Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

University of Nebraska Omaha logo
College of Arts and Sciences Department of English
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Us Backback to Main menu
    • Faculty & Staff Directory
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • English Department Forms
    • Calendar of Events
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • English Minors
    • Knowledge & Skills Gained
    • Academic Advising
  • Student Opportunities Backback to Main menu
    • Student Opportunities
    • Student Organizations
    • Scholarships
    • Careers
    • Internships
    • Study Abroad
  • Community Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Dual Enrollment English
    • Community Engagement
    • Department Newsletter
    • Oxbow Writing Project
  • Research
  • First-Year Writing Backback to Main menu
    • First-Year Writing
    • Our Courses
    • English Composition Placement Information
    • Retroactive Credit
    • UNO Language Lab
  • Support Us

Our Courses

  1. UNO
  2. College of Arts and Sciences
  3. Department of English
  4. First-Year Writing
  5. Our Courses

Writing Coursework

In order to help students succeed with the intellectual tasks ahead, the First-Year Writing Program at UNO offers a curriculum that gives students practice reading, discussing, and writing about challeng­ing texts.

You're beginning a study of writing that typically includes three courses: Composition I, Composition II, and a writing course in your major field. This does not mean that you will learn everything you need to know about writing by finals week of that third course.

Com­position courses lay a foundation that you will build on throughout your undergraduate years and, if you're fortunate enough to be pre­sented with continuing intellectual challenges, throughout your life.


Our Courses
English 1150: Composition I
English 1160: Composition II
Advanced Writing
English 1090: ESL 1
English 1100: ESL II

English 1150: Composition I

Composition I students read and write about ideas and issues that de­mand discussion. Typically, the course is arranged in three to four units, each of them moving through a set of assigned texts, classroom discus­sions, invention exercises, and short, lower-stakes writing assignments. Each unit culminates in a four to five-page essay that is submitted in draft and final form, demonstrating a history of changes and challenges and an evolution of thought and sophistication.

Whether the instructor assigns a personal narrative, textual analysis, or research-based project, all of the assignments will be informed by critical reading and think­ing. Whatever the themes and assignments chosen, all work in the course will provide you opportunities to practice strategies for reading, analysis, writing, and revising.

<

Improved proficiency in these skills:

  • Close reading
  • Active listening
  • Summarizing a text
  • Critically interpreting and evaluating a text
  • Integrating (paraphrasing, quoting, and acknowledging) materials from other texts
  • Evaluating other writers' drafts, giving feedback in appropriate ways
  • Revising written work using the feedback of fellow writers
  • Sentence-level editing and proofreading

The ability to write papers with these characteristics:

  • A clear thesis
  • A clear, reader-friendly structure
  • Thorough, thoughtful, honest exploration of ideas
  • Clear, varied, well-constructed sentences
  • Usage and mechanics conforming with standard edited English

A generative conception of writing as:

  • A complex, recursive process involving prewriting, drafting, sub­stantive revision, and editing
  • A means to explore, evaluate, and communicate ideas, using one's own writing to challenge and/or extend the thinking of others
  • Communication addressed to a particular audience and governed by a particular set of purposes
  • A conversation with a community of thinkers about an idea that matters


English 1160: Composition II

Composition II focuses on formal, academic argumentation and re­search. This is an intense course, requiring a commitment of time, fo­cus, and stamina. Composition II students write longer papers (typi­cally, two papers of four to five pages and one of 10-12 pages), incorporating material from print and online sources into an extended argument. In addition to longer page requirements and greater responsibilities, however, the course also offers students opportunities to follow and develop their own interests; students typically select their own topics.

Improved proficiency in these skills:

  • Close reading, summary, and analysis of other writers' texts
  • Active listening
  • Navigating the college library
  • Locating and evaluating print and online information
  • Analyzing arguments in other writers' texts
  • Crafting well-informed, carefully reasoned arguments
  • Evaluating other writers' drafts, giving feedback in appropriate ways
  • Revising written work using the feedback of fellow writers
  • Sentence-level editing and proofreading

The ability to write papers with these characteristics:

  • A clear thesis defended by a well-reasoned argument
  • A clear, reader-friendly structure
  • Thorough, thoughtful, honest exploration of ideas
  • Clear, varied, well-constructed sentences
  • Usage and mechanics conforming with standard edited English
  • Effective introduction and integration of sources
  • Appropriate citation of sources using MLA and/or APA documentation format

A generative conception of writing as:

  • A complex, recursive process involving prewriting, drafting, sub­stantive revision, and editing
  • A means to explore, evaluate, and communicate ideas, using one's own writing to challenge and/or extend the thinking of others
  • Communication addressed to a particular audience and governed by a particular set of purposes
  • A conversation with a community of thinkers about an idea that matters


Advanced Writing

In most majors at UNO, students are required to take a third course that emphasizes the writing practices of a particular discipline, focusing on the ways that chemists, for example, report the results of experiments or social workers write case histories. Your work in Composition I and II will prepare you to meet the writing challenges of upper-level courses with confidence.

Engl 1090 (ESL I)

This class is a writing course that will help students learn about the nature of the academic essay in American university settings by first beginning with paragraph development; it is intended to help students whose language of nurture is not English to prepare for English 1100 (ESL II). The varied backgrounds of the students - international students, naturalized citizens or U.S.-born citizens – create a diverse language setting that might not be found in any other classroom on campus. Realizing those language variances while clearly advancing English language abilities is addressed through all five language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing and cultural knowledge. Because this is a writing class, however, emphasis is placed on acquiring strong writing skills, developing papers with a clear thesis, logical structure, and cohesive, well-developed paragraphs, and writing clear sentences with usage and mechanics conforming to Standard Edited English. The course includes discussion of the purposes and processes of academic writing.

Engl 1100 (ESL II)

This class is a course that will help students learn about the nature of the academic essay in American university settings; it is intended to help students whose language of nurture is not English, yet show competent language skills, to prepare for the English composition sequence. The varied backgrounds of the students - international students, naturalized citizens or U.S.-born citizens – create a diverse language setting that might not be found in any other classroom on campus. Realizing those language variances while clearly advancing English language abilities is addressed through all five language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing and cultural knowledge. Because this is a writing class, however, emphasis is placed on acquiring strong writing skills, developing papers with a clear thesis, logical structure, and cohesive, well-developed paragraphs, and writing clear sentences with usage and mechanics conforming to Standard Edited English. The course includes discussion of the purposes and processes of academic writing. ​

Announcements

  • Interview with Kay Siebler about Black Women Stereotypes: A Streaming Revolution
  • UNO English Alum Earns Nebraska English Teacher of the Year Award
  • Interview with Gene Kwak about his debut novel: Go Home, Ricky!
  • Alumna Spotlight: Jessie Carr

Writing as a Marketable Skill

At UNO, our students are trained to write well, to organize ideas in a logical way, and to develop arguments. You will be able to analyze complex information, research, and critically read and observe.

These skills are not only invaluable for you as a student, but they are also appealing to employers.

Contact Us

  • Main Office
  • Department of English, 192 ASH
  • 6001 Dodge St | Omaha, NE 68182-0175

  • Phone: 402.554.3636
  • Fax: 402.554.2009

College of Arts and Sciences

  • Contact Us
  • 220 Arts & Sciences Hall
  • College Advising Office
  • College Resources
  • For Faculty and Staff
  • Math-Science Learning Center
  • The Writing Center
  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • Report an Incident or Concern

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page