The NJCU Composition Sequence
The sequence
As of Fall 2024, our composition sequence consists of three courses: ENGL 100, 101, and 102 (many students will only need to take 100 and 102). Though all three courses teach written communication, ENGL 100 focuses on reading comprehension and writing, ENGL 101 focuses on fundamental writing skills, and ENGL 102 focuses on research and more advanced academic writing.
All new non-transfer students start in ENGL 100. Exceptions: students with three college composition credits—transfer, dual enrollment, or AP/CLEP—will be exempt from ENGL 100 and ENGL 101; students with six credits will be exempt from the entire sequence. New students who would benefit from ESL instruction may be placed directly into ESL-specific sections of 101.
After successful completion of ENGL 100, students move on to ENGL 101 unless their writing demonstrates that they already have the skills required to pass 101, in which case they are placed directly into 102. Placement is determined by an assessment of writing submitted in ENGL 100, which is scored by the ENGL 100 instructor using a standardized rubric. Note that the writing assessment score is separate from the course grade for ENGL 100. The assessment will also indicate whether ESL placement would be appropriate for the student. The English Department’s Composition Committee is the final authority on placement.
Critical Reading and Writing is an immersion into college-level intellectual engagement, focusing on a theme such as childhood, travel, cities, traditions, or secrets, among others. Students read literary, scholarly, or popular texts (or view audiovisual materials), analyze ideas, and seek insights through discussion. Designed to foster skills in reading, critical thinking, and written and oral expression, ENGL 100 is the first part of the GE Written Communication sequence and is taken in the first semester by all non-transfer students. 3 credits.
Critical Writing and Analysis focuses on skills used in college-level written communication. Students learn to construct clear analytical essays that make effective arguments. The course emphasizes fundamental writing and revision techniques and processes. This is the second course in the GE Written Communication sequence for students who are placed into it, as determined by a writing skills assessment during ENGL 100, which is its pre-requisite. 3 credits (4 credits in Fall 2024).
Critical Writing and Research focuses on how ideas are produced, shared, and debated through scholarly writing. In addition to honing the skills practiced in ENGL 100 and 101, students conduct research and write a research paper that is relevant to their own interests. This is the final course in the GE Written Communication sequence and is taken by all students, either after ENGL 101 (which is its pre-requisite) or directly after ENGL 100 (if a writing skills assessment during ENGL 100 determines that the pre-requisite can be waived). 3 credits (4 credits in Fall 2024).