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Rutgers writing emphasizes argument, not recap
The course pushes students away from broad summary and toward making a claim that interprets why a source, issue, or debate matters.
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01:355:301 · English - Composition and Writing · School 01 — New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences
College Writing for Transfer Students is a 3-credit Rutgers Writing Program course for transfer students who already hold WC credit. The common structure is two shorter analytical essays followed by an 8-10 page research paper, all aimed at helping students practice Rutgers expectations for close reading, argument, revision, and source-based academic writing.
Can I take it?
College Writing · Exposition &Argument · College Writing Extended
How hard?
Students rate teaching
SIRS · 1,043 responses · 2016–2025
Spring 2027
3 open in snapshot · 3 instructors
When it meets
Livingston
Checked-in sections · current seat counts are unavailable.
MTh 12:10 PM · Livingston · 1 section · 1 open
TTh 2:00 PM · Livingston · 1 section · 1 open
AI-generated overview
Higher means more demanding · AI summary
5 units · topic sequence may vary by instructor
The course starts by translating transfer writing experience into the specific reading, analytical, and revision habits Rutgers writing faculty expect. Because section themes vary by semester, the stable through-line is learning how Rutgers wants arguments to be framed and supported.
Students usually move into an Expos-style paper that asks them to build a focused claim from a reading problem rather than simply summarize a source. The goal is to practice turning observation into a debatable thesis.
A second shorter essay or major revision typically deepens the same skills: clarifying stakes, organizing paragraphs more deliberately, and using feedback to sharpen the claim. This is where the WCr side of the course becomes concrete.
The back half of the course pivots from single-text analysis into sustained research. Students narrow a topic, locate scholarly sources, and learn to treat sources as positions in a conversation rather than as quotations to stack.
The culminating paper asks students to sustain an original argument over 8-10 pages, usually with a proposal, source work, and revision checkpoints along the way. Section descriptions suggest that the topic theme changes, but the core deliverable is a researched argument with clear framing and revision.
Rutgers Reddit discussion suggests many transfer students find 355:301 genuinely helpful for learning Rutgers writing expectations and finishing a WCd or WCr requirement, but they also describe it as professor-dependent and high-stakes because a few major papers carry much of the course.
The course pushes students away from broad summary and toward making a claim that interprets why a source, issue, or debate matters.
Because the class satisfies WCr as well as WCd, revision is not an afterthought. Feedback is supposed to change the structure and precision of the argument.
The final paper works best when the topic is small enough to investigate closely and large enough to connect to a real academic conversation.
Scholarly articles do not speak for themselves. Students are expected to explain why a source matters and how it interacts with the paper's own claim.
Common pitfall
Instead
Shrink the question until the paper can take a real position on a specific debate, case, or pattern.
Common pitfall
Instead
After every paraphrase or quotation, explain what the evidence proves and why the reader should care.
Common pitfall
Instead
Treat proposals, conferences, and draft checkpoints as part of the grade-bearing writing process, not optional prep.
Common pitfall
Instead
Revise thesis wording, paragraph order, and source framing before line-level edits.
3 open · Livingston
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0114932 | Open | Sara Blomquist | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at TIL 207; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at TIL 207TIL 207 | Livingston |
| 0314934 | Open | Dawn Lilley | Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at TIL 105; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at TIL 105TIL 105 | Livingston |
| 0414935 | Open | Schwartz | Monday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at LSH B112; Thursday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at LSH B112LSH B112 | Livingston |
Historical student surveys
Teaching
4.44
Course quality
4.24
Response rate
69.1%
Coverage
92 offerings · 2016–2025
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Morrone | 13 | 4.32 | 4.12 |
| Raluca Musat | 10 | 4.46 | 4.30 |
| Flynn Julie | 9 | 4.43 | 4.23 |
| Morrone Peter | 9 | 4.44 | 4.16 |
| Peter Molin | 8 | 4.56 | 4.41 |
| Sara Blomquist | 7 | 4.40 | 4.33 |
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
Livingston
Current availability
3 open of 3
Catalog terms
Fall, Spring
Core codes
SOEHS, WCd, WCr
Loaded terms
5
(01:355:101)<em> OR </em>(01:355:103)<em> OR </em>(01:355:104)<em> OR </em>(21:355:102)<em> OR </em>(50:989:102)
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.