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Department of English and Modern Languages
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Department Links
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English Composition Information
Every PNC graduate must take at least one semester of college-level composition during their first year; many programs, from Elementary Education to Business, require at least two. Many students, both English majors and non-majors, go on to take advanced composition courses. You will find information below on these courses and the Composition program at PNC.
ENGL 100 - The English Composition
ENGL 101 - English Composition I
ENGL 102 - English Composition II
Plagiarism Information
MLA Paper Format Information
Placement in First-Year Composition
Purdue North Central reviews each student's academic background to determine if Student Assessment and Measurement (SAM) testing is necessary. Students may always choose to take specific tests if they are unsure of their ability and students that graduated in the lower half of their high school class, or have a GED will be required to take the Placement Tests.
During the first class meeting, all students in ENGL 100 and ENGL 101 are required to write a placement essay, which might indicate that they would do better in another composition level. Such students are then advised by their instructors to drop their present English class and enroll in a different course. Individual instructors may also advise a placement change after the first take-home assignment is completed.
First-Year Composition Courses
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English Composition (ENGL 100)
English 100 meets for five hours per week and provides students with a transitional semester to prepare for English 101. The course focuses on short essays that strengthen skills in idea development, organization, thesis statement writing, paragraph transitions, fluency and vocabulary. Some review of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure is included. Students do not receive English credit for this course, but they do earn three hours graduation credit subject to restrictions in specific programs.
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English Composition I (ENGL 101)
English 101 is the average entry-level first-year writing course. Students in this course study and practice writing as process while learning the conventions of the college essay. They spend some time learning to do library research and writing a short, research-based paper. It meets three hours per week and provides three hours credit.
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English Composition II (ENGL 102)
English 102 follows English 101 in most programs. Admission is dependent on satisfactory completion of English 101 or an equivalent course at another institution. This course focuses on critical reading and thinking, argumentation, and research. Students who earned an A in English 101 may substitute another English course for English 102, if their program permits. English 102 meets three hours per week and gives three hours credit.
NOTE: Some divisions of English 101 and 102 are taught on computers in the Composition Computer Lab. These divisions are indicated in the schedule by a capital C. Computer divisions have no admission requirements beyond those stated for regular ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 classes. Students enrolling in computer divisions are expected to devote extra time outside of class time on mastering word processing skills.
Advanced Composition Courses
The Composition program run by PNC's Department of English also offers advanced, specialized writing courses.
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Advanced Composition (ENGL 304)
Designed for students who wish additional training in composition beyond the basic requirements. Extensive practice in the writing of mature expository, critical, and argumentative prose.
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Composition for English Teachers (ENGL 391)
Intensive practice in writing exposition and in annotating high school students' compositions. This course involves equal amounts of theory and practice in developing writing assignments, responding to student writing, supporting students as they write, and classroom strategies for teaching composition.
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Business Writing (ENGL 420)
Workplace writing in networked environments for management contents. Emphasizes organizational context, project planning, document management, ethics, research, team writing. Typical genres include management memos, reports, letters, e-mail, resumes (print and online), oral presentations.
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Technical Writing (ENGL 421)
Workplace writing in networked environments for technical contexts. Emphasizes context and user analysis, data analysis/display, project planning, document management, usability, ethics, research, team writing. Typical genres include technical reports, memos, documentation, websites.
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Theories of Rhetoric & Composition (ENGL 470)
A general introduction to the field of rhetoric and composition. The course provides an overview of studies in written discourse, including studies of the processes and contexts of written discourse as well as methods of research in the field.
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Internship in Professional Writing (ENGL 488)
This course provides on-the-job experience in various kinds of professional writing, combined with a seminar in applied rhetoric. Students work in selected internship settings, participate in seminar discussions of their work, and read selections appropriate to their internship.
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Directed Writing (ENGL 589)
Writing creative, popular, technical, biographical, historical, philosophical subjects of the student's choice. Individual conferences only; no class meetings.
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Introduction to Composition Theory (ENGL 591)
A survey of major contemporary theories of invention and style, including such topics as heuristics; the aims and modes of discourse; stylistics; readability theories; sentence-combining; error analysis; audience; and evaluation. Applications to teaching will be made.
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