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Undergraduate Certificates

WRTG 101 Introduction to Writing (3)

(Formerly ENGL 101. Students for whom English is not a first language should consider taking WRTG 101X instead.) Prerequisite: Satisfactory performance on a placement test or EDCP 103. Practice in effective writing and clear thinking at all levels, including the sentence and paragraph, with emphasis on the essay and research report. Specific steps reviewed within the writing process include formulating purpose, identifying an audience, and selecting and using research resources and methods of development. Assignments include composing a total of at least 4,500 words (approximately 20 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 101, ENGL 101X, WRTG 101, or WRTG 101X.

WRTG 101X Introduction to Writing (3)

(Formerly ENGL 101X. Enrollment restricted to students for whom English is not a first language.) Prerequisite: Satisfactory performance on a placement test or EDCP 103. Practice in effective writing and clear thinking at all levels, including the sentence and paragraph, with emphasis on the essay and research report. Specific steps reviewed within the writing process include formulating purpose, identifying an audience, and selecting and using research resources and methods of development. Assignments include composing a total of at least 4,500 words (approximately 20 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 101, ENGL 101X, WRTG 101, or WRTG 101X.

WRTG 288 Standard English Grammar (3)

(Formerly ENGL 281. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. An overview of grammatical structures of standard formal and written English. Topics include parts of speech, punctuation, choice and usage of words, sentence patterns, and advanced grammatical issues. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 281, ENGL 281X, or WRTG 288.

WRTG 289 Introduction to Principles of Text Editing (3)

(Formerly ENGL 278F. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. An introduction to the practice of editing. Focus is on striving for correctness, consistency, and clarity of style, while writing, evaluating, and rewriting various documents. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 278F or WRTG 289.

WRTG 291 Expository and Research Writing (3)

(Formerly ENGL 291. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisites: WRTG 101/101X (or ENGL 101/101X) and LIBS 150. Continued practice in critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. Focus is on analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing diverse sources and viewpoints to develop persuasive and argumentative writing projects. Assignments include written exercises, two short research essays, and a research paper, resulting in a total of at least 4,500 words (approximately 20 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 291, ENGL 291H, or WRTG 291.

WRTG 293 Introduction to Technical and Business Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 293. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisites: WRTG 101/101X (or ENGL 101/101X) and LIBS 150. An introduction to the process of technical and business writing. Topics include conducting audience and needs analyses; organizing and writing clear, precise, grammatically correct workplace prose; and producing a variety of routine professional reports and correspondence. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 293, ENGL 293, or WRTG 293.

WRTG 387 Issues and Methods in Tutoring Writing (3)

Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. The development of the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to strengthen writing, research, and critical thinking and be effective as a tutor, particularly of writing. Topics include various strategies for effective online tutoring, the ethics of tutoring, the writing process, and the diverse writing challenges students face and techniques to overcome them. Discussion also covers the opportunities and challenges of online tutoring and online writing pedagogy.

WRTG 388 Advanced Grammar and Style (3)

(Formerly ENGL 384. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. An examination of the basic units of grammatical description, the nature of grammatical categories and structures and the reasons for creating and using them, and the application of grammatical concepts to written style. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 384 or WRTG 388.

WRTG 390 Writing for Managers (3)

(Formerly COMM 390. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. A practicum in the kinds of writing skills that managers need for the workplace. Communication skills emphasized include planning information, developing readerbased prose, improving personal writing performance and guiding the writing of subordinates, and mastering such writing tasks as strategic plans and performance appraisals. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 390, HUMN 390, or WRTG 390.

WRTG 391 Advanced Expository and Research Writing (3)

(Formerly ENGL 391. Students for whom English is not a first language should consider taking WRTG 391X instead. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upper-level writing.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. Instruction and practice in methods of presenting ideas and factual information clearly and effectively. Emphasis is on developing skills fundamental to academic writing. Published writings are discussed and evaluated. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 391, ENGL 391X, WRTG 391, or WRTG 391X.

WRTG 391X Advanced Expository and Research Writing (3)

(Formerly ENGL 391X. Enrollment restricted to students for whom English is a second language. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upper-level writing.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. Instruction and practice in methods of presenting ideas and factual information clearly and effectively. Emphasis is on developing skills fundamental to both workplace and academic writing. Published writings are discussed and evaluated. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: ENGL 391, ENGL 391X, WRTG 391, or WRTG 391X.

