There are two requirements all students must fulfill, the Composition Writing and Writing Intensive Course Requirements. In addition, there are programs like the Composition Library Instruction Program (CLIP) available.
Composition Writing Course Requirement
The Composition Program at SUNY Cortland has two major goals: to give students strategies for reading college-level texts and drawing on them as sources for their writing; and to give students practice approaching reading and writing as a process of planning, drafting, revising, and editing.
These goals are met through the requirements set forth by the Composition Program: completion of the core Composition courses, and the successful completion of 6 credits of Writing-Intensive courses. When you enroll in composition courses at SUNY Cortland, you will receive The Cortland Composition Handbook: A Guide for Students, which will explain in greater detail the purposes and method of the Composition Program.
Available Composition Courses
Students at Cortland are required to take two composition courses:
- Academic Writing I (CPN 100) or Writing in the Community I (CPN 102) and
- Academic Writing II (CPN 101) or Academic Writing in the Community II (CPN 103).
CPN 100 & 102
CPN 100 and CPN 102 initiate students into the academic community by teaching them fundamental strategies for academic writing: quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing texts, responding and reacting to reading sources, and comparing and contrasting sources. CPN 102 has the added benefit of being a service learning course.
CPN 100 - Example Essays
CPN 101 & 103
Building on the skills learned in CPN 100 and CPN 102, CPN 101 and CPN 103 focus on strategies for synthesizing multiple sources, drawing on sources for argument essays, analyzing and evaluating sources, and conducting library research. CPN 103 has the added benefit of being a service learning course
Writing Intensive Course Requirement
In addition to two composition courses, you will be required to complete six hours of coursework in WRITING INTENSIVE courses. At least three of these credit hours must be completed in your major, since that is the area of writing most important to your academic career.
The purpose of the Writing Intensive course policy is based on three premises: that writing improves with practice in diverse settings; that writing engages students and improves the learning of the material being taught; and that writing develops thinking skills.
Courses that are labeled “Writing Intensive” have the following characteristics:
- They require you to write the equivalent of 15 typed pages
- They require at least 2 pieces of writing; or, in some courses, you may be required to complete one project, which you will submit in multiple drafts.
- Any writing for a final examination is NOT included in the 15 pages of writing required.
- You must have opportunities for revision of your work.
Composition Library Instruction Program (CLIP)
Each year over a thousand Cortland Composition students enter ... The Clip Zone.
Students take CLIP (Composition Library Instruction Program) in which they are taught the basics of academic library research. CLIP introduces students to the resources of Memorial Library. Librarians demonstrate the library's online catalog, databases where students can find journal articles and discuss research strategies they can use throughout their college careers to complete assignments and write papers.
Students attend CLIP sessions in the library's Interactive Reference Area (IRA), and then take an online pretest on WebCT to assess what they have learned. Evaluation surveys and assignments (2 quizzes) are also given on the WebCT testing software. The scoring features let students know immediately whether they have passed, or whether they need to study some more and try again.
Composition students or instructors with comments, questions or concerns should the Instruction Coordinator at the Memorial Library.
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