The USU Composition Program emphasizes writing as a social act, which recognizes and values differences in language, people, and ideas. English 1010, 2010, & 2020 are designed to build on students’ prior knowledge, questions, and lived experiences. The small size of these writing classes facilitates a collaborative and critical learning environment. In these courses, students compose multiple texts and projects for specific applications and audiences, preparing them for future academic, professional, and community contexts beyond the university.

- Explore various opportunities for communication that allow you to consider what, how, when, why, and with whom you communicate.
- Think critically, creatively, and collaboratively about problems and solutions.
- Examine how reading, writing, analysis, and inquiry are interconnected.
- Research multiple perspectives to join ongoing conversations.
- Learn to draw on what others say to make your own contributions more meaningful.

When taking English 2010, you will draft, write, and revise to:
- Craft timely and relevant arguments for specific audiences that incorporate primary and secondary research, lived experiences, and personal authority.
- Develop innovative research strategies by identifying relevant questions and seeking multiple perspectives.
- Research a variety of perspectives and texts to support arguments on various topics and issues.
- Analyze the underlying assumptions and biases in the messages you encounter daily.
- Learn to give, receive, and implement constructive feedback.

When taking English 2020, you will draft, write, and revise to:
- Research complex, real-world questions and synthesize multiple perspectives to compose evidence-based recommendations and communications.
- Evaluate how language shapes communication in professional, technical, and community contexts.
- Analyze and respond to professional and workplace communication situations by understanding audience, purpose, and context.
- Compose and adapt professional genres across multiple disciplines by applying rhetorical strategies and conventions.
- Incorporate feedback, reflection, and additional research into communications.
Outcomes
Rhetorical Awareness
Negotiate purpose, audience, context, and textual conventions.
Critical Thinking
Analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, situations, and texts.
Information Literacy
Understand research as a process of critical inquiry, consider the influence of power on texts, and become creators of information.
Composing Processes
Employ multiple composing processes to conceptualize, draft, write, revise, and finalize both written and oral projects.
Teaching Resources
- Composition Program Overview: Syllabus Templates & Sample Curriculum
- Composition Program Guidelines for Protecting Vulnerable Populations in Classroom Research
- Assessments
- Council of Writing Program Administrators
- Conference on College Composition & Communication Position Statements
- Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
Registration Questions
We’re glad you are interested in the course! If you can’t register this semester, please don’t worry. We offer plenty of sections (both in-person and online) in Fall, Spring, and Summer, and students aren’t required to take the class their first semester. Please work with your advisor to either get on a waitlist or plan on taking the class another semester if you can’t enroll this semester.
No, please do not attend class until you are officially enrolled. We understand why you want to attend, but University policy states that only students who are registered for the class may attend. Also, enrollments are controlled by the waitlists (not the instructors); therefore, attending a class does not actually increase your chances of being able to register that semester. We recommend you work with your advisor to get on a waitlist or plan on taking the class another semester. If you find an open seat at the beginning of Week 2, you may submit a late add request (please refer to “Information for Late Add Requests” for guidance).
You might be able to enroll, but it is not guaranteed. Courses are capped at 23, so we cannot enroll more than 23 students per section. If a section has an enrollment below 23 in Week 2, the English Department can add students late to the course. We will work hard to try to enroll you in the course. However, late enrollment requests are not guaranteed because the department is processing multiple enrollment requests for a limited number of seats. Preference will be given to students who are below 12 credits. If you cannot enroll this semester, please work with your advisor to plan on taking the class another semester.
To request a late add: If registrations an open spot in a section in the beginning of Week 2, you may submit a late add request (please refer to “Information for Late Add Requests” for guidance).
After Week 2, students cannot enroll in an in-person English 1010/2010/2020 class, but may request to enroll in an online class through the beginning of Week 3 (please refer to “Information for Late Add Requests” for guidance).
On Monday and Tuesday of Week 3, we only consider enrollment requests for online classes, space permitting. Priority will be given to students who are below 12 credits and who were not already enrolled in a section of English 1010/2010/2020 this semester (please refer to “Information for Late Add Requests” for guidance).
After Tuesday of Week 3, we do not add students to any English 1010, 2010, or 2020 course. At this point in the semester, approximately 1/5 of the semester has passed and students have made significant progress in the course. You will need to take the class another semester, so please work with your advisor.
No, please do not email an instructor unless you are officially enrolled in their course. Course enrollment is limited to 23 students per section, and the waitlists are controlled by the registration system, not the instructor. This means that the instructor will not be able to add you; additionally, all late adds are handled by the English Department. Instead of emailing an instructor, please get on a waitlist and/or refer to “Information for Late Add Requests.”
Prior to and during Week 1, you can switch sections—but you risk losing your seat because registration will not allow you to enroll in multiple sections of the same course at once. This means you would have to drop your current course before you enroll in a new section. Before you decide to drop your section, you will want to know if other sections have open seats. The registration system does not give priority to students who were previously enrolled in a section. If you want to switch sections prior to or during Week 1, we recommend working with your advisor to discuss your options.
