prepared to meet the course requirements.

Who Takes ENGL 15E?

You are eligible for ENG 15E if you:

  • Had placement scores between 380-459 and 200-379
  • Had between 0-2 years of AP or college preparatory English
  • Often wrote brief essays
  • Earned between a C+ and D in writing courses
  • Are unsure of writing tasks
  • Need writing practice and support

How to Enroll

Contact Lynn Setzler (las36@psu.edu) or Amy Barone (aeh109@psu.edu) to enroll in ENGL 15E.

Credit Information

ENGL 15E satisfies 3 of 9 credits required for all baccalaureate degree candidates in General Education writing/speaking skills (GWS). The credit earned in ENGL 5 counts in GPA and computations of full-time status but does not count toward graduation requirements for a baccalaureate degree. ENGL 15E is an alternative for ENGL 4.

ENGL 30H: Freshman Composition (Honors)

Course Coordinator: Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 30H: Honors Freshman Composition?

ENGL 30H, Honors Freshman Composition is an honors rhetoric course that qualified students take instead of ENGL 15. Since ENGL 30H replaces ENGL 15 as an introduction to upper-level writing courses, it is important that it perform the same function as ENGL 15. Like the students who take ENGL 15, students who take ENGL 30H will learn to invent various kinds of arguments and to adapt them to a variety of clearly defined audiences and purposes.

It is teaching argument that provides the unifying focus for both ENGL 15 and ENGL 30H. This does not mean that we train students to become contentious debaters, but it does mean that we teach them to develop habits of critical thinking and reasoning that enable them to distinguish the issue at stake in any writing situation and to marshal evidence for the position they support. ENGL 30H is distinguished from ENGL 15 mainly by the range and depth of its required readings, which we can expect will challenge Penn State’s most highly qualified students.

However, ENGL 30H is neither a theoretical course in argument nor a literature course with writing assignments; it is centrally a writing course. This means that the primary emphasis of the course is on helping students develop well-formed and clearly written texts on whatever subjects they are writing about.

Who Takes ENGL 30H: Honors Freshman Composition?

If you are looking for an honors-level writing course, you are a good fit for ENGL 30H.

Credit Information

ENGL 30H is a 3-credit, one semester course. It satisfies 3 of 9 credits required for all baccalaureate degree candidates in General Education writing/speaking skills (GWS). It also provides honors credit.

ENGL 30T: Exploring Your Options At College (Honors)

Course Coordinator Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 30T: Exploring Your Options At College (Honors)?

In addition to the goals and challenges of an ENGL 30H course, ENGL 30T includes an added emphasis on exploring your options at college. In this course, you will also learn about what it means to be a member of the scholarly community in a way that will bridge to later experiences in your chosen major. This course will also orient you to life in college, including helping you to adjust to high expectations, demanding workload, increased liberties, and other aspects of the transition to college life.

Who Takes ENGL 30T: Exploring Your Options At College (Honors)?

ENGL 30T is adapted to the needs of students who are undecided and/or undeclared for a specific college. These students are also seeking a course that provides honors credits.

Credit Information

In addition to meeting a 3-credit GWS requirement, this course satisfies the requirement for a first-year seminar. It also provides honors credits.

ENGL/CAS 137H/138H: Rhetoric and Civic Life I/II (Honors)

teresa hamilton

Course Coordinator: Teresa Hamilton

What is ENGL/CAS 137H/138H: Honors Rhetoric and Civic Life?

An innovative first-year honors course, ENGL/CAS 137H/138H offers comprehensive training in the oral, written, visual, and digital communication skills necessary for the 21st century. The course is sequential and lasts over two semesters; ideally, students will remain in the same sections – with the same instructor and classmates – for both terms, providing an opportunity for thoughtful community building and learning.

The first part of the sequence, ENGL/CAS137H: Honors Rhetoric and Civic Life I, focuses on understanding rhetoric in a variety of cultural contexts. In this course, you will practice incorporating visuals in oral presentations while also learning to analyze how visual rhetoric works in the world around you. In the process of becoming “critical citizens,” you will research, discuss, and analyze public controversies. The course provides explicit training in general library and digitally based research methods, as well as interview-based research. In addition to formal writing and speaking assignments, you will hone your interactive rhetorical skills by using a blogging platform to explore a topic about which you are passionate, to engage course readings together, and to share work in progress.

The second course in the sequence, ENGL/CAS 138H: Honors Rhetoric and Civic Life II expands knowledge and aptitudes built in ENGL/CAS 137H by asking you to use rhetorical skills and principles to develop strategies for persuasion and advocacy in the context of civic issues. The course continues the multimodal emphasis (the focus on oral, written, visual, and digital communication) used in 137H and adds new components as well. You will develop a repertoire of communication skills through hands-on practice at composing and delivering speeches and essays, and you will work with digital media to create multimedia texts, podcasts, and websites.

