Carnegie Mellon’s First-Year English Program offers two courses for undergraduates, 76-100 and 76-101. 

76-100, Reading and Writing in an Academic Context.
(formerly Reading and Writing in a Multicultural Setting)

This course is required for students (1) who identify themselves as nonnative English speakers and (2) who qualify for the course through an online placement test.  (To learn more about the online placement, please refer to the formal Placement Instructions). For the 2006-2007 schoolyear, the university adopted 76-100 for the first time as a mandatory course for those students assessed to take it.  The course is aimed toward highly proficient English learners who still need instruction about the rhetorical and linguistic demands for academic reading and writing in an American university.  The stated course objectives are that students will be able to

• Draw on both discourse analytical and metacognitive strategies for reading in academic English.
• Summarize, compare, and analyze texts.
• Draw on genre conventions for writing academic essays in English, especially from a functional and rhetorical perspective.

76-101, Interpretation and Argument.

This course is required of all undergraduate students—the English department no longer accepts any Advanced Placement exemptions.  All sections of Interpretation and Argument are modeled after the attached core syllabus, which is designed each year for new teachers in the program.  Each section of 76-101 requires three core written assignments:  Argument Summary, Argument Synthesis, and Argument Contribution.

Interpretation and Argument is a research-based course that assumes reading and writing are inseparable practices for responsible academic authoring.  It introduces students to a systematic, inductive process for writing an argument from sources.  In the course, students are exposed to a variety of different texts (mostly academic essays), so that they can explore and critically evaluate a single issue from multiple perspectives to eventually contribute an argument of their own.  Students present their final contribution arguments in both oral and written forms.

Students learn that it takes time to plan, write, and critically revise their own texts.  They also learn that the concept of audience is key for understanding communication tasks.  For Interpretation and Argument, the rhetorical needs of an academic audience are emphasized for planning and writing effective arguments.  Ultimately, the course provides opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills and strategic methods for analyzing and producing texts within the context of an academic community.

Course Descriptions for the upcoming academic semester are available online.

Does Carnegie Mellon grant AP exemptions for First-Year English?

Beginning Fall 2007, Carnegie Mellon University will no longer accept any
Advanced Placement (AP) score in place of 76-101, Interpretation and
Argument.

In other words, there is no longer an AP exemption for First-Year English.
This policy is a new one, based upon a mismatch between 76-101
(Interpretation and Argument) and the AP courses and testing materials.

All first-year students must take 76-101, starting Fall 2007. Transfer
students who have been granted AP credit from another institution should
consult with their Carnegie Mellon college advisors to manage their transfer
of credits.

If you would like to learn more about the First-Year English Program at Carnegie Mellon, contact Dr. Danielle Wetzel.