What English class should I take?
This information will help guide you to choose the first-year composition class, English 104 or English 106, that is the best fit for your skill level. Choosing the right class will help to set you up for success in your first-year writing classes at the University of Findlay.
The following course descriptions provide you with information about the genre of writing, writing skills, and expectations for English 104 and English 106.
ENGL 104 College Writing 1: Introduction to Academic Writing
This course introduces students to the writing process, with emphasis on analytical and argumentative essays directed toward a college-level audience. The course helps students to express their own ideas in evidence-based prose that aligns with conventional standards of style and usage in college-level academic discourse. Students will be required to engage in research of primary and/or secondary scholarly sources, including self-selected and assigned readings. Academic documentation styles and their ethical uses are introduced and applied. Grades assigned for this course include the 12-point grading scale and the addition of a “NC” grade. “NC” stands for no credit and doesn't affect the GPA.
ENGL 106 College Writing II: Academic Writing and Research
This course introduces students to writing processes and prose conventions common to many academic disciplines, and it provides opportunities for students to participate in one or more of the ongoing conversations in particular communities of writers. The course emphasizes analytic and persuasive writing based on critical reading of non-fiction prose from both primary sources (such as interviews, surveys, archival research, etc.) and secondary sources including articles/texts found in scholarly databases. In addition, non-print texts may be examined and/or composed. Two systems of formal documentation, MLA and APA, are covered. Grades assigned for this course include the 12-point grading scale and the addition of a "NC” grade. "NC" stands for no credit and doesn't affect the GPA.
Do you have transfer credit from another University or Community College, CCP or AP course?
- If you have this credit, be sure to have your documentation transferred to the University and check to see the equivalencies for our type of transfer credit. Some courses from other universities, community colleges and high school CCP courses will transfer to Findlay, but some do not transfer as first-year writing credit. Also, AP scores of 4 or 5 for an AP test based on writing, not literature, will transfer in for first-year writing credit.
- If you do not have transfer credit for English first-year writing courses, please see the flowchart on the next page, which notes some skills that will be addressed in UF first-year composition classes, and consider how well your high school writing classes have prepared you for these skills. Many students who have As in their high school English classes find that they are prepared to take English 106, while students with Cs are best placed in English 104. Students with Bs may fit into either class, depending upon the skills that they developed in their high school English career.
Please study the information closely! You may find that you had high grades in your literature/literary analysis focused English classes, but that your skill level for writing using college-level non-fiction texts would connect better to English 104, rather than English 106. You want to be sure to choose the class that best suits your skills so that you are set up for success in your English classes at UF.
It is very important to review these items. The skills noted are a good overview of what is expected for each course, and deficiency of skill could cause you difficulty if you choose a course that is outside of your current skill range. If you have any questions, please first contact your advisor. If your advisor is not available or is unsure of your best placement, you may then contact the Writing Program Director, Dr. Judith Lanzendorfer ([email protected]), to be advised on the first-year composition course that is the best fit for you.