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EN-111: College Writing and Critical Analysis: About EN-111: Types of Essays

Essay-writing and Critical Thinking skills for students of EN-111

About EN-111

This course will help you to develop your ability to write thoughtful, well-organized essays. 

In EN-111, you will be expected to seriously engage with new ideas by: 

  • reflecting on them,
  • analyzing them,
  • critiquing them,
  • making connections,
  • drawing conclusions, and/or
  • finding new ways of thinking about a given subject.

Educationally, you are moving into deeper waters. A good introductory writing course will help you swim.

Adapted from our textbook: Writing for Success

What are some common types of essays?

You'll be expected to read and write a few different kinds of essays for this class. We'll take a look at some examples of the most popular forms: 

A. Narrative Essay

B. Process Essay

C. Compare and Contrast Essay

D. Persuasive/Argumentative Essay (including an introduction the research and citation process) 

 

Where to Look for Topic Ideas

Need some ideas for an essay topic? 

Girl Having Thoughts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for an issue to write or speak about? 

Read your assignment carefully for details of required or suggested topics.

Current Events

Context-oriented Websites and Databases:

Topics in your life

What issues are directly affecting you right now?

● The City: (for local issues like: education, economy, transportation, housing, justice, elections, environment, and work).

● APA’s Psychology Topics (for mental health issues, e.g.: stress, personality, depression, anxiety, etc.)

● National Institutes of Health (for health and medical topics, e.g.: diabetes, heart health, COVID, fitness, healthy eating, etc.)

Pre-Writing Essay Map and Sample Persuasive Essay

High School vs. College Writing

 

How is college writing different from the writing you might have done in high school?

Adapted from our textbook: Writing for Success

High School College
Reading assignments are moderately long. Teachers may set aside some class time for reading and reviewing the material in depth. Some reading assignments may be very long. You will be expected to come to class with a basic understanding of the material.
Teachers often provide study guides and other aids to help you prepare for exams. Reviewing for exams is primarily your responsibility.
Your grade is determined by your performance on a wide variety of assessments, including minor and major assignments. Not all assessments are writing based. Your grade may depend on just a few major assessments.
Most assessments are writing based.
Writing assignments include personal writing and creative writing in addition to expository writing. Outside of creative writing courses, most writing assignments are expository.
The structure and format of writing assignments is generally stable over a four-year period.

Depending on the course, you may be asked to become familiar with and grow your skills in new forms of writing and follow standards within a particular professional field.

At Monroe College, most papers are structured in APA Format.
Teachers often go out of their way to identify and try to help students who are performing poorly on exams, missing classes, not turning in assignments, or just struggling with the course. Often teachers will give students many “second chances.”

Although teachers want their students to succeed, they may not always realize when students are struggling. Instructors will expect you to be proactive and take advantage of all available resources to improve your writing skills.

See the college's Library Home Page for a Directory of Academic Support Labs.