ENWR 1510

Okay I want to preface by saying I got an A in this class, but BARELY. I think that is crazy given it is an ENWR. The professor is a harsh grader given it's a ENWR. In the end it worked out, but for the entire semester up until the last week I did not think I would get an A. I would suggest taking a different ENWR with a different professor to make your life easier.

The essay assignments were literally one sentence, with barely any actual instruction. Because of that, I never knew what she specifically wanted/was looking for and Professor Watts could basically give us any grade she wanted. Professor Watts also never was very specific about how she was grading, meaning that it felt at times like she was just grading based on vibes. I ended the class with an A, but I did not know that until the very last week of the course, which was stressful. The only two saving graces was that you could rewrite one of your essays (she was easier on the rewrite) and instead of a third essay there is a final presentation where you tell an oral story about love. Professor Watts was much easier of a grader on the presentations. Also, she was not very on top of her grading. She would take 2+ to grade essays and months for homework assignments. She had office hours, which I attended to help my participation grade and for advice on my essays, but she would take points off my essays for ideas she liked in office hours. Also, one day she was 30 minutes late to office hours. Overall, I think that this course is more stressful than it needs to be because ENWR 1510 should be a relatively stress-free introduction into college writing.

Professor Watts may grade a little harder than most ENWR professors, but she is not completely unfair or overly harsh. Additionally, she gives students the choice to re-write 1 essay for a higher grade. For the semester I had her, she was very nice and understanding, and gave pretty good advice that helped me improve as a writer. She was also pretty helpful during office hours and will even read through your essay and give advice. Professor Watts’ classes are relatively laid back and mostly consist of a class-wide peer review of homework assignments done by your classmates, so don't be surprised if you end up on the board for peer review. These discussions act almost as your lecture, as Professor Watts usually expands on the commentary that the class gives, and goes over any strengths and weaknesses of that assignment and how that could apply to your writing. For your grade, you get a bit of a cushion from homework, which, as long as it is done on time, is a free 100. You also get a participation grade, which you will get a provisional grade on around 2/3s into the semester to see how you’re doing. Professor Watts does tend to get essays back a bit later, I think the longest it took her was 2 weeks, which was when she was giving back our longer essay, but you will still get assignments back before you start working on the next paper, which gives you time to go through your work. She also gives fairly detailed mark-ups on every essay you do, which is helpful for looking at what to improve. While this class isn’t an easy A, it is certainly doable, though you will spend a good amount of time writing. Overall, Professor Watts is a good professor and very passionate, and while I can’t speak to how easy or hard an ENWR is supposed to be, you will likely end up with the grade you want at the end of it all.