The Composition Program offers courses in composition through UALR’s Department of Rhetoric and Writing. Composition courses satisfy the six written-communication requirements in the university’s core curriculum. We work with local high schools to provide both concurrent credit and dual enrollment. As a program, our mission is to further the academic, workplace, civic, and personal communication skills of students.

Composition courses at UALR are taught during 15-week semesters and accelerated 8-week sessions during the academic year and 5-week sessions in the summer. We deliver face-to-face, online, and hybrid versions of courses. Typically students who are self-starters and excel in writing will do well in online and accelerated classes. We encourage students to try hybrid courses before taking online classes. Hybrid courses meet half on campus and half online. Students are required to complete the same work in an accelerated or online course as they would in a 15-week, face-to-face course because the same credit is earned; the content is simply taught in an alternative method and/or fast-tracked for the condensed time frame.

The Composition Program at UALR seeks to develop critical thinking and writing skills to prepare students for success in college but also professional, social, and civic arenas. A rhetorical approach to writing aims to help you negotiate the relationships between language, knowledge, and power. You’ll have opportunities to compose in multiple modalities and genres for different audiences.

Our faculty engage writers in project-based learning and active learning strategies, taking advantage of small class sizes that are conducive to collaborative learning, small groups, and workshops. Your faculty member will generally meet with you one-on-one to talk about your writing and progress; during these conferences, feel free to share your concerns or accomplishments.

All students in our program complete a digital portfolio in which they present and reflect on their work and their development as writers over the course of the semester. The online portfolio you produce in the UALR Composition Program will advance you academically and professionally.

Taking advantage of UALR resources such as the University Writing Center and student counseling could be vital to student success. We strongly encourage students to contact faculty members and reach out when clarification or support is needed.

We are supported by a large community of friends and alumni who help us with curriculum development, continuing education, educational research, and sometimes just with the support of kind words. To document the growth of our program, we currently have an annual newsletter, which can be found under news. A program calendar of events offers information about on-going training, programs, and events. For more information, contact Tammy Scaife, Director of Composition, at tvscaife@ualr.edu