Composition studies - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Composition Studies is the professional field of writing

Writing

Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...

research and instruction, focusing especially on writing at the college level in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. In many American colleges and universities, undergraduate students must take freshman

Freshman

A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...

— sometimes even higher — composition courses. For example, in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, all public colleges and universities have freshman and sophomore

Sophomore

Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...

composition courses as requirements.

Many composition scholars study not only the theory

Theory

The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...

and practice of post-secondary writing

Writing

instruction, but also the influence of different writing conventions and genres on writers' composing processes. As written conventions and genres change over time, compositionists continue to learn how these changes influence writers and how writers work to change the conventions within which they work.

First-year composition

Many Foreign universities have a required First Year Composition

First Year Composition

First Year Composition is an introductory core curriculum writing course in North American colleges. This course focuses on improving students' abilities to write in a university setting and introduces students to writing practices in the disciplines and professions. These courses are...

course, also referred to as FYC. This is not the same as a literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

course, which focuses on literary analysis and interpretation, although some colleges and universities do incorporate literature and other humanities into their composition courses; often, however, composition courses offer intensive instruction in writing non-fiction

Non-fiction

Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...

, expository texts using academic discourse conventions. Writing curricula vary considerably from institution to institution, but it may emphasize many stages of different writing processes (invention or brainstorming, drafting, revision, editing, proofreading), different forms of writing (narration, exposition, description, argumentation, comparison and contrast), different portions of the written product (introductions, conclusions, thesis statements, presentation and documentation of forms of evidence, inclusion of quotations, etc), along with different modalities of composing to expand the concept of 'writing'. Pedagogies or approaches to teaching writing are grounded in a range of different traditions and philosophies. Composition can be the art of writing. It is mainly essay writing.

Advanced Composition

Some universities require further instruction in writing and offer courses that expand upon the skills developed in First-year composition. Second level or advanced composition may emphasize forms of argumentation and persuasion, digital media, research and source documentation formats, and/or genres of writing across a range of disciplines and genres (see also Writing across the curriculum below). For example, the skills required to write business letters or annual reports will differ significantly from those required to write historical or scientific research or personal memoirs.

Graduate studies

Doctoral programs in Composition Studies are available at more than eighty universities. Such programs are commonly housed within English Studies or Education programs, although it is increasingly the case that they found their own departments (e.g., of Composition Studies, Writing & Rhetoric, Composition & Linguistics, and so on) .

Second-language writing

Second language writing

Second-language writing is the name usually given to the study of writing performed by non-native speakers/writers of a language, whether as a true second or foreign language....

is the practice of teaching writing to non-native speakers of English.

Writing across the curriculum
Writing Across the Curriculum
The Writing Across the Curriculum movement is a subfield of writing studies and composition studies that asserts students acquire proficiency in writing through instruction and practice in a variety of courses and fields...

Because academic discourse is not monolithic, many compositionists have created a writing across the curriculum (WAC) movement that situates writing-intensive instruction in specific academic discourse

Discourse

Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...

communities.

Writing center

Many colleges and universities have a writing center

Writing Center

Many educational institutions maintain a writing center that provides students with free assistance on their papers, projects, reports, multimodal documents, web pages, et cetera from consultants. A key goal of any writing center is helping writers to learn...

, which offers supplementary tutorial support for writing specifically in English classes and/or across the curriculum. Many universities not in North America only offer writing instruction via writing centers. The European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing (EATAW), for example, specifically concerns itself with the study and advancement of writing centers in Europe.

External links

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First-year composition

Advanced Composition

Graduate studies

Second-language writing

Writing across the curriculum
Writing Across the Curriculum
The Writing Across the Curriculum movement is a subfield of writing studies and composition studies that asserts students acquire proficiency in writing through instruction and practice in a variety of courses and fields...

Writing center

See also

Further reading

External links

First-year composition

Advanced Composition

Graduate studies

Second-language writing

Writing across the curriculumWriting Across the CurriculumThe Writing Across the Curriculum movement is a subfield of writing studies and composition studies that asserts students acquire proficiency in writing through instruction and practice in a variety of courses and fields...

Writing center

See also

Further reading

External links

Writing across the curriculum
Writing Across the Curriculum
The Writing Across the Curriculum movement is a subfield of writing studies and composition studies that asserts students acquire proficiency in writing through instruction and practice in a variety of courses and fields...