Core Curriculum
The English Department offers a first-year writing course sequence entailing ENGL 1301: First Year Writing I and ENGL 1302: First Year Writing II, each of which fulfills requirements in the Core Curriculum’s Communication Component Area. Students must complete or otherwise satisfy requirements for ENGL 1301 in order to enroll in ENGL 1302. Each fall or spring semester, thousands of students take a first-year writing class. The Department’s First Year Writing Director, Associate Director, and/or Department advisors can address questions about the courses, including questions about transfer equivalencies.
English 1301: First Year Writing I
- A detailed study of the principles of rhetoric as applied in reading and writing expository essays.
English 1302: First Year Writing II
- A detailed study of the principles of rhetoric as applied to analyzing and writing argumentative and persuasive essays; principles and methods of research, culminating in writing a substantial research paper.
English 1370: Freshman Composition II – Honors
- Students enrolled in UH’s Honors College should contact The Honors College about taking ENGL 1370: Freshman Composition II – Honors instead of ENGL 1302: First Year Writing II. ENGL 1370 also fulfills requirements in the Core Curriculum’s Communication Component Area.
English 1301 Prerequisite
The Texas Success Initiative (TSI), established by the Texas State Legislature, requires that students meet certain college readiness standards for writing. The TSI Writing Assessment must be taken by students before they enroll in ENGL 1301, except in cases where students have qualified for a TSI exemption.
Details about the TSI and exemptions pertaining to Core Curriculum English classes appear on the Undergraduate Student Success Center’s TSI information page.
Students whose TSI scores fail to meet the minimum requirements should enroll in an appropriate developmental course designed to help prepare them for college level work. Information about developmental courses, which are run by the UH Writing Center, may be found here.
Awards
Each year, awards are given acknowledging outstanding work in first-year writing courses. These include:
- Up to three first-year writing awards for work completed in an ENGL 1301 class
- Up to three first-year writing awards for work completed in an ENGL 1302 class
Each fall and spring semester, announcements for these awards are sent to ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 instructors. The winners are announced in late spring.
2000-Level Literature Courses
The English Department offers several courses fulfilling requirements in the Core Curriculum’s Language, Philosophy, and Culture (LPC) Component Area and some courses fulfilling requirements in the Core Curriculum’s Creative Arts (CA) Component Area. These courses are open to students in all majors who have completed English 1302 or the equivalent.
A general list of UH courses fulfilling requirements for different component areas in the Core Curriculum may be found here. Questions about specific 2000-level English courses fulfilling Core Curriculum requirements should be sent to the English Department’s Undergraduate Studies Director.
Writing and Research Resources
Writing Center
Students are encouraged to use the University of Houston Writing Center, located in the Classroom and Business Building. Visit the Writing Center website for information on scheduling appointments and online writing services. The Writing Center also provides a number of multimedia resources.
UH Library
The University of Houston Library provides helpful information on writing and research to help students complete assignments for English 1301 and English 1302.
Contact Information
Nathan Shepley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of First Year Writing
nshepley@central.uh.edu
Melanie Salome, Ph.D.
Associate Director of First Year Writing
mrsalome@central.uh.edu