A two-semester course in English composition offered in a Japanese university is described. The course is designed to transition students from minimal skills in communicative writing at program entry to a course in field-specific technical writing by exposing students to several writing genres. Key activities of the course include pre- and post-course essays, journal writing, weekly rewriting assignments, and end-of-semester portfolios. Students' perceptions of the course and its activities have been very positive. Possible concerns, responses, and future adaptations in the course are discussed, including the validity of pre- and post-course measures, classroom time organization, course scheduling and relationship to other courses, and issues of classroom technique. Contains 14 references. (MSE)