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Argument begins with interpretation
A strong paper does not start from a generic opinion. It starts from a question or tension inside the reading that needs explanation.
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01:355:103 · English - Composition and Writing · School 01 — New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences
Exposition and Argument is Rutgers's 3-credit honors-oriented first-year writing course for students with advanced reading and writing preparation. It uses nonfiction reading, repeated essay drafting, peer review, revision, and a final independent research project to teach students how to form interpretive questions and make original argumentative claims.
Can I take it?
How hard?
Students rate teaching
SIRS · 1,595 responses · 2016–2024
Fall 2026
4 open in snapshot · 6 instructors
When it meets
College Avenue
Checked-in sections · current seat counts are unavailable.
MTh 10:20 AM · College Avenue · 2 sections · 0 open
MW 2:00 PM · College Avenue · 2 sections · 2 open
MW 3:50 PM · College Avenue · 1 section · 1 open
TTh 2:00 PM · College Avenue · 1 section · 1 open
MW 2:00 PM · College Avenue · 1 section · 0 open
AI-generated overview
Higher means more demanding · AI summary
5 units · topic sequence may vary by instructor
Rutgers describes the course as centered on nonfiction texts about contemporary issues. Early work is usually about moving past summary: students practice noticing tensions, puzzles, assumptions, and unanswered questions inside a text so writing starts from interpretation rather than from retelling.
The official description emphasizes a series of essays, each tied to peer review and revision. That means the class is not just about producing a clean first draft; it is about learning how claims, evidence, paragraph structure, and motive improve when another reader pushes on them.
As the course progresses, students are expected to make claims that contribute to ongoing intellectual conversations rather than repeat a teacher-approved answer. The central move is turning observations about a text into a contestable position supported by analysis.
By the end of the term, Rutgers says students direct their own intellectual inquiry by using library and research tools to investigate a puzzle, problem, or question of their own design. The course becomes more self-directed here, because the writer has to choose a question, find credible sources, and shape a coherent line of reasoning.
The end point is not a generic school paper but a cogent interpretive argument. Rutgers frames the course's long-term goal as treating writing as critical thinking, so the last stage is usually about synthesizing sources, revising deeply, and taking intellectual risks without losing clarity.
Public r/rutgers discussion portrays 355:103 as a manageable but real writing course rather than an easy checkbox. Students tend to say it rewards consistent attention to instructor feedback, and they often describe it as the honors-version alternative to the standard WC course.
A strong paper does not start from a generic opinion. It starts from a question or tension inside the reading that needs explanation.
Rutgers explicitly frames 355:103 as critical thinking in written form, so drafts are where ideas get tested, clarified, and sometimes replaced.
Because the course uses essay cycles with peer review, improvement usually comes from changing the claim, stakes, evidence order, and paragraph roles before polishing sentences.
Outside sources are useful when they deepen or complicate the writer's position, not when they bury the paper under unrelated information.
Common pitfall
Instead
Ask what is unresolved, surprising, or contestable in the text, then build your paragraphing around that tension.
Common pitfall
Instead
Look for feedback about motive, structure, and evidence because those are usually the changes that raise the paper most.
Common pitfall
Instead
Every quotation or paraphrase should do clear argumentative work and be explained in your own language.
Common pitfall
Instead
Use the earlier essay cycles to understand how your instructor reads theses, analysis, organization, and revision.
4 open · College Avenue
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HA11992 | Closed | Ian Bignall | Monday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at SC 106; Thursday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at SC 106SC 106 | College Avenue |
| HB11993 | Closed | Ian Bignall | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SC 204; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SC 204SC 204 | College Avenue |
| HC11994 | Open | Snow Jones | Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SC 116; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SC 116SC 116 | College Avenue |
| HD11995 | Open | Debra Keates | Monday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at ABW 2150; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at ABW 2150ABW 2150 | College Avenue |
| HE11996 | Open | Erin Kelly | Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SC 115; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SC 115SC 115 | College Avenue |
| HG11998 | Closed | Jovanoski | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SC 203; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SC 203SC 203 | College Avenue |
| HH11999 | Closed | Elif Sendur | Monday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SC 115; Wednesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SC 115SC 115 | College Avenue |
| HI12000 | Open | Snow Jones | Monday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at SC 203; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at SC 203SC 203 | College Avenue |
Historical student surveys
Teaching
4.62
Course quality
4.25
Response rate
81.4%
Coverage
121 offerings · 2016–2024
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Bignall | 12 | 4.81 | 4.65 |
| Debra Keates | 7 | 4.33 | 3.99 |
| Nancy Martin | 6 | 4.90 | 4.58 |
| Jordanco Jovanoski | 6 | 4.63 | 4.28 |
| Timothy Hedges | 6 | 4.23 | 3.92 |
| Kathryn Narramore | 5 | 4.72 | 4.46 |
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
College Avenue
Current availability
4 open of 8
Catalog terms
Fall
Core codes
WC
Loaded terms
2
(01:355:100)<em> OR </em>(01:356:156)
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.