Find information about writing placement requirements, the Writing Success Placement Tool (WSPT) and ENGL 101.
Welcome to the General Education English program housed in the Department of English at Old Dominion University (ODU). The General Education English requirement at ODU inspires students to become better readers, writers, and thinkers in the university and beyond. Even if our students are not English majors, our goals are to help all students understand the necessity of these abilities in many areas of life (professional, academic, civic, and personal) and find joy in developing their imagination.
General Education English courses engage students in the creation and interpretation of a variety of texts. We offer six general education courses for undergraduate students of all majors and a co-requisite writing course (ENGL 101).
All undergraduate students at ODU must take two composition (C) courses and one literature (L) course. All students take ENGL 110C English Composition and then either ENGL 211C: Writing, Rhetoric, and Research or a Special Topics section of ENGL 231C. Those students who do not directly place into ENGL 110C are required to also enroll during the same semester in a composition studio course (ENGL 101).
For more information about specific General Education requirements and the General Education philosophy and objectives, you can also visit the ODU Catalog. For more information about major requirements and recommendations, view the Curriculum Sheets.
ENGL 110C. English Composition. 3 Credits. The principal objective of the course is to prepare students to be effective writers of the kinds of compositions they will be called on to produce during their college careers. By the end of the course, students should be more mature in their understanding and use of language, should develop efficient writing processes, and should know and demonstrate the qualities of effective composition in a given rhetorical situation and should be able to demonstrate those qualities in their own writing. Prerequisites: A score of 3 on the Writing Success Placement Tool (WSPT).
ENGL 211C: Writing, Rhetoric, and Research. To foster dynamic transfer into major-level writing courses, this course emphasizes academic literacy and the skills necessary to decode and understand the writing process, the fundamental rhetorical principles of writing, and the research process and how they adapt to shifting requirements of audience, subject matter, and context. It is recommended that students take this course in their sophomore year. Prerequisites: ENGL 110C with a grade of C or higher.
ENGL 231C: Writing, Rhetoric, and Research: Special Topics is a special themed version of ENGL 211C recommended for specific populations of students according to discipline, career goals, an/or personal interests. Instructors design these courses with the special topic in mind, selecting readings and developing writing assignments that will be of particular interest to the students who choose to enroll. 231C fulfills the second ODU General Education C requirement.
You can find an updated list of themes for spring 2024 below. Instructor permission is required for enrollment in these sections. Contact the instructor or your advisor for permission.
English 112L. Introduction to Literature. 3 Credits. This course enables the general student to interpret the distinctive forms and meanings of poems, plays, short stories and long-form fiction, and key notions such as metaphor, metonymy, monologue, irony, satire, and plot as well as race, gender, sexuality, class, region, and religion. Through critical reading, analysis, class and small group discussions, formal essays and examinations, students will develop an understanding of strategies of language use in a variety of Anglophone writers.
English 114L. American Writers, American Experiences. 3 Credits. This course introduces the student to the diversity of American culture as depicted in American literature. Works include minority and women writers and provide visions of city, frontier and regional life; ethnic and racial immigrant experiences; religion, democracy, and capitalism. A student with credit for ENGL 144L cannot receive credit for ENGL 114L.
Questions about General Education Literature? Contact the Director of General Education Literature, Laura Buchholz (lbuchhol@odu.edu).
ENGL 101: Composition Studio and Writing Placement. 3 Credits. English 101 Composition Studio is an immersive study of writing, rhetoric, and composing concepts and strategies designed to complement and extend the English 110C curriculum. English 101 provides additional instruction, guided practice, and support as writers learn to successfully compose and revise in multiple genres for multiple purposes and audiences and navigate university literacy expectations.
* Prerequisite: A score of 1 on the Writing Success Placement Tool (WSPT) or an override from the Director of Writing Placement Support.
* Co-enrollment/ corequisite with ENGL 110C, which means that students take ENGL 101 and ENGL 110C at the same time.
* Students who place into ENGL 101 will sign up for both courses through ENGL 101.
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