College Writing

The University of Massachusetts Amherst requires two general education writing courses of all undergraduates: Englwrit 112: College Writing, an introductory course to the academic writing process, and Junior Year Writing, an advanced course in the student’s major, focused on the writing of that field and taught by faculty in that discipline

Students at computers.

College Writing Objectives

Englwrit 112: College Writing provides students the opportunity to:

  • Build awareness of the intersections of writing, language, and power.
  • Develop effective composing processes to use in future writing contexts.
  • Create projects which demonstrate student agency in the process of making composing choices.
  • Explicitly include and sustain culturally and linguistically diverse approaches to writing.
  • Implement strategies to develop complex ideas while discovering new ones in the composing process.
  • Explore connections between personal, creative, and critical composition practices.
  • Take part in composing projects which cross conventional borders of argumentation, language use, and genre.

College Writing Learning Outcomes

By writing, reading, and engaging in discussion across four units, you will be able to:

  • Write for more than one purpose and audience in more than one mode, media, or genre.
  • Use the writing process to substantially revise your thinking, in which your understanding of an idea evolves or extends.
  • Synthesize ideas and claims from personal, academic, public, or professional texts.
  • Analyze the intention, meaning, or effect of personal, academic, public, or professional texts.
  • Make effective rhetorical choices during revision.
  • Use citation practices that represent diverse sources of information and acknowledgement of intellectual property.
  • Show in written reflection which writing strategies you will apply beyond the course.

Course Texts

Englwrit 112: College Writing is a zero-cost course, which means students do not need to purchase any books or materials for this class. All texts are available at no charge, either through the UMass Libraries (The Student Writing Anthology, Opening Conversations), or the open web (Tips and Tools from UNC Writing Center, Excelsior OWL, Writing Spaces.) The standard 112 texts and resources are:
  1. Opening Conversations. This is the main book used in 112; it is an Open Educational Resource (OER) developed by UMass Amherst Writing Program with essays about writing and the writing process as well as readings on a variety of topics.
  2. The Student Writing Anthology. This is another OER created by the UMass Amherst Writing program. It features writing by past 112 students in response to the course’s major writing assignments.  
  3. Open Access Handbook Resources: The UMass Amherst Writing Program suggests three writing resources, all available on the web, free of charge:
 
Individual instructors may also provide students with additional readings and resources which will be made available through the course’s Canvas site.

College Writing Delivery Modes

Fall and Spring: In-person and UMass Flex

Winter and Summer: Asynchronous

College Writing FAQs