Writing Courses
No matter how confident they may feel in their writing, we encourage all students to take first-year writing on campus to improve their writing abilities and prepare them to write effectively in future classes.
By taking Writing 150, students will learn to:
- Use rhetoric responsibly to compose arguments in a variety of genres for specific audiences and purposes.
- Critically read texts. This includes:
- analyzing how a text functions in a specific situation, community, or public;
- analyzing the nuances of language (diction, figures of speech, tone, etc.);
- identifying and evaluating the elements of an argument claims, reasons, assumptions, and ethical, emotional, and logical appeals.
- Write coherent and unified texts (effective introductions, clear thesis, supporting details, transitions, and strong conclusions) using a flexible and effective writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.
- Use style diction, figurative language, tone, grammar, punctuation, spelling, mechanics genre, conventions, and document design correctly and for rhetorical effect.
- Navigate the library to locate primary and secondary sources, evaluate the appropriateness and credibility of those sources, and effectively incorporate and accurately document outside sources in a research paper.
BYU also offers a course for international students that fulfills the first-year writing requirement. Contact the Department of Linguistics and English Language for more details.
Advanced writing courses are designed to build on skills developed in first-year writing classes by introducing students to the disciplinary nature of academic writing. Emphasis is placed in these courses on the kinds of written and oral communication, reading, and research typical to particular areas of study and provide students opportunities to refine their communication skills for multiple audiences, including specific disciplinary and professional audiences. While reinforcing skills learned in first-year writing, advanced writing courses place greater emphasis on style, oral communication, and library research.
The Advanced Writing GE requirement can be satisfied by completing any one of the five courses below.
- WRTG 311 Writing about the Arts and Humanities
- WRTG 312 Persuasive Writing
- WRTG 313 Expository Writing for Elementary Education Majors
- WRTG 315 Writing for the Social Sciences
- WRTG 316 Technical Writing
The Advanced Writing GE requirement can also be completed by taking classes outside the English Department (and in some cases, particular majors require a certain class). Students should check with their college advisement center or the Undergraduate Catalog to determine which advanced writing course(s) fulfills the requirements for their major.