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CU Boulder
Program for Writing and Rhetoric
3 credits

CU Boulder WRTG 1150: First-Year Writing and Rhetoric

WRTG 1150 is CU Boulder's required first-year writing course, taught in small sections focused on rhetorical analysis, argument, and revision through a sequence of essays. Nearly every Boulder undergraduate takes it or an equivalent.

Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Colorado Boulder. This is an unofficial study guide.

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What makes it hard

After big lectures, the small-section format is the adjustment: drafts, peer review, conferences, and participation all carry grade weight, and instructors grade revision seriously — a lightly edited resubmission reads as not engaging the process. Rhetorical analysis is the common stumble, since examining how a text persuades is new to most first-years.

What you'll cover

  • • Rhetorical analysis
  • • Argument and evidence
  • • Drafting and substantive revision
  • • Peer review
  • • Audience and genre awareness

The WRTG 1150 study guide

How to study for CU Boulder WRTG 1150, step by step.

  1. 1

    Treat every process step as graded, because it is

    Drafts, peer review, conferences, participation — WRTG 1150 grades the writing process, not just final essays. Students who skip steps with strong drafts still lose to students who engage fully.

  2. 2

    Practice rhetorical analysis before the essay requires it

    Analyzing how a text persuades — appeals, structure, audience moves — is the course's common stumble. Annotate a few op-eds early, naming what the writer does and why it works.

  3. 3

    Revise substantively between drafts

    Restructure, cut, and rebuild in response to feedback rather than polishing sentences. Instructors grade visible growth across drafts, and a light edit signals disengagement.

  4. 4

    Arrive at conferences with real questions

    Specific questions about your draft's argument or structure turn conferences into graded engagement and genuinely better essays. Giving peers substantive feedback trains your eye for your own work too.

  5. 5

    Calendar the writing process with Fennie

    Upload your WRTG 1150 syllabus and Fennie's Daily Plan schedules the draft-feedback-revision cycle so every essay gets genuine revision time instead of a deadline-night polish. Free to start.

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How Fennie helps with WRTG 1150

Fennie's Daily Plans schedule WRTG 1150's draft-feedback-revision cycle so every essay gets genuine revision time instead of a deadline-night polish. Chat through your rhetorical analysis — what the text is doing and how — to sharpen the skill most first-years find newest, while the writing stays entirely yours.

FAQ

Is WRTG 1150 at CU Boulder hard?

Not conceptually, but it's process-graded: drafts, peer review, conferences, and visible revision all count. Strong high-school writers who skip the process get mediocre grades; average writers who engage fully often outscore them.

What do you write in WRTG 1150?

Typically a sequence moving from rhetorical analysis into argument-driven essays, developed through drafts, peer review, and conferences. Exact assignments vary by instructor, but the analysis-then-argument arc is standard.

How do I get an A in WRTG 1150?

Treat revision as the graded skill it is: change drafts substantively in response to feedback, bring real questions to conferences, and engage peer review seriously. Visible growth across drafts outweighs polished first submissions.

Pass WRTG 1150 with a plan, not a cram

Upload your WRTG 1150 materials and Fennie generates a Daily Plan paced to your deadline — plus chat, flashcards, and quizzes built from the actual course content.

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