First-Year Composition
The Learning Goals of 100-level Composition Courses
Our first-year writing courses are rhetorically focused, which means that students study the complex relationship between writers, readers, and the text itself. Our composition courses teach students to:
- craft focused and effective arguments
- understand the relationship between form and content
- use language effectively
- synthesize multiple texts and viewpoints
- locate reputable outside sources and cite them appropriately
- implement the basic rhetorical concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos
- read closely and critically
- approach the act of writing as a recursive process that includes drafting, revising, editing and proofreading
English 133 and 134
While each section of English 134 has the instructors’ unique approach to teaching writing embedded within the curriculum, these sections still tend to follow a basic curricular template, thereby ensuring that students learn the same skills, regardless of the section they take. The papers students write in their courses may not be exactly the same, but they are likely to be very similar in focus and approach.
- You can find a more detailed discussion of the curriculum on the English 133 and 134 page.
- You can find sample essays written by Cal Poly students in our collection, Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly (link opens new window).