Program in Rhetoric and Composition

Administrative Office

Cowell Hall, 400

(415) 422-6243

Fredel M. Wiant, Program Coordinator

Mark Meritt, Curriculum Coordinator

The mission of the Program in Rhetoric and Composition is to help undergraduate students write more effectively. To accomplish this, there are both University and Core Area requirements, and both must be met before graduation.

The University Rhetoric and Composition Requirement

All undergraduate students, including transfer students, will be placed into appropriate writing courses based on SAT scores and/or prior college level composition courses. They must complete each course in their required (099-110-120; 130-131; 140, 250) sequence with a grade of C- or better, depending on placement, until the Core Requirement has been fulfilled. (Note: Students whose first language is not English may be required to complete ESL 135 before enrolling in RC 099.)

The Core Requirement

To fulfill the Core Requirement, students must complete one of the following courses with a grade of C- or better:RHET - 120, RHET - 130/131, RHET - 140 . RHET - 250

Courses in Rhetoric and Composition

• RHET - 100 Editing and Proofreading Skills
• RHET - 102 Writing Center for Credit
• RHET - 099 Introduction to Composition
• RHET - 110 Written Communication I
• RHET - 120 Written Communication II
• RHET - 140 Seminar in Rhetoric and Composition
• RHET - 130/131 Written and Oral Communication
• RHET - 250 Academic Writing at USF

Please see "Rhetoric and Composition Course Descriptions."

The Writing Center

Cowell Hall, Room 227

(415) 422-6715

Leslie Dennen, Director

The Writing Center is staffed with Writing Consultants who work with students to help them improve their writing skills. They provide feedback on the drafts that students bring to review, and they can tailor a program of instruction to meet individual needs. Students are encouraged to come to the Writing Center if they would like to build their self-confidence, discover strategies of invention to overcome writer's block, learn how to revise their work, develop editing and proofreading skills, and understand and apply the conventions of standard written English.

Writing Center hours are announced each semester.