The English Department’s Composition and Rhetoric Program provides our students with comprehensive writing instruction and writing experiences throughout their undergraduate and graduate matriculation at VCU. The components of the program include the following:

• Lower Division Writing Program
• Upper Division Writing Courses
• Writing Intensive Courses
• Graduate Courses in Composition and Rhetoric

Lower Division Writing Program
As of Fall 2007, the English department shares responsibility for lower division writing instruction with the new University College which will offer a two-semester sequence of Focused Inquiry courses (UNIV 111 and 112) that will replace ENGL 101.  The English department itself offers ENGL 200 (Writing and Rhetoric Workshop II) which focuses on researched writing in an academic setting.  The overall goal of the Lower Division Writing Program is to help students become more competent writers, with particular emphasis on argumentative, analytical and research-based writing.

Upper Division Writing Courses
The upper division writing courses continue the overall goal of the Lower Division Writing Program and allow for greater exploration of academic writing as well as specific genre and professional writing.

Writing Intensive Courses
Writing Intensive Courses emphasize the role that writing plays both in learning about specific discipline areas and professions and in presenting ideas in writing within specific disciplines. These courses incorporate significant amounts of writing, peer and instructor feedback, and rewriting. Departments throughout the university offer these writing intensive courses.

Graduate Courses in Composition and Rhetoric
Graduate courses in Composition and Rhetoric are designed to help students acquire the understanding, knowledge, and expertise to achieve their personal, professional, and /or scholarly goals within the field of writing and rhetoric. Students taking these courses often seek to teach Language Arts, English Studies or writing at various levels of education. Others seek to write professionally or technically or to study and conduct research in rhetoric or composition studies at the doctoral level.

Acting Director of Composition and Rhetoric
Prof. Richard Fine
306E Hibbs 
804.828.1331                       
rfine@vcu.edu