Frequently Asked Questions: Seminar in Composition
The Requirement
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Why are most undergraduates at the University of Pittsburgh required to take Seminar in Composition (SC)?
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For what courses is SC a prerequisite?
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Can a student be exempted from the SC requirement?
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Will a student exempted from SC have the proper foundation for upper-level courses?
The Course
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What writing abilities are students expected to bring to Seminar in Composition?
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What is the one-credit Composition Tutorial (CT), and how is it related to SC?
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How can SC prepare students with diverse writing backgrounds and majors for the various kinds of college writing they’ll eventually need to do?
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Does the course involve many different kinds of writing or only concentrate on formal academic essays?
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Who teaches the course? What sort of teaching background/experience do SC instructors have?
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Does the fact that SC is an English Department course mean that most assignments will require students to write about literature (short stories, poetry, novels, or plays)?
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What are the grading standards for SC? How are individual submissions evaluated? Is a standard exit exam or portfolio review required for all sections?
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Why does SC place so much emphasis on revision? Shouldn’t responsible students get the job done well before submitting their work the first time?
Choosing A Section
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The course catalog lists many sections of Seminar in Composition. How different are their writing requirements likely to be?
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Not all SC sections are individually described in the course catalog, and the instructor is not always specified. How can I make an informed decision about enrolling?
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Is class discussion required in all SC sections, or are lecture sections available for students who prefer that format?
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Are sections with a subtitle that emphasizes film, gender, education, or service learning mainly for students who intend to major in those areas?
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How do sections labeled as a Freshman Seminar differ from other SC sections?
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How do the challenges of sections that meet only once a week differ from those of sections meeting more frequently?
Help and Support
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What forms of extra help are available for Seminar in Composition students?
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Is special assistance available if English is a student’s second language?
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What provisions can be made for a student with a disability likely to affect work for SC?