Reading & Composition Courses


Reading & Composition Requirement

Most FPF students get started on, or complete, the UC Berkeley two-part Reading and Composition (R&C) requirement by taking an R&C course at FPF. Some students may have already fulfilled R&C with exam scores or transferable college coursework before attending FPF.

College of Letters and Science (L&S) students may fulfill both halves of the R&C requirement with exam scores or transferable college courses. Read the L&S Advising page for more information on the R&C requirement.

College of Engineering (COE) students may only fulfill the first half of the R&C requirement with exam scores or transferred course credit. They must fulfill the second half with coursework at FPF or UC Berkeley. COE students may satisfy the second half of the R&C requirement at FPF by completing English R1B or English 31AC: Literature of American Cultures: American Voices, American Lives, a Breadth course. Read more about COE Undergraduate Information.

If a student has not fulfilled R&C, the following FPF courses fulfill either the first or second half of the R&C requirement:

Selecting an R&C Course

When we receive all of your exam scores and any college-level transcripts, including those taken your senior year, FPF will place you in the appropriate R&C course, or an extra Breadth course if you have fulfilled R&C. Send us a photocopy of all of the exams you have taken or plan to take, including:


√ Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE)
√ SAT Writing Section
√ ACT English Composite Score
√ AP English Language and Composition
√ AP English Literature and Composition
√ IB Standard Level English Language A
√ IB High Level English Language A
√ GCE A Level English
√ College-level R&C course*

*Use ASSIST.org to determine if the course you have taken satisfies Entry Level Writing, or the first or second half of R&C. Make sure the course is transferable to UC Berkeley.

Note: If your scores place you into College Writing R1A, we will only enroll you in two additional FPF courses. Once you receive your schedule from FPF, make sure you meet full-time status for financial aid or other purposes.

Send Us Your Scores & Transcripts

We need your exam scores or college-level transcripts to enroll you in an R&C course and to complete your schedule.

You must mail or fax hard copies of all applicable exam scores to the FPF office. FPF does not require official copies; photocopies are okay. The testing board will only send scores to UC Berkeley's Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and FPF does not have access to those documents.

Also submit transcripts of any R&C related college-level coursework to FPF. First check the Assist.org website to be sure that completed coursework is equivalent to courses offered at UC Berkeley.

 

>> Submit Scores & Transcripts

R&C Course Descriptions

College Writing R1A is an intensive, accelerated course that satisfies both AWPE and the first half of R&C requirements. Readings include imaginative, expository, and argumentative texts. It features authors from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and perspectives. Instruction covers many types of writing and revising papers. Six hours of class per week. (6 units)

English R1A-Reading and Composition provides instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Students come to understand the readings through class discussion and the writing and rewriting of papers which analyze the readings in academic argument form. The aim is to help students learn to read and write at the more analytical, critical level required at the University of California. Three hours of lecture per week. A grade of C- or higher is required to pass the course. (4 units)

Rhetoric R1A-The Craft of Writing introduces the principles of argumentative writing. The course emphasizes close readings of texts that reveal their rhetorical structure and intended audience. Students learn to identify and interpret a text's thesis and intention and make compelling arguments for their positions using textual evidence. Rhetoric is recommended for anyone in need of in-depth analytical skills and is especially useful for those interested in the study of law and business. Three hours of lecture per week. A grade of C- or higher is required to pass the course. (4 units)

English R1B-Reading and Composition stresses the recursive nature of writing and reading. Students develop practical fluency in writing larger expositions and gain experience in including research results into papers. Three hours of lecture per week. A grade of C- or higher is required to pass the course. (4 units)