WRTG 393 Technical Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 393. Students for whom English is not a first language should consider taking WRTG 393X instead. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upperlevel writing.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/ 101X. The writing of technical papers and reports. Focus is on building skills in critical thinking, research, and document design. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages) in various formats (e.g., the oral presentation, the resume, correspondence, manuals, procedures, instructions, and different types of reports, including proposal, progress, analytic, and feasibility). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 393, COMM 393X, ENGL 393, ENGL 393X, WRTG 393, or WRTG 393X.

WRTG 393X Technical Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 393X. Enrollment restricted to students for whom English is not a first language. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upper-level writing.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. The writing of technical papers and reports. Focus is on building skills in critical thinking, research, and document design. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages) in various formats (e.g., the oral presentation, the resume, correspondence, manuals, procedures, instructions, and different types of reports, including proposal, progress, analytic, and feasibility). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 393, COMM 393X, ENGL 393, ENGL 393X, or WRTG 393, or WRTG 393X.

WRTG 394 Business Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 394. Students for whom English is not a first language should consider taking WRTG 394X instead. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upperlevel writing.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. An introduction to professional workplace writing. Topics include context, purpose, audience, style, organization, format, technology, results, and strategies for persuasion when writing typical workplace messages. In addition to shorter assignments, a substantial formal report that incorporates data analysis and support for conclusions or recommendations is required. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 394, COMM 394X, ENGL 394, ENGL 394X, WRTG 394, or WRTG 394X.

WRTG 394X Business Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 394X. Enrollment restricted to students for whom English is not a first language. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upper-level writing.) Prerequisite: WRTG 101/101X or ENGL 101/101X. An introduction to professional workplace writing. Topics include context, purpose, audience, style, organization, format, technology, results, and strategies for persuasion when writing typical workplace messages. In addition to shorter assignments, a substantial formal report that incorporates data analysis and support for conclusions or recommendations is required. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 394, COMM 394X, ENGL 394, ENGL 394X, WRTG 394, or WRTG 394X.

WRTG 489 Advanced Technical Editing (3)

(Formerly COMM 491. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: WRTG 393/393X, WRTG 394/394X, COMM 393/393X, or COMM 394/394X. Recommended: WRTG 288 (or ENGL 281) or familiarity with grammar. A systematic approach to methods of preparing a document for publication or other disseminations. Discussion addresses the full range of editing levels (copyediting, substantive editing, and document design) and includes an overview of design goals that reflect specific readers and purposes. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 491, ENGL 489B, or WRTG 489.

WRTG 493 Advanced Technical Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 490. Intended as a final, capstone course to be taken in a student’s last 15 credits. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisites: COMM 300 and either WRTG 393/393X, WRTG 394/394X, COMM 393/393X, or COMM 394/394X. A study of technical writing that integrates knowledge gained through previous coursework and experience and builds on that conceptual foundation through integrative analysis, practical application, and critical thinking. Emerging issues in creating, maintaining, storing, and revising technical information are considered. Topics include the review of textual and online resources useful to technical communicators and the requirements for a professional portfolio. Emphasis is on professional communication practices. Assignments include oral presentations. Students may receive credit only once under this course number and for only one of the following courses: COMM 490, ENGL 489A, or WRTG 493.

WRTG 494 Grant and Proposal Writing (3)

(Formerly COMM 492. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: Either WRTG 393/393X, WRTG 394/394X, COMM 393/393X, or COMM 394/394X. An advanced study of technical writing, focusing on composing competitive proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) and other funding solicitations from the federal government and community and private sources. Discussion covers stages of the proposal-development process, including researching the funding agency for its mission, target populations, and problems of interest; assessing the RFP to determine evaluation criteria; and assembling the required elements of a successful proposal. Assignments include working in teams to prepare a competitive proposal. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 492, ENGL 489C, or WRTG 494.

WRTG 496 Writing for the Computer Industry (3)

(Formerly COMM 496. Fulfills the general education requirement in communications.) Prerequisite: A 300-level writing course. Recommended: WRTG 393/393X or COMM 393/393X. Study of and practice in the designing, writing, testing, publishing, and maintaining of effective user documentation as well as other software development documents. The assumption is made that software tools, as well as their documentation, should relate directly to user tasks. Emphasis is on the difference between writing successfully for publication on paper and for display on the computer screen. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 496 or WRTG 496.