ENGL 119Communications in Mathematics and Computer Science
- 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, 8 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course aims to build students' oral and written communication skills to prepare them for academic and workplace demands. Working independently and in collaboration with others, students will analyze and produce various written and spoken forms of communication. Projects and assignments will draw on materials for Mathematics and Computer Science students.
Prerequisites
- Enrolled in an Honours Mathematics program
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4099 | 24 / 25 | MW 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 002 | 4101 | 23 / 25 | TTh 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 003 | 8004 | 24 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 004 | 8005 | 25 / 25 | TTh 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 005 | 8006 | 23 / 24 | TTh 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 006 | 8007 | 22 / 25 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 007 | 8008 | 24 / 25 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 008 | 8707 | 25 / 25 | TTh 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 009 | 8708 | 24 / 25 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 010 | 8709 | 23 / 25 | TTh 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 011 | 8710 | 21 / 25 | MW 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 012 | 8711 | 25 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 013 | 8712 | 21 / 25 | TTh 08:30–09:50 |
| LEC 014 | 8895 | 24 / 25 | MW 08:30–09:50 |
| LEC 015 | 8896 | 25 / 25 | TTh 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 016 | 8897 | 22 / 25 | MW 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 017 | 8898 | 20 / 25 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 018 | 8960 | 22 / 25 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3312 | 0 / 25 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 002 | 3313 | 0 / 25 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 003 | 3615 | 0 / 25 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 004 | 3811 | 0 / 25 | TTh 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 005 | 3823 | 0 / 25 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 006 | 7457 | 0 / 25 | MW 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 007 | 7458 | 0 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 701 | 1175 | 125 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
37% liked it82% easy36% useful
From 200 ratings and 46 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Better than ENGL 109, still pretty fucking stupid.
Apr 2016 · didn’t like it · 4 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
13 out of 26 (HALF) of the lectures were cancelled to "give us more time to work on assignments". That is way too many. If I'm paying for a course, I want to get my money's worth.
The course also just seems like a copy-paste of communications for science, and didn't really have anything to do with math or CS.
Assignment instructions could have been clearer as well. We literally got an email saying "many of us did not understand the instructions". If one student misunderstands, then it's their own fault, but if many people misunderstand, is it not the instructions' fault?
Lastly, lots of important information was only on MS Teams, including lecture cancellations.
As a person, Forrester…Apr 2025 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Participation required.
Oct 2015 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This course was absolutely AWFUL. Please do not take with Clive Forrester. All of the feedback was vague, discouraging, sometimes plain rude, and none of it would carry forward to the next assignment. The course had a total of 2 major reports, 5 short assignments marked on completion, and one final group project where we had to design an entire course. Not a single one of these had anything to do with Math/CS communication - they focused more on science education for some reason. All of us were criticized for not interpreting the assignment instructions correctly, and were marked down significantly (pretty much everyone I knew in this course got a 50-55% on the first report). I gained…
Apr 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The course is made to be relevant to people pursuing math and comp sci and as a result is very bearable. Some lessons and aspects of the assignments were fun and relevant. My professor, Dr. Selinger, was always enthusiastic and helped to make the class interesting. It is worth noting this was not completely a bird course like some people say. It feels like it is hard to get anything outside of 75%-85% on assignments.
May 2024 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
163 posts and comments in 127 threads mention ENGL 119, March 2011 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
Advice on 1B CS course schedule 5 points, 5 comments
u/Ok_Music_9008: “… I picked ENGL 119 alongside EARTH 122 to clear out my elective requirements but the only timeslots that fit are all 8:30's, and right now if I were to pick one, which one should I drop? I'm also sequence 4 so I'm going to do a summer term aswell, if that helps with anything. …”
u/CSplays: “You're already taking 5 courses, CS136L is only a half-credit lab course. 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 …”
u/Ok_Music_9008: “… I'll drop ENGL 119 then. I was wondering can I drop from 138 to 128 later in the term if it's too time consuming? …”
ENGL208B (Michael Hancock) VS ENGL119 (Jessica Van De Kemp)? 2 points, 2 comments
u/Ok_Beautiful4673: “Basically the heading...I've effectively shortlisted my options down to these two classes with these professors respectively. How have your experiences been with these professors in these two classes? Should I steer clear of one of them? …”
Spring 2024
ENGL 109, SPCOM 223, or ENGL 119? 2 points, 3 comments
u/Ok-Cloud-1205: “which course is the easiest for a high avg? i need to take one of these first year and the other in second, so which is better to take first/second considering workload for CFM majors. would engl 119 look better to employers in first year?”
Winter 2024
Easy 2nd communication course 2 points, 2 comments
“Math students are required to take 2 communication courses. Any recommendations for a second communication course? And anyone can share this term’s STAT333, CS338, MATH239 course outline? Thanks!”
u/iamanaybaid555: “I took ENGL119 and would recommend that if you like writing.”
Should I take STAT230 online? (W24, 1B Math Student) 3 points, 3 comments
u/Over-Worldliness-579: “My 1B courses: CS136, MATH136, MATH138, ENGL119, PHIL145 I might want to change PHIL145 to STAT230 (online) with Don McLeish. I took data management in high school and data sci is a major I might want to declare. …”
Fall 2023
Math 239 in 1B? 8 points, 12 comments
u/Relevant-Status-5453: “… Here's my current course load for winter 2024: \-Math 239 \-Stat 230 \-CS 136 + CS 136L \-Engl 119 \-Geog 181 \-Coop search Do you guys think this is a good idea? …”
P71 in English Courses 1 point, 7 comments
u/Acrobatic_Nature_277: “I will be taking engl 119 course (contains some writing assignments as well as oral assessments) next term to fulfill my degree's communication requirement but looking at some reddit posts about people getting P'71 for not citing stuff on their papers, I am now having second …”
Bird bird communication course 1 point, 1 comment
u/serenelmuss314: “… to Rhetorical Studies ENGL 108B Global English Literatures ENGL 108D Digital Lives ENGL 119 Communications in Mathematics and Computer Science ENGL 208B Science Fiction ENGL 209 Advanced Academic Writing ENGL 210E Genres of Technical Communication ENGL 210F Genres of Business …”
Spring 2023
How I transferred from Math to CS 64 points, 9 comments
u/RemarkableCook6598: “… For reference I picked Phil 145 and Psych 101 (online) for my first year electives, and ENGL 109, ENGL 119 for my first year languages courses. All the courses are not really demanding (also no final exams lol). 4. …”
Easy online courses with no exams (like CLAS104) 36 points, 25 comments
“Hello! After my absolutely wonderful first year I want some easy courses that require almost no brainpower or effort that I can take alongside my core courses so I don't die. …”
u/Sudden-Asparagus-658: “Engl 119 (takin it this term)”
Winter 2023
What’s been your easiest and hardest year so far? 10 points, 16 comments
u/tendstofortytwo: “… easiest term: 1B (CS146, MATH136, MATH138, ENGL108P, ENGL119). already knew C, already knew integration, english courses were bird, effectively the only studying I had to do was for linalg. …”
Does Depth Requirement show up on your Transcript? 1 point, 1 comment
u/Zealousideal_Chef585: “… Haven't seen anything show up on my transcript but I completed ENGL109, 119, and 306a so just wondering. …”
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)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them