The course’s civic and ethical components take center stage as you learn how to deliberate important public issues thoughtfully and with civility and respect. You will learn the difference between persuasion and advocacy and develop strategies for both in the context of pertinent local, national, and global issues. You will participate in a public deliberation forum on topics you and your classmates generate and vote on. The forum will be organized to allow small deliberative action groups as well as large forum-style meetings. The course focuses on ethics in many contexts – e.g., community action and public deliberation; ethics of persuasion; ethical controversies in the disciplines.

For more information, see the Rhetoric and Civic Life website.

Who Takes ENGL/CAS 137H/138H: Honors Rhetoric and Civic Life?

The course is open to first-year Schreyer Honors College students and Paterno Fellows aspirants.

Credit Information

ENGL/CAS 137H/138H is a 6-credit, two-semester, two-course sequence. It also provides honors credit.

Advanced Writing for the Professions

Taken during or after a student’s junior year at PSU, these advanced courses (including ENGL 202A, B, C, and D) teach students how to apply rhetorical principles in disciplinary and community contexts.

ENGL 202A: Writing in the Social Sciences

profile picture

Course Coordinator: Xiaoye You

What Is ENGL 202A: Writing in the Social Sciences?

ENGL 202A introduces you to the types of writing that social scientists typically do in the workplace, including research proposals, literature reviews, and research reports. In addition to practicing these genres, you will also prepare a set of career development documents, including two cover letters and two resumes, for employment purposes.

In discussing writing and writing activities, this class will focus on some of the more common forms of social science research – among them, experiments, interviews, observations, and surveys. You will learn to formulate ideas and create coherent pieces of writing from the research you have conducted and read about. In short, the course will introduce you to a variety of writing and research strategies from which you can begin to develop your own identity as a social scientist.

Who takes ENGL 202A: Writing in the Social Sciences?

ENGL 202A is designed for students who fit into the broad category of the study of the social sciences – education, administration of justice, psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, political science, economics or other related majors – and who will become researchers, scholars, and practitioners of the social sciences, such as teachers, counselors, police officers, lawyers, government workers, nurses, and social workers. These students will be focusing on issues in their fields and/or expanding on basic research topics and techniques they are pursuing in their “major” classes. In the process of conducting research, attention is given to the ethical consideration of the study of human behavior.

Credit Information

ENGL 202A is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202A: Neurodiversity

Judith McKelvey

Course Coordinator: Judith McKelvey

What is English 202A: For and With Neurodiversity?

The goal of ENGL 202A: For and With Neurodiversity is to provide confident awareness of rhetorical protocols in a variety of student majors and to prepare students as writers in their fields. Because of the variety of fields and cultures under the umbrella of “social sciences,” students in the course will have the opportunity to learn in an inter-disciplinary environment. To best prepare students for writing and collaboration beyond undergraduate education, the course is taught with a pre-professional slant, emphasizing practical and up-to-date protocols in post-graduate and job applications.

The organizing principle behind this class is the concept of the spectrum: for example, within the social science fields, we have a spectrum of over-lapping protocols, priorities, and values, with hard science on one extreme end of the spectrum and art on the other; in the realm of human development, we have a spectrum of physical and behavioral possibilities with “normal” anchoring (rather ambiguously) the center. As a way of unifying our diverse class community (multiple disciplines, personalities, backgrounds, bodies) we will be using readings on neurodiversity as our anchor, allowing individual interests to fan out from that point in whatever direction your curiosity takes you.

One of the most open-minded writers of our time, George Saunders, provides us with an inspiring vocabulary to use alongside our class metaphor: in a July 2016 New Yorker article, Saunders writes about the liberal-conservative split as simply two necessary, interactive tensions that rely on each other to pull the human group back to a balanced center. He names the split “other curious” (liberal end of the spectrum) and “other cautious” (conservative end of the spectrum). Interestingly, we could potentially describe people with the neurodiverse ASD label as “other neutral” – and begin to see the ways in which every point on the spectrum has its contribution. We will be conducting our classroom discussions and workshops and projects with the starting point that as long as we are each rhetorically respectful, we can each assume the worth of our particular point of origin and reference – and we can all learn from each other.

Who Takes English 202A: For and With Neurodiversity?

