Below you will find course descriptions for English 120 and English 121, including the kinds of writing and reading involved in each course. Please read through these descriptions carefully to help you determine which course best suits you.

ENGL 120 – Composition I: Writing and Reading the College Experience (3 hrs)

English 120 introduces students to using writing and reading for inquiry. In the course, students write extended essays about subjects relevant to the college experience in a variety of genres and styles, including (but not limited to) standardized written English. The emphasis in the course is on using writing and reading as a process where students both explore their ideas and discover new ones, then communicate these ideas to interested audiences. Students in this class typically complete between 30 – 50 pages of writing per term that culminate in four 4 – 6 page academic essays that incorporate evidence from primarily from non-fiction, academic readings. At least one of these papers involves research.

ENGL 120:

Is an inquiry-based course

Students investigate education and literacy issues. In the process, they develop critical thinking through writing and reading.

Involves students in challenging writing and reading assignments

In 120, students read primarily non-fiction articles and book chapters about education and literacy. Students complete 30 to 50 pages of writing per term that culminate in four, four-to-six page academic essays.

Challenges students regardless of their writing/reading experience

ENGL 120 and 121 instructors work with students on an individual basis. Instructors push students to develop more sophisticated and thorough analyses of texts, both others’ and their own. Students write for a variety of readers. The more experience students have with writing and reading, the greater challenge the course provides.

Gives students time to develop their academic writing and reading

ENGL 120 students practice academic writing, reading, and critical thinking strategies to learn more about literacy and learning at EMU. They then build on this foundation in ENGL 121, where they will use these strategies as they conduct individual research.

ENGL 121 – Composition II: Researching and Writing the Public Experience (3 hrs)

English 121 focuses on writing, reading, and research as processes for inquiry. The emphasis in the course is on using multiple modes of research to develop writing, reading, thinking, and research strategies used in academic and other public contexts. Students in this course complete between 50 – 80 pages of writing per semester that culminate in three 5 – 8 page essays, at least two of which are researched essays. At the end of the course, students participate in the Celebration of Student Writing, a large event featuring projects based on the work of students in English 121. English 121 is required of most EMU students and is a prerequisite for most courses across the university.

ENGL 121:

Is an inquiry-based course

Students develop research questions and investigate them from multiple perspectives, using a variety of research methods.

Involves students in challenging research assignments

Students identify research questions that are of interest to them and are meaningful to an audience outside the classroom. They use sources from the EMU library, interviews, and observations to investigate these questions. Students write 50 to 80 pages of writing per term that culminate in three five-to-eight page essays, at least two of which are research papers.  At the end of the course, students participate in the Celebration of Student Writing, a large event featuring projects based on the work of students in English 121.

Requires responsibility and self-motivation

People learn when they are curious, and 121 provides structure and support for students to develop and investigate questions they are curious about. Along with the opportunity to investigate these questions comes responsibility – for developing questions, for engaging in independent research, and for working through a research process. For students to succeed in 121, they must be ready to work with the opportunities and responsibility in the course.

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