NC State is an engineering school, and is hence known for its concentrations in science and technology. It is nationally ranked 32nd in best undergraduate engineering programs and 25th in graduate engineering programs by U.S. News and World Report. Moreover, the College of Engineering at NC State is the heart of many developing research projects.
It is safe to assume that the professors, along with their student research assistants, are excelling in their own specialized fields; and yet, incoming engineering first-years are required to receive credit for English 101 – Academic Writing and Research, a four-credit hour course in which your grade depends on long essays, with a C-minus or better to graduate or even to get into an engineering program.
Yes, writing and comprehension skills are important regardless of degree. Still, it seems rather unnecessary to have your entire degree be determined, however slightly, by a course which puts emphasis on writing papers or analyzing seemingly obscure pieces of literature. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) majors should be able to choose to devote their time to what their career paths are most closely associated with, like their abilities in math and sciences.
Writing five-page long essays is a tedious and time-consuming task. I, as an engineering major, took ENG 101 in my first semester at NC State being under the impression that it was a preliminary language class and, as a senior at New Student Orientation had mentioned, “a stroll in the park.”
I was in for a big surprise — I found that I was putting in more effort scrutinizing compositions and literary symbols from multiple philosophical angles than I was in material that would actually help strengthen my understanding of concepts in my intended field of study. This course was aggravating as I felt like I was spending a significant portion of my time on something I was clearly dispassionate about. If I had a choice not to enroll in ENG 101, I would have taken it in a heartbeat, and it would have saved me a lot of brain fuel.
Quite frankly, I do not see the purpose of a mandatory English course at the undergraduate level. It doesn’t have much to offer to students who are intending to major in STEM fields, apart from guidance on how to write research papers, but that is usually something that is accommodated into the curriculum of the intended degree program.
A large fraction of us are already familiar with the language; we’ve grown up speaking it, and we can communicate enough to convey important details, even in cases such as formal emails. Those who don’t speak English as a native language could be assessed and trained in a simple English course so as to become more comfortable with it. After all, they will eventually learn the language by constantly being exposed to it, since immersion is the best way to learn a new language.
Almost all students in the United States have been taking English courses since preschool, right up until high school — English even makes up two thirds of the SAT, the test required by all universities for admission. I think that great a period of time is enough for a well-rounded understanding of the language.
There is nothing new that university can teach you after you have mastered how to speak fluently and write comprehensively. ENG 101, then, becomes more of a history or an art lesson. It may or may not be fascinating to all of those who are required to take it. Certainly, there are STEM majors who are not only genuinely interested in learning about various writing styles and the principles of rhetoric, but are also naturally talented in those areas. For them, this class could very well serve as a GPA boost.
NC State could offer other courses under the category of introductory language competence, providing a broader spectrum for students who may be more inclined toward something that does not involve in-depth writing, such as English grammar. Since English 101 is one of the core courses which influences the career of all first-year engineering students (according to the Change of Degree Audit rules), it would be better off as a free elective.