In Week 2, we recommend that you remain registered for your current section. You might be able to enroll in a different section, but it is not guaranteed. Courses are capped at 23, so we cannot enroll more than 23 students per section. If a section has an enrollment below 23 in Week 2, the English Department will consider late add requests (please refer to “Information for Late Add Requests” for guidance). However, late enrollment requests are not guaranteed because the department is processing multiple enrollment requests for a limited number of seats. Preference will be given to students who are below 12 credits and who were not already enrolled in a section of English 1010/2010/2020 this semester. If you cannot enroll this semester, please work with your advisor to plan on taking the class another semester.
In Week 3 (or after), you are not able to switch sections. Approximately 1/5 of the semester has passed and students have made significant progress in the course. You will need to take the class another semester, so please work with your advisor.
If you have received credit for English 1010—and the credit, class, or requisite test score appears on your transcript—you can register yourself for English 2010 or English 2020. If you are awaiting your test results, please request permission through the Admissions Office to temporarily waive your English 1010 (CL1) prerequisite. (The Office of Admissions has more information on the required ACT or SAT scores.) Once the temporary waiver is approved, you may add yourself to any open section of English 2010 or English 2020. In order to make your temporary prerequisite waiver permanent, your official test scores and/or transfer course credit for English 1010 (CL1) will need to be received by Admissions and posted to your transcript prior to the beginning of the semester. Any student whose scores or transfer credits have not been posted will be dropped from the class (by the Registrar’s Office, not the English Department). You will not have the opportunity to re-enroll until either your test scores or transfer credit has posted to your transcript. Your test scores and transfer credits will be processed by Admissions and the Registrar’s Office (not the English Department), so please contact either the Admissions Office or the Registrar’s Office with questions.
Please note: CL1 (English 1010) and CL2 (English 2010 or English 2020) are graduation requirements. The English Department offers these courses, but we cannot waive the graduation requirement. Additionally, we cannot waive the prerequisite for English 2010/2020 or accept a lower test score than what the University and State of Utah have required.
The English Department offers plenty of sections (both in-person and online) of English 1010/2010/2020 in Fall, Spring, and Summer. Students are not required to take the class their first semester. In most cases, students who cannot enroll in a course in a particular semester should plan on taking the course another semester.
However, it is possible to add an in-person or online course during Week 2 and, in some cases, an online course through the Tuesday of Week 3. Priority is given to students who request to add early in Week 2 and who are below 12 credits. If you would like the English Department to consider a late request, please read the following information. Requesting a late add does not guarantee enrollment.
If you have questions, check out the information on this page or contact the English Department.
Instructions for Requesting a Late Add for ENGL 1010/2010/2020
NOTE: You may request a late add of an in-person or an online section through Friday of Week 2, and only an online course through the Tuesday of Week 3. We will not consider late requests after the Tuesday of Week 3 because approximately 1/5 of the semester has passed and students have made significant progress in the course.
- Access the Office of the Registrar's Registration Options form
- Complete the form
- Include your personal information (name, A#, email, etc.)
- Under “What are you trying to do?” select Registration Error Override
- Enter the CRN of the course and section you wish to add (the remaining information regarding the course will then autofill)
- Under “What Error are you receiving?” select Instructor Permission
- Under “Instructor Approval” include a brief note explaining why you need to be in the class (because many students need to register for English 1010, 2010, and 2020, please know that the English Department prioritizes students who are below 12 credits)
- Submit the form (click on the blue button on right side of screen)
- Your request will be reviewed by the English Department based on availability, what week in the semester we receive the request, and student credit load.
- If your request is approved, you will receive an email from the English Department; the Department will provide instructions on how to enroll.
- Note: If you want to be considered for more than one section, you will need to submit a separate request for each section.
Concurrent Enrollment
Eligible high school students can begin their college writing experience by taking one of USU’s concurrent enrollment sections of English 1010 or English 2010. In a concurrent enrollment course, students simultaneously earn high school credits for graduation and college credit for English 1010 or English 2010. Our courses are small—only 25 students can enroll in a course—and taught by qualified educators through a variety of delivery methods, including face-to-face instruction at the high school and IVC broadcast instruction. To enroll in a concurrent enrollment section of English 1010 or English 2010, students must successfully complete English 11 at their high school and have a 3.0 overall GPA.
Enrollment Questions
If you have questions about how to enroll in English 1010 or English 2010 Concurrent Enrollment (or English 2200: Understanding Literature), please consult USU's Concurrent Enrollment resource.
Concurrent Enrollment Teaching Partnership Program
The Department of English supports student and teacher learning in these courses through its Teaching Partnership program, a program that brings concurrent enrollment teachers and USU faculty together for collaborative professional development experiences.