English 302 Description || Students || GMU Composition

English 302
English 302 Advanced Composition is designed to focus students on the kinds of reading, writing, and thinking required of them in their majors. In order to match students' majors as closely as possible, the course is offered in four versions, described below. Students are advised to take the section designated for their major.

Prerequisites
All students, regardless of discipline, who register for English 302 must meet the following prerequisites:

Student Learning Goals for ENGL 302
All versions of English 302 must adhere to the following Student Learning Goals. By the end of ENGL 302, students should have demonstrated the ability to:

In order to accommodate the design of the course to specific majors, English 302 is offered in one of four versions.

Each semester certain sections of English 302 for Business and for Natural Science/Technology are designated as Distance Learning These sections follow a specific procedure for enrollment.

Business
(accounting; decision sciences and management information systems; finance; management; marketing)

Standard principles of effective business writing should be taught and practiced. Students should write most of their assignments in typical business formats and should be introduced to and use typical business research tools for their research projects. MLA style should not be taught; APA is the standard style in business scholarship.

NOTE: The School of Management requires that SOM majors take a Business section of English 302.

Humanities
(modern and classical languages; English writing and literature; history; philosophy and religious studies; art history; art studio; dance; music; theater; communication)

Interpretative and analytical writing is primary in these fields. Critical reading and well-organized presentation of critical points of view are important across fields, although the types of texts to be understood and the critical vocabularies differ widely. A Humanities 302 should stress the writing of interpretative/analytical essays, but students should have experience with a wide range of "texts" from the arts, e.g., literature, visual art, music, film, and television. MLA style should be required of the humanities majors in the course, though non-humanities majors may use the bibliographic style favored in their majors.

Natural Science/Technology
(biology; chemistry; physics; earth systems science; geography; geology; mathematics; computer engineering; computer science; electrical engineering; nursing; medical technology; systems engineering; urban systems engineering)

Scientific writing and its principles should be stressed, as well as writing for the non-specialist. Some reading of belletristic essays about science is useful as exemplary of writing for a more general audience, but the course should also focus on formats and principles (e.g. lab reporting, procedures, technical definitions, technical reports, reviews of the scholarship in the field) needed for more typical writing in these fields. MLA style should not be taught; APA or CBE styles preferred.

Social Sciences
(administration of justice; anthropology; communication; economics; government and international affairs; health, fitness, and recreation resources; physical education; psychology; public administration; social work; sociology; history)

The social sciences consider the many manifestation of human and societal behavior. As such, the majors and assignments within them vary perhaps more greatly than in any other area of the curriculum. Genres within the social sciences typically include abstracts, critique, and reviews; proposals for project/research funding; and position papers. APA style is recommended; MLA style should not be taught or required.

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	Course Descriptions
	English 302 English 302 Advanced Composition is designed to focus students on the kinds of reading, writing, and thinking required of them in their majors. In order to match students' majors as closely as possible, the course is offered in four versions, described below. Students are advised to take the section designated for their major. Prerequisites All students, regardless of discipline, who register for English 302 must meet the following prerequisites: A minimum of 45 credit hours Credit for English 100 or English 101 In degree programs that require 6 hours of literature, at least 3 must be taken prior to 302; 3 credits may be taken concurrently with English 302 Student Learning Goals for ENGL 302 All versions of English 302 must adhere to the following Student Learning Goals. By the end of ENGL 302, students should have demonstrated the ability to: Use strategies that focus on writing as a communicative process, to include invention, drafting, revision, editing Give and receive useful criticism of their writing from their teacher and their peers in order to promote effective revision Produce writing that demonstrates basic proficiency in Standard Edited American English Recognize and write within different rhetorical situations, to include purpose and audience, especially as related to their majors and possible future work places Produce writing that employs the organizational techniques and formats typical in their disciplines Recognize that way(s) that knowledge is constructed in their disciplines Use newly emerging technologies for communication, to include email and word processing Identify and use research sources (print and electronic), to include advanced online library searching of databases pertinent to their disciplines and the critical use of web sites, and documentation styles preferred in their majors To compose and present work-place related documents, which may include resumes, proposals, reports, and web pages, produced either individually or collaboratively Use campus support resources (the University Writing Center, the Disability Resource Center, and the Counseling Center) as needed to enhance their success in ENGL 302 In order to accommodate the design of the course to specific majors, English 302 is offered in one of four versions. Each semester certain sections of English 302 for Business and for Natural Science/Technology are designated as Distance Learning These sections follow a specific procedure for enrollment. Business (accounting; decision sciences and management information systems; finance; management; marketing) Standard principles of effective business writing should be taught and practiced. Students should write most of their assignments in typical business formats and should be introduced to and use typical business research tools for their research projects. MLA style should not be taught; APA is the standard style in business scholarship. NOTE: The School of Management requires that SOM majors take a Business section of English 302. Humanities (modern and classical languages; English writing and literature; history; philosophy and religious studies; art history; art studio; dance; music; theater; communication) Interpretative and analytical writing is primary in these fields. Critical reading and well-organized presentation of critical points of view are important across fields, although the types of texts to be understood and the critical vocabularies differ widely. A Humanities 302 should stress the writing of interpretative/analytical essays, but students should have experience with a wide range of "texts" from the arts, e.g., literature, visual art, music, film, and television. MLA style should be required of the humanities majors in the course, though non-humanities majors may use the bibliographic style favored in their majors. Natural Science/Technology (biology; chemistry; physics; earth systems science; geography; geology; mathematics; computer engineering; computer science; electrical engineering; nursing; medical technology; systems engineering; urban systems engineering) Scientific writing and its principles should be stressed, as well as writing for the non-specialist. Some reading of belletristic essays about science is useful as exemplary of writing for a more general audience, but the course should also focus on formats and principles (e.g. lab reporting, procedures, technical definitions, technical reports, reviews of the scholarship in the field) needed for more typical writing in these fields. MLA style should not be taught; APA or CBE styles preferred. Social Sciences (administration of justice; anthropology; communication; economics; government and international affairs; health, fitness, and recreation resources; physical education; psychology; public administration; social work; sociology; history) The social sciences consider the many manifestation of human and societal behavior. As such, the majors and assignments within them vary perhaps more greatly than in any other area of the curriculum. Genres within the social sciences typically include abstracts, critique, and reviews; proposals for project/research funding; and position papers. APA style is recommended; MLA style should not be taught or required.

Composition Program at George Mason University