ENGL 202A is designed for students who fit into the broad category of the study of the social sciences – education, administration of justice, psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, political science, economics or other related majors – and who will become researchers, scholars, and practitioners of the social sciences, such as teachers, counselors, police officers, lawyers, government workers, nurses, and social workers. These students will be focusing on issues in their fields and/or expanding on basic research topics and techniques they are pursuing in their “major” classes. In the process of conducting research, attention is given to the ethical consideration of the study of human behavior.

How to Enroll

Contact Judith McKelvey (jlm24@psu.edu) for more information.
Contact Lynn Setzler (las36@psu.edu) to enroll.

Credit Information

ENGL 202A is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202B: Writing in the Humanities

Heather Holleman

Course Coordinator: Heather Holleman

What is ENGL 202B: Writing in the Humanities?

ENGL 202B (unlike other 202 courses) allows us to identify questions and topics common to the humanities. As we examine what it means to be “human,” using various methodologies applied to various texts, we can learn how to ask good questions, enter into sophisticated conversations, and make claims that we skillfully argue with advanced writing techniques. ENGL 202B is an upper-level writing course that accomplishes two tasks. First, we’ll develop professionally by designing a stellar resume and cover letter, and second, we’ll develop academically as scholars of the humanities.

Who takes ENGL 202B: Writing in the Humanities?

ENGL 202B is designed for students who fit into the broad category of the study of the humanities – art, music, theatre, philosophy, history, literature and languages, woman’s studies, media and film studies, journalism, speech communication, and other related majors – and will become artists, fiction writers, historians, museum curators, journalists, teachers, lawyers. These students will be focusing on issues in their fields and/or expanding on basic research topics and techniques they are pursuing in their courses.

Credit Information

ENGL 202B is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202B.012: Literacy

What is ENGL 202B.012 Literacy?

image of course coordinator

Camille-Yvette Welsch
Course Coordinator

ENGL 202B.012 Literacy is a course designed to provide students enrolled in any college or major an opportunity to examine adult literacy engage in a much-needed community service activity through work with adult learners, assisting them as they strive to improve their own literacy skills. In addition to gaining a greater understanding of literacy in general – its history; its relationship to class, gender, and ethnicity; its promises and politics – students who successfully complete this course will be recognized by the Pennsylvania Literacy Corps as certified volunteer tutors.

Who takes ENGL 202B.012 Literacy?

ENGL 202B is designed for students who fit into the broad category of the study of the humanities – art, music, theater, philosophy, history, literature and languages, woman’s studies, media and film studies, journalism, speech communication, and other related majors – and will become artists, fiction writers, historians, museum curators, journalists, teachers, lawyers.

However, unlike other sections of ENGL 202, ENGL 202B.012 Literacy does not focus on writing for a particular profession. Rather, this course focuses on literacy – its definitions, its importance, and its implications – through a wide variety of readings and class discussions. There is a strong emphasis on researching and writing about literacy-related issues, and there is also a strong commitment to service. In addition to tutoring, students engage in service by designing and implementing dynamic service projects that contribute to increased literacy in the community.

How to Enroll

Enroll through the course website. This course is offered every fall and spring semester.

Credit Information

Every student who enrolls in ENGL 202B.012 Literacy will also register for three internship credits through LA 495. LA 495 is an internship program open to all Penn State students. Students signing up for this internship receive credit for the time spent engaged in training and tutoring while enrolled in ENGL 202B.012 Literacy. By enrolling in LA 495 AND 202B.012 Literacy simultaneously, students receive credit for becoming certified Literacy Corps tutors.

ENGL 202B.012 Literacy is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit. Taken in conjunction with LA 495, students will also receive three internship credits.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202B: Writing In The Arts

Stacy Tibbetts

Course Coordinator:
Stacy Tibbetts

What Is ENGL 202B: Writing In the Arts?

Majoring or minoring in the fine arts? Passionate about helping artists, teaching art, or producing new work? In this cross-disciplinary writing workshop, we will explore the role of writing in the arts and practice some of that writing. Taking a practical, rhetorical approach, we will discuss audiences, purposes, and the content/structure of various genres of professional arts-related communication.

You will work on several projects that will develop your awareness of how writing can support a career in the arts, including artist resumes, bios and personal statements, marketing and promotional copy, press releases, writing for the web and social media, reviews/criticism, and grants/proposals. You will also study basic grammar and style and use occasional journal responses to explore issues of deeper interest to those pursuing an arts-related career.

Who Takes ENGL 202B: Writing In The Arts?

Any students majoring or minoring in the fine arts (music, theatre, writing, film/video, dance, architecture, visual art/design) will benefit from this class. Also welcome are those interested in a career in art education, arts promotion/marketing, or the administration/leadership of an arts organization.

