Students: Undergraduate Information
English 398
English 398, the third composition course for English majors, is the gateway to the English major at The Ohio State University. The course builds on the writing skills learned in First-Year Writing and 367 and is often organized around a particular theme, genre, historical or literary period, or critical problem. During the quarter, students will produce 20-25 pages of graded writing assignments, which might include the following: reading responses, research papers, critical exercises, short essays, annotated bibliographies, and library or Internet exercises. A significant number of these assignments should include the possibility for revision. English majors must achieve a grade of C or higher in English 398.
The Department of English recognizes the following goals for English 398:
- Familiarizing students with the scholarly discipline of English, including an awareness of genre and various methods of critical reading and response.
- Assisting students in improving their command of prose style and critical argument.
- Instructing students in the close reading of primary texts and in using that close reading in their writing.
- Developing in students an ability to use both primary and secondary sources in their writing.
- Instructing students in research skills necessary for critical study, including the use of library and computer resources.
English 398 should be taken as early in the student's program of study as possible. To facilitate the process, declared English majors do not need to wait until their sophomore year to take the second-level writing course (English 367), which should allow English 398 to be taken by the end of the sophomore year. English 398 must be taken by the end of the junior year.
English 398 professors serve as their students' permanent major advisers and work closely with students in constructing their major programs. With the guidance of the adviser, students in English 398 will complete the major program worksheet in this Handbook. Students nearing the end of their undergraduate programs will, in consultation with the English 398 professor or the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, complete and submit an online major program form.
