ENGL 109Introduction to Academic Writing
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- English
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 6 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
The course will explore a variety of issues in academic writing such as style, argument, and the presentation of information. Frequent written exercises will be required.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3179 | 23 / 25 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 002 | 3392 | 20 / 25 | TTh 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 003 | 3394 | 22 / 25 | TTh 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 004 | 3396 | 24 / 25 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 005 | 3397 | 19 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 006 | 3399 | 24 / 25 | TTh 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 007 | 3393 | 23 / 25 | MW 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 008 | 3534 | 15 / 25 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 081 | 3600 | 137 / 150 | Online or by arrangement |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3308 | 0 / 25 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 002 | 3309 | 0 / 25 | MW 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 003 | 3311 | 0 / 25 | TTh 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 081 | 3516 | 0 / 175 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 701 | 1174 | 65 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 702 | 1199 | 37 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
42% liked it74% easy40% useful
From 773 ratings and 201 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Not fun. This course should be renamed to “How to Write Anything (Except a Good Paper)”. While the course content is arguably better than the SPCOM alternatives, the teachers for this course make Karl Marx look right-wing. They have not a shred of logic in them (hence their pursuing a PhD in English), and despite being “professors” still cannot tell the difference between a verb and a noun. If you are caught doing anything besides giving undivided absolute attention to my particular teacher during the mind-numbingly boring mandatory classes, she seeks to personally antagonize you for the rest of the semester. I took the advanced level English course in my high school and was receiving…
Nov 2015 · didn’t like it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
If English is your native language you are guaranteed at least an 80. Make sure you attend all tutorials!
Jul 2014 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
i hate this class and the prof because he grades like we are all english majors when we are all taking this as an elective. DO NOT TAKE IT WITH THIS PROF!
Jul 2026 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I took this course with professor Shakespeare (yes, that is his real name), and he did a good job teaching it.
I'm not an English guy, but compared to other English classes I've taken, this one was objectively better. Most English courses I've taken seem to just be a place to practice writing. In Shakespeare's ENGL 109, though, I feel like we actually learned a good amount of new things, and I feel like my writing has improved since taking the course.Jan 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
ENG109 is just a standard repeat of ENG4U or any AP-level English course. There were so many reflections and discussion posts to write that this course just became tedious. This course is good for brushing up on your argumentative, rhetorical, and narrative writing skills. It is also good for a refresher on citing sources and sentence structure.
Lastly, I'd say this course heavily relies on the professor you have. I switched from another section to Professor Lacey Beer, who is extremely passionate about her work. It made a huge difference.Mar 2024 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
803 posts and comments in 503 threads mention ENGL 109, January 2013 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
1b course selection 6 points, 2 comments
u/Appropriate_Lie1799: “Hi, I'm in cs and in my first term I took engl 109 and it wasn't that bad. For 1b, I'm trying to decide between engl 208b, engl 101b, and engl 101a. Any advice??”
Advice on 1B CS course schedule 5 points, 5 comments
“Here's what my 1B schedule looks like right now Hello! 1st year CS here. I passed all of my courses in 1A, but my average wasn't the best (73%) compared to alot of my friends who consistently got …”
u/CSplays: “… So if you mean drop to 4, I would drop one of the electives and maybe take it over coop (ENGL 109 tends to be offered online a lot, and is easy to stay on top of). If you struggled a lot with math 137, I would recommend taking math 128 instead of math 138 as well. …”
Can Uwaterloo Do better? 27 points, 20 comments
u/lurkinglo: “OP is just racist. internationals pay 4 times the domestic student tuition and uwaterloo literally needs them way more than they need uwaterloo for their future, since they could just as well go to …”
u/PsychoSolid: “In any program with an English requirement internationals are able to take the far easier L courses. Like for example ENGL 109-L. They are essentially able to just skip straight through the English requirement by taking unfailable courses like these.”
ENGL 109 - prof recommendations for Winter 2025 1 point, 1 comment
u/Positive_Tea_6343: “Hi guys, I need to take ENGL 109 and I'm in my last year so I have to take it this coming winter 2025. I'm choosing between Aimee Morrison, David Shakespeare, and Dorothy Hadfield (ONLN). There's other profs as well but they don't match up with my schedule. …”
Heavily neglected my communication course 3 points, 8 comments
u/googg1: “I’m a first year honors math student and i’ve kinda ficked up on my communication course (ENGL 109) by heavily neglecting it and i’ve only attended one lecture this semester. There was a personal narrative due like 24 days ago that was worth maybe 5 percent of my grade? …”
Why do we have to take arts first in our first year? 11 points, 4 comments
u/kevin161617: “Probably because it's less of a drag if you get it out of the way sooner. I'm in ENGL 109 currently as a 4th year student and it just feels long as hell. Like why are they preaching to me about grammar rules for the millionth time?”
taking ENGL109 in the spring term? 1 point, 2 comments
u/Objective-Variety843: “… is it a GPA killer taking it in the spring term (esp since ENGL109 is very prof. dependent?) am not sure which professors offer it in spring yet but i do know that the selection is a lot more limited in spring(?) am not the best at writing if it matters. …”
u/iamanaybaid555: “ENGL 109 is prof dependent. I took it in my 1A term in-person and got a mark in the high 80s. It's not bad at all provided you put in some effort.”
Spring 2024
First-year math courses selection 1 point, 8 comments
“I was not sure how to select courses for my first term, and I missed all the webinars because I was working all summer. …”
u/Disastrous_Quail9511: “… So for now, you should stick with cs135, math135 and math137 (since you’re still a math student) and electives or communications course like spcom 100/223, engl109 etc Just a heads up, you’ll probably need a 80-90% or higher to get a transfer from math to cs, which is, as you …”
PLAN102 if i suck at writing and public speaking? 8 points, 5 comments
u/Objective-Variety843: “… is PLAN102 more difficult than ENGL109? What should I expect in PLAN102? Does anyone have a course outline for it? Is there a design component to it? I read that there’s design thinking and I’m worried about that. …”
u/markleestan: “Never took ENGL109 so not sure on that. There’s no design component to it? I think they just made it sound fancy- but meant it as creative, design thinking and interpretation writing. Honestly it’s hard but doable- with trying just enough I ended with 82 which I was happy with. …”
Where is my non math course ?? 7 points, 12 comments
“I only have 4 courses showing up on my quest schedulep: CS135(LEC,TUT,TST) , ENG109(LEC) , MATH135(LEC,TUT,TST), MATH 137(LEC,TUT,TST) and my coop seq2. …”
u/lvadecima: “ENG109 is your non math course”
u/Constant_Reaction_94: “First semester you're supposed to take a communications course and a elective (non math), ENGL109 would be your communication so you're missing the elective.”
how do i change my electives 5 points, 2 comments
u/ContentGiraffe2219: “helppppp (im in math, took physics 121 and Engl 109 and regret it) edit: i am first year entering fall 2024”
can i get cs100 in add/drop period? also, can i add 6 courses during the course selection period? 1 point, 1 comment
u/stressywessy: “… I added Plan100 as my first choice and ENGL109 as my second choice, will adding CS100 as my third choice reduce the chances of getting my first choice (plan100) since i'll have 6 courses and they won't give me 6 courses as a freshman? …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
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