How To Enroll

Contact Stacy Tibbetts (sxt10@psu.edu) for more information.
Contact Lynn Setzler (las36@psu.edu) to enroll.
Note: This class meets at 10:10 a.m. MWF.

Credit Information

ENGL 202B is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202C: Technical Writing

Stuart Selber

Course Coordinator: Stuart Selber

What Is ENGL 202C: Technical Writing?

ENGL 202C: Technical Writing is designed to teach the writing strategies and tactics that scientists and engineers will need in order to write successfully on the job. ENGL 202C is an advanced course in writing which will familiarize you with the discourse practices prized in your disciplinary and institutional communities – and helps you manage those practices effectively in your own written work.

In this course, you can expect to discover and understand the discourse features that distinguish your disciplinary and institutional communities from others, develop a range of writing processes appropriate to various writing tasks, arrange material to raise and satisfy readers’ expectations, using both conventional and rhetorical patterns of organization, and design and use tables, graphs, and technical illustrations.

Who Takes ENGL 202C: Technical Writing?

ENGL 202C: Technical Writing, primarily serves students who are preparing for careers in the sciences and applied sciences (particularly engineering). However, students from diverse fields and majors can benefit from this course.

Credit Information

ENGL 202C is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H, or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202C: Makers and Modders

What Is ENGL 202C: Makers and Modders?

Stan Kranc

Course Coordinator: Stan Hunter Kranc

This section of ENGL 202C: Makers and Modders is themed to work with students interested in the Maker movement, DIY projects, and entrepreneurship generally. Working with the Makers and Media Commons and other resources, students will work to plan, develop, document, and promote innovative solutions of their own design. Anyone interested in tinkering, modding, or in creating generally is encouraged to enroll.

ENGL 202C: Technical Writing is designed to teach the writing strategies and tactics that scientists and engineers will need in order to write successfully on the job. ENGL 202C is an advanced course in writing which will familiarize you with the discourse practices prized in your disciplinary and institutional communities – and helps you manage those practices effectively in your own written work.

In this course, you can expect to discover and understand the discourse features that distinguish your disciplinary and institutional communities from others, develop a range of writing processes appropriate to various writing tasks, arrange material to raise and satisfy readers’ expectations, using both conventional and rhetorical patterns of organization, and design and use tables, graphs, and technical illustrations.

Who Takes ENGL 202C: Makers and Modders?

ENGL 202C: Makers and Modders, primarily serves students who are preparing for careers in the sciences and applied sciences (particularly engineering). However, students from diverse fields and majors can benefit from this course.

How to Enroll

Contact Stan Hunter Kranc (shk4@psu.edu) for more information.
Contact Lynn Setzler (las36@psu.edu) to enroll.

Credit Information

ENGL 202C is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202D: Business Writing

Leslie Robertson Mateer

Leslie Robertson Mateer

What Is ENGL 202D: Business Writing?

ENGL 202D is an advanced writing course designed to help you develop the writing strategies that you will need to write successfully on the job and to help you understand why those strategies are appropriate and effective. A key emphasis will be on rhetorical principles of effective communication, including audience analysis and defining clear, actionable purpose.

You’ll gain experience with a wide range of business writing genres, including reports, letters, job application documents, emails, memos and web applications like business blogs, online articles, social media profiles and personal branding. You will also learn about the importance of document design, including how best to utilize headings, page layout, graphics and other visuals to maximize the potential for communication success.

Who Takes ENGL 202D: Business Writing?

ENGL 202D is designed for students who fit into the broad category of business studies, most notably those in the Smeal College of Business – management, supply chain, finance, accounting, actuarial science, and more. This class also draws students from the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Health and Human Development, Nursing, Liberal Arts, Arts and Architecture and Communications.

Credit Information

ENGL 202D is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202D: Business English For International Students

Christine Taheri

Course Coordinator:
Christine Taheri

What Is ENGL 202D: Business English for International Students?

English 202D: Business English for International Students introduces students to the conventions, genres, and strategies of business communication. In particular, it focuses on skills in critical analysis, document design, reader-centered writing, and professional discourse. This course will also reinforce rhetorical and discursive strategies for international students whose first language is not English.

Who Takes ENGL 202D: Business English for International Students?

This course is intended for international students only.

ENGL 202D is designed for students who fit into the broad category of business studies, most notably those in the Smeal College of Business – management, supply chain, finance, accounting, actuarial science, and more. This class also draws students from the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Health and Human Development, Nursing, Liberal Arts, Arts and Architecture and Communications.

How to Enroll

Contact Christine Taheri (cjl22@psu.edu) for more information.
Contact Lynn Setzler (las36@psu.edu) to enroll.

