English 105 course sets standard for students' writing

English 105 is more than a required course — it sets a precedent for the writing skills expected at UNC.

English 105 became a required course because nearly 40 percent of UNC students were exempted from English 101 and 102 through AP credit-like courses, English professor James Thompson said.

“The faculty felt that (the students) still needed college-level instruction in writing,” Thompson said in an email.

The course is designed to prepare students to write in whatever major they end up pursuing.

“I think that 105 is important because it equips the students to write well within different academic disciplines, and to ... approach rhetorical situations in an appropriate way,” said Rhagen Olinde, a current English 105 teacher.

While Olinde and Thompson said the course is beneficial, many students had a difficult time enrolling in the required course.

“It was fairly challenging to get this class,” freshman Trey Hiers said in an email. “I had to wait a while before a spot opened up.”

Hiers said he likes that everyone at UNC is required to take the same class. He thinks it will help him in future classes.

The general English requirement can be fulfilled through two routes. Students can take English 105, the general composition and rhetoric course, or English 105i, which offers a more specialized course for particular disciplines including the humanities, business and health and medicine.

Junior Max Cady said the course was helpful, especially for freshmen.

“I definitely used what I learned in English 105 in other courses,” Cady said in an email.

Since the course is aimed at all UNC undergraduates, transfer students are also required to enroll in the course.

“I definitely think transfer students should have to demonstrate competency of the English language before graduating,” said Meredith Summers, a junior transfer student currently enrolled in English 105, in an email.

The structure of the UNC-specific course might be different from required English classes at other schools, Olinde said.

“I think that this class is structured in a very specific and intentional way,” Olinde said. “The specific skills that students build in this class — I wouldn’t be sure that students could find them elsewhere.”

To ensure that all undergraduate students graduate on time, incoming freshmen and transfer students are encouraged to enroll in the class during their summer registration period.

“The Writing (Center) works closely with the admissions office to ensure that sufficient sections are offered in the fall and in the spring for incoming first-year students and transfer students,” Thompson said.

@CarlyBerk

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