The Composition Program, housed in the Department of English, prepares UCI students for the communication challenges of the 21st century. To that end, we offer two required first-year writing courses: in WR 50, students focus on critical reading and rhetorical analysis of texts across a variety of genres and media. In WR 60, students research current cultural, scientific, and social issues with an eye toward writing in the disciplines.  Both courses consider writing in a larger communication context that includes digital literacy and speech. We also offer an array of foundational courses: WR 40 and WR 45 help undergraduates develop literacy in traditional academic genres.