Yvette Neisser Moreno Dec 28, 2012:

Thanks, Molly and Alejandro. I see the difference now. At UMUC where I teach, the composition course is called "Intro to Academic Writing," so academic writing fits the definition of "composition" as you both have explained it. Good to know!!

Alejandro Alcaraz Sintes Dec 28, 2012:

Writing vs. Composition To me, "writing" probably has to do with grammar, vocabulary and style, while "composition" seems to refer more specifically to essay-writing, so that, together with the aspects mentioned, attention is also given to the way arguments should develop, to the different sections of an essay...
My dictionary, s.v. composition, gives the following sense: "an essay, esp. one written by a school or college student."

MollyRose Dec 27, 2012:

RAE:
composición 4. f. Escrito en que el alumno desarrolla un tema, dado por el profesor o elegido libremente, para ejercitar su dominio del idioma, su habilidad expositiva, su sensibilidad literaria, etc.

redactar: 1. tr. Poner por escrito algo sucedido, acordado o pensado con anterioridad.

It looks like writing would be just writing about something, but composition has a greater focus on the way it is written.

Yvette Neisser Moreno Dec 27, 2012:

Writing vs. Composition I agree with Alejandro's translation, but I'm just curious--what is the difference between writing and composition? I have taught numerous writing/comp courses myself, and to me the two are synonymous. To my mind, a course called "Intro to Composition" could also be called "Intro to Writing", and it would cover the same material. Thoughts?