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Composition Program at USI

Four English courses comprise the Rhetoric and Composition Program at the University of Southern Indiana. 

  • English 100 - Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition
  • English 101 - Rhetoric and Composition I: Literacy and the Self
  • English 201 - Rhetoric and Composition II: Literacy and the World
  • English 301 - Advanced Composition

You can find out more about the courses below or found out more about all English courses in the USI Academic Bulletin found here.

ENG 100 - Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition

English 100 is a credit-bearing course designed to provide students additional practice developing, focusing, organizing, revising, and editing their writing to prepare for success in English 101.

Students in this course write three-four multi-page, typed essays with at least one revision of each and prepare an end-of-semester portfolio of their revised work with a reflection

ENG 100 - Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition


Credits: 3

ENG 100 is a portfolio-based preparatory course in writing, reading, self-reflection, and discussion. Introduces rhetorical composing, audience awareness, academic conventions, and purpose-specific strategies to focus, develop, organize, revise, and edit writing. Requires multiple, multipage, evaluated compositions in different genres developed through writing processes and revision based on instructor feedback, peer-, and self-review. Course credits apply as electives toward graduation. 

Prerequisite(s): Appropriate placement based on high school GPA, and/or scores on ACT English + Reading, and/ SAT ERW, and/or English Department Placement Essay.

Term(s) Offered: Fall, Spring

ENG 101 - Rhetoric and Composition I: Literacy and the Self

English 101 is a course in rhetoric and composition specifically designed to support the University Core 39 goals of expanding foundational skills in communication and critical thinking, and what Aristotle called "the art of rhetoric."

Students in this course engage critical thinking and rhetoric to compose three-four multi-page, typed essays with at least one revision of each that focuses on thinking and writing as processes of examining and developing knowledge that can be improved through reading, writing, speaking and listening. Rhetoric and critical thinking are synonymous to the degree that they are both about the relationship between claims and evidence, what's possible and why, what folks are generally willing to believe as true and how they've come to believe it.

ENG 101 - Rhetoric and Composition I: Literacy and the Self


Credits: 3

ENG 101 is a Core 39 Foundation Skills Course in writing, reading, self-reflection, and discussion. Practices rhetorical composing and academic conventions through diverse writing situations and responses to their audiences, contexts, and purposes. Requires multiple, multipage, evaluated compositions in different genres developed through writing processes and revision based on instructor feedback, peer-, and self-review. A “C” is the minimum final course grade for an ENG 101 student to progress to ENG 201.

USI Core 39: Foundations-Rhetoric and Composition I

Prerequisite(s): ENG 100 (grade of C or better) or appropriate placement based on high school GPA, and/or scores on ACT English + Reading and/or SAT ERW, and/or English Department Placement Essay.

This course is part of the Core Transfer Library (CTL)
This course meets the Indiana College Core (ICC)
Term(s) Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

ENG 201 - Rhetoric and Composition II: Literacy and the World

English 201 is a course in rhetoric, composition, inquiry, and persuasion supported by credible evidence and research required to complete the University Core 39's Foundational Skills category.

Students in this course use questions for which they do not already have answers about issues of concern to them and their audience as investigative tools to examine issues on all sides to compose three-four multi-page, typed research essays with at least one revision of each. Persuasion or argument in this context should come to be understood as the study and analysis of claims and evidence rather than arguing to win.

ENG 201 - Rhetoric and Composition II: Literacy and the World


Credits: 3

ENG 201 is a Core 39 Foundation Skills Course in writing, reading, metacognitive reflection, and discussion. Applies rhetorical composing and academic conventions to evidence-based inquiry, research, and argument with cited, reliable sources. Requires multiple, multipage, evaluated compositions in different genres developed through writing processes and revision based on instructor feedback, peer, and self-review.

USI Core 39: Foundations-Rhetoric and Composition II

Prerequisite(s): ENG 101 (grade of C or better), or approved equivalent

This course is part of the Core Transfer Library (CTL)
This course meets the Indiana College Core (ICC)
Term(s) Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

ENG 301 - Advanced Composition

English 301 is a Core 39 embedded experience, interdisciplinary course in advanced composing techniques that applies rhetoric to conducting upper-level research, evidence-based writing about writing, and metacognitive reflection in the areas of their disciplinary majors.

Students engage in original research, presentation, and practice  academic conventions for discipline-specific audiences, contexts, and purposes through approaches that recognize diverse writing situations and responses. Multiple, multipage, evaluated compositions in different genres developed through writing processes and revision based on instructor feedback, peer, and self-review are required.

ENG 301 - Advanced Composition


Credits: 3

ENG 301 is a Core 39 Embedded Experience course in writing, reading, metacognitive reflection, and discussion. Applies advanced composing techniques and rhetorical strategies to evidence-based writing about writing, original research, and presentation. Engages academic conventions for discipline-specific audiences, contexts, and purposes through approaches that recognize diverse writing situations and responses. Requires multiple, multipage, evaluated compositions in different genres developed through writing processes and revision based on instructor feedback, peer-, and self-review.

USI Core 39: Embedded Experience-Writing

Prerequisite(s): ENG 201 (grade of C or better) or the approved equivalent

Term(s) Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer