English 109-110 is a two-quarter course sequence designed for students admitted to the University through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), TRiO Student Support Services (SSS), or Student Athletic Academic Services (SAAS). The student population consists primarily of first generation college students whose educational background may have under-prepared them for academic culture, and who may be marginalized on the basis of economic, educational, or racial backgrounds. Additionally, some students choose to affiliate with EOP to access resources, such as tutoring and academic counseling.
Students enter English 109-110 based on their Universal Placement Test score -- a writing test scored by EOP Directors and EOP Writing specialists. Students requiring extra assistance in ESL are placed in English 107 before entering the 109-110 sequence. English 109-110 is not an ELL course. While many of the students may be second language speakers, any student needing specialized assistance in ELL should be identified immediately and referred to the EOP Writing directors to ascertain whether extra tutoring or English 107 is needed.
English 109-110 is a stretch model of English 131 – not a remedial course. This means that the same skills are taught over two quarters rather than one. This model provides students more time and resources to acquire the skills of reading academic articles, basic research and library use, grammar, and composing academic essays. Our class size is capped at 15 to improve the student-teacher ratio and ensure regular and effective contact between students and teacher.