The First-Year Composition Program at North Georgia College & State University includes two composition classes: ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102, which are required by the Core Curriculum of NGCSU, and mandated by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

These two classes are intended to introduce students to college-level writing and research methods. The writing process that the student develops in his or her composition classes serves as a foundation to build on within his or her major, since many discipline-specific classes require essays and research papers. ENGL 1101 and 1102 are designed to help the student begin understanding and developing his or her writing process, which will be further refined within the major as the student advances towards a degree.

Beyond the student’s major, and the requirements of the Core Curriculum, however, composition skills are the mark of an educated person. Every graduate of North Georgia College & State University should endeavor to communicate clearly and accurately, and reflect proudly on our school.

As John Henry Newman wrote in Discourse VII of The Idea of a University:

“It is the education which gives a man a clear conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them.”

If a student diligently gains knowledge and practices writing skills while in college, the student will build a reliable foundation from which he or she can expand his or her knowledge and writing skills the rest of his or her life.

Dr. Amy A. Childers
First-Year Composition Program
Department of English
achilders@ngcsu.edu