I honestly do not mind having a combination of studying literature and having to write an essay. Although I am not very confident in my writing skills, the only way I can learn and improve it is by writing. As Dr. Morris said in class, every field of study needs at least some basic knowledge of essay writing, whether it be in school, or later in life. My writing style has always been short and somewhat general. I was never really able to write long and descriptive paragraphs or even concise. I believe that my writing has changed, probably not a complete facelift, but just some small tweaks here and there to tighten up my writing. I found this English class to be quite fun, in fact. The study material was interesting. For essays, I'd rather do an essay that involves research, like the one done for class, than an analytical essay.
For those non-believers in an English class, I believe it is mainly because of the reading material for that class. I know many people who do not like to read English classics. Some books that native English speakers find difficult to read, may be even harder for students from abroad who struggle, at varying degrees, with English. I believe those people are the ones who dread an English class the most. It is tough for me to imagine trying to express myself in another language in an essay that is both insightful and critical of the topic at hand. In high school, I studies French and Latin, two subjects I enjoyed very much, but I never had to write and essay in those two languages.
In my eyes, it is hard to say if it should be a requirement or not. One part of me says that it should be, because although many may not like English, it is essential to at least learn the basics of essay writing. The other part says that it should not because for students abroad they may feel discouraged because their English is not up to par. But, this may make them try harder to succeed in school.
