Designed for students who need improvement in writing skills. Special emphasis will be placed on sentence construction, grammar, usage, spelling, vocabulary, and paragraph and essay development. Students will write essays based on selected rhetorical modes, including a selection of the following: narrative description, definition/concept, comparison/contrast, process analysis, classification/division, and cause/effect. The final essay in WR 115 is a persuasive essay that introduces students to the basics of argumentation and academic discourse. Students will also learn the basics of MLA format and documentation. Basic computer/word processing skills are necessary for success in this course

This course is designed to supplement WR 115. Students will apply the steps of the writing process, including pre-writing, composing, and revising, to develop paragraphs and essays. They will also improve the sentence construction skills necessary to communicate their ideas fully and flexibly. Students will engage with various rhetorical modes, both in writing and reading assignments, that establish the foundations of academic discourse.

WR 117 provides students with the technical reading and writing skills necessary for trade and industrial occupations. Coursework is focused on industry-specific written communications, as well as the creation of basic forms and invoices. WR 117 offers students practice writing with clarity, accuracy, and professionalism as they relate to job functions, occupational requirements, and effective internal and external audiences. Students develop the critical reading and thinking skills needed to access and understand trade and technical texts. This course is intended for students in certificate programs, not transfer programs—it will not transfer as writing credit to a university

This course is designed to supplement WR 121Z. Students will develop rhetorical awareness through a recursive writing process centered on inquiry and argumentation. Through analysis of various texts in different genres, they will identify the choices writers make based upon constraints and discourse communities. They will engage in research and learn the conventions of academic writing.

WR 121Z engages students in the study and practice of critical thinking, reading, and writing. The course focuses on analyzing and composing across varied rhetorical situations and in multiple genres. Students will apply key rhetorical concepts flexibly and collaboratively throughout their writing and inquiry processes

WR 122Z builds on concepts and processes emphasized in WR 121Z, engaging with inquiry, research, and argumentation in support of students’ development as writers. The course focuses on composing and revising in research-based genres through the intentional use of rhetorical strategies. Students will find, evaluate, and interpret complex material, including lived experience; use this to frame and pursue their own research questions; and integrate material purposefully into their own compositions.

WR227Z introduces students to producing instructive, informative, and persuasive technical/professional documents aimed at well-defined and achievable outcomes. The course focuses on presenting information using rhetorically appropriate style, design, vocabulary, structure, and visuals. Students can expect to gather, read, and analyze information and to learn a variety of strategies for producing accessible, usable, reader-centered deliverable documents that are clear, concise, and ethical.