1 Comp II: Your Last Required Writing Course

After years of studying English and writing, you’ve built a strong foundation. However, there are still things you probably struggle with. This will be your last required writing course in college. That means this course will help you refine the skills that still challenge you most. In this course, we will work on areas that are the most common writing pitfalls for early college students. The purpose of this class is to ensure you are prepared to think and write critically in all your other college classes, most of which will require written work. Hopefully you will learn those areas more thoroughly and also learn some strategies to help.

The Writing Journey & Common Pitfalls

Hopefully each year you have added to your critical thinking and writing skills. Those two – thinking and writing – go together because writing is a way of both facilitating and demonstrating thinking. Although you’ve been writing for your entire educational career, have you noticed the growth that has taken place?

Think about how your writing has developed over time. You started by learning to write and spell, then moved to forming sentences, then paragraphs. Over time, you tackled more complex ideas, summarizing stories, analyzing abstract concepts, and using sources to support your arguments. This class will build on those foundations by strengthening your ability to think critically, engage with sources, and write persuasively.

This does not represent every step, but it might help you recognize the pattern of growth you’ve worked through. One of the biggest pitfalls college students face is assuming their high school writing skills will be enough for all their college coursework. But college writing requires deeper analysis, stronger arguments, and more engagement with sources.

Upon leaving high school, you could probably write a 5-paragraph essay, but if you are writing a 5-page paper, your paragraphs should each be a page long, so what should you do?

Upon leaving high school, you could probably include some sources in your essays, but did you really use those sources as the basis of your argument? Or did you just force them in?

Upon leaving high school, you could probably prove you did your homework, but would your essay fit into a larger conversation on the subject along with other articles about the same subject?

The point here is that your writing journey is not yet complete. It’s time to level up!

These are some areas we will work on in this class.

• Argument
• Thesis statements
• Finding and understanding sources
• Using sources effectively
• Demonstrating Critical Thinking

Even after you have your degree, if you continue on in your education, there will still be more expected growth, most of which will revolve around your ability to find, analyze, and use sources more and more intensely. This class will prepare you for classes in your bachelor’s degree. Never consider yourself to be finished, when it comes to improving your writing skills though.

Also, consider the bigger picture. Writing isn’t just for the classroom. Many jobs require strong writing skills—whether for reports, emails, or professional communication. Your ability to write clearly, think critically, and articulate ideas effectively will set you apart in any career.

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes