Core Guide: Skills
The ability to write well and to understand a second language are important skills for all walks of life. To ensure every student reaches at least a satisfactory level of instruction in these areas, the following courses are required as part of the Core:
English 101 or 115: Composition or Rhetoric
In the first year at Xavier students will take either English Composition (ENGL 101) or Rhetoric (ENGL 115). These courses serve two aims: 1) to introduce them to writing as a subject of scholarly inquiry grounded in rhetorical theory and knowledge about the writing process; and 2) to help them develop writing skills that they will use in their college courses and beyond. Course assignments focus on expository, analytical, argument-based, and research-based writing to develop skills students will need for effective written communication in their academic, personal, professional, and public lives. English majors or minors must take ENGL115.
Basic Second Language (101-102 or 103, 201)
The study of a language is invaluable in today's globalized world. Study of a second language also helps students to better understand their own language as they draw comparisons about grammatical structures and etymology. In reaching at least high beginning proficiency, students will find themselves able to communicate basic information in uncomplicated situations, and/or to read uncomplicated texts in another language. Though students may not realize it until later, they will also achieve greater facility with their own language, and their empathy for others from different linguistic backgrounds will grow. These course are taught by the Classics and Modern Languages Department.