Credit Information

ENGL 202D is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; fourth-semester standing.

ENGL 202H: Honors Advanced Writing

Heather Holleman

What Is ENGL 202H: Honors Advanced Writing?

Honors Advanced Writing serves the Schreyer Honors College students as a professional development and thesis-support course with four projects: the professional portfolio, the professional narrative, the scholarly definition, and the call-to-action for non-professional audiences. This course invites us to develop professional identities and encourages intellectual exploration framed by effective advanced writing techniques, creativity, critical and analytical thinking, and collaboration skills.

As Schreyer students aiming to complete thesis projects, we will support each other in finding relevant scholarly literature, writing concise annotated bibliographies, shaping literature reviews, and arguing for key definitions that help the thesis writing process. As emerging professionals, we practice the skills needed to communicate effectively within and outside of our research fields with key rhetorical strategies. By the end of this class, we will have gained expertise in writing authentically with various voices: professional, personal, scholarly, and public. 

Who Takes ENGL 202H: Honors Advanced Writing?

Schreyer Honors students (3rd and 4th year students)

Credit Information

ENGL 202H is a 3-credit, one semester course. A student may take only one ENGL 202 course for credit.

Prerequisite: ENGL 15ENGL 30H or ENGL137H; third or fourth year standing.

Basic Writing

Basic writing courses, including ENGL 4, Basic Writing Skills and ENGL 5, Writing Tutorial, act to support students who seek more support than that provided in the First-Year Writing series.

ENGL 4: Basic Writing

Course Coordinator: Gregg Rogers

Course Coordinator:
Gregg Rogers

What is ENGL 4: Basic Writing?

Like other composition courses, ENGL 4 is designed to give you lots of practice in writing, practice calculated to improve your ability to invent substantial content and express it in fluent prose. It helps you learn to see the many functions of writing-as a way to discover ideas, play with language, and communicate with and influence audiences.

The emphasis in ENGL 4 is first on meaningful expression and then on mechanics; on invention before correctness. Focusing first on meaningful content, you will learn that you have important things to say that the rest of us need to hear. Time is also regularly set aside from the beginning of the course to help you develop skills at the sentence level. Thus in every writing assignment you will first find a significant subject, audience and purpose, and afterward turn your attention toward editing and correctness.

Who takes ENGL 4: Basic Writing?

ENGL 4 is for basic writers who can conceptualize and organize ideas and perform complex thinking, but who are unfamiliar with the world of formal writing. There is no assumption that there is anything “wrong” with the students, nor that they are incapable of college work. The underlying premise of ENGL 4 is that students required to take it are inexperienced writers who need practice.

Note: ENGL 4 is not available at University Park campus. In place of ENGL 4, University Park students should schedule ENGL 15E or ENGL 15 and ENGL 5.

Credit Information

ENGL 4 is a 3-credit, one-semester course.  The credits earned in ENGL 4 count in GPA and computations of full-time status but do not count toward graduation requirements for a baccalaureate degree.

ENGL 5: Writing Tutorial

Elizabeth Parfitt

Course Coordinator: Elizabeth Parfitt

What is ENGL 5: Writing Tutorial?

ENGL 5 is a one-credit course that provides weekly individual tutoring to support students in composition courses (ENGL 4, 15, 30H or 202). With a recommendation from your instructor, you may register for ENGL 5 when classes begin. You will be assigned a tutor (an English graduate student or lecturer faculty member) who will assist you in learning about writing in your composition course. In the fall and spring semesters, you will meet with your tutor for one 35-minute tutorial per week. In the summer, each weekly tutorial is 60 minutes. (In the summer, ENGL 5 is offered only for students in ENGL 15, Enhanced.)

Learning in this one-on-one tutoring situation is personal, relaxed, and efficient. The tutorial is not a replacement for composition classes or conferences between you and your instructor. Instead, ENGL 5 complements classroom and conference work. For this course, you will attend the required sessions, bring assignment information, rough drafts and returned papers; and to be prepared to work with your tutor on your course assignments.

Who Takes ENGL 5: Writing Tutorial?

If you are enrolled in an ENGL composition course (4, 15, 30H or 202), have received a recommendation from your instructor (at your request) and are committed to the support and responsibilities of long-term, individualized instruction, you may be an excellent fit for ENGL 5.

Credit Information

ENGL 5 is a one-credit tutorial course, to be taken in conjunction with ENGL 4, 15, 30H or 202. Your ENGL 5 grade will be the same as your grade in the composition course taken in conjunction with tutoring. Exception: if you miss too many tutoring sessions, you can receive an “F” in ENGL 5.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email