Welcome to Western Carolina University's Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies (WRCS - pronounced WORKS) program, which consists of two semesters of writing (ENGL 101 in your freshman year and ENGL 202 in your sophomore year) required by the university's Liberal Studies Program. On behalf of everybody in the English department, especially those of us who teach in the WRCS, we're glad you're here.
There are many common misconceptions about writing and composition courses: It's going to be boring! It's nothing but grammar, spelling, and where to put commas! Comp teachers are little, old, bun-wearing spinsters! You have to be a good writer to do well in comp class! It has nothing to do with my major, so why care? It has nothing to do with my life!
Well, none of these perceptions are correct. True, if you are determined to be bored in comp class, you may well be. If you open yourself up to the ideas, however, expect your experience to be, at the very least, worthwhile. At the most, you may well have a great time.
Composition teachers are men, women, young, old, suit-wearing and t-shirt-wearing professionals. Yes, we will ask you to learn the standard rules and regulations of the English language, but we will also ask you to think for yourself and develop your own unique voice - have an opinion and express it. If you have an idea about the way the world works and the determination to communicate that idea to others,you can do well in these courses ... even if you always got bad grades in high school composition.
Composition and rhetoric is about more than writing. Its about ideas, philosophy, history, psychology, politics, economics, the world. Its about what interests you and what you can make interesting to others. In other words, composition is about your major and your life. What you learn in your two composition courses will prepare you for the next four years of college and for your working and personal life beyond this institution.
Beth Huber bhuber@email.wcu.edu
Director of WRCS program