WRIT 1022 English for Academic Purposes

About WRIT 1022 English for Academic Purposes

This 4-credit course is designed to facilitate the acquisition of US English for Academic Purposes (EAP) by multilingual students who use English as an additional language. In this class, students will be immersed into the academic world that the University of Denver participates in, to develop proficiency in usage conventions while paying attention to the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills that are necessary for a student’s holistic participation in diverse academic cultures. In addition to classroom instruction and working in the language lab, we will spend a significant amount of time interacting with the community around DU to gain experience communicating in different contexts and rhetorical situations. Students are encouraged to use all resources (including languages they are proficient in) available to them as they work to improve their EAP proficiency.

 

Who is WRIT 1022 English for Academic Purposes for?

Because all instruction at the University of Denver is in English, students whose primary or native language is not English are required to take an English proficiency exam for admission. Admitted students have the option to take either WRIT 1022 English for Academic Purposes OR they may complete study of another language (requiring 4-12 credits) after taking a placement test offered through the Center for World Languages and Cultures. Non-native English speakers who pass WRIT 1022 will satisfy the DU language requirement.

More information about DU's Common Curriculum and the language requirements can be found in the Bulletin.

 

Exemptions

Students can request an exemption from the WRIT 1022 requirement for the following reasons:

  • Students who completed their final three years and earned a diploma from a secondary/high school where the language of instruction was English;
  • an SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score of 600 or higher;
  • an ACT English sub-score of 22 or higher; OR
  • 30 semester credits of coursework from a university or college where English is the sole language of instruction OR the completion of English I and II requirements from a U.S. college or university.

Exemptions are not automatic or guaranteed. To request an exemption, email the Office of International Student Admission (intadm@du.edu). If you are approved for an exemption, you will still be expected to complete the requirements for language as specified in the University Common Curriculum (between 4-12 credits of language study).

 

Questions?

For questions specific to WRIT 1022 course content, email writing@du.edu.

For questions about placement into WRIT 1022, registration and advising, please review the First-Year & Transfer Student Advising and Registration website and email advising@du.edu.

 

WRIT 1022 Learning Objectives

The course's objectives cater to four broad areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar, and EAP across multiple language domains. At the completion of the course, students will be able to meet the following objectives:

Listening objectives

  1. Use academic listening strategies; including prediction, identification of main ideas and specific details, and note-taking. 

  2. Respond appropriately to spoken instructions. 

  3. Recognize formal and informal spoken English. 

Speaking objectives

  1. Speak with appropriate accuracy and fluency using basic and moderately complex sentence structures. 

  2. Verbally connect ideas in paragraph-like discourse. 

  3. Use appropriate verbal intonation and rhythm. 

  4. Engage in verbal role playing in formal and informal situations. 

  5. Express advice and opinions with supporting information. 

  6. Paraphrase narratives and information. 

  7. Make formal and informal oral presentations. 

Reading objectives

  1. Read and comprehend authentic English language publications relating to university life; including print and online newspapers, brochures, course catalogues, campus maps, and internet-based communication platforms. 

  2. Demonstrate a working knowledge of appropriate reading and pre-reading strategies; including scanning, annotating, predicting outcomes, making inferences, and identifying stated or implied main ideas and supporting details. 

  3. Use strategies to ascertain meaning from unfamiliar vocabulary encountered in context. 

  4. Increase reading rate. 

  5. Understand a writer’s purpose. 

Writing and Grammar objectives

  1. Demonstrate an at-level understanding and application of grammar rules for EAP; including the appropriate use of verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, modals, personal pronouns, and articles. 

  2. Use adverbs and adjective clauses. 

  3. Use comparative and superlative forms. 

  4. Use gerund and infinitive phrases. 

  5. Apply capitalization and comma use rules. 

  6. Compose simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences. 

  7. Use structural conventions of written English to compose paragraphs and essays. 

  8. Practice peer editing, self-editing, and revising skills.

EAP Across Multiple Language Domains objectives

  1. Acquire and use new academic vocabulary. 

  2. Demonstrate at-level understanding of grammar in speaking and writing. 

  3. Identify inconsistencies between pronunciation and spelling. 

  4. Compose moderately complex sentences with basic transitions to connect ideas in spoken and written discourse. 

  5. Identify written and spoken language patterns; including sequential events, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem/solution narratives.