Writing Intensive Courses

 

    Courses given this designation offer students instruction and practice in writing, typically within a specific disciplinary context. “Writing Intensive” courses teach the conventions of writing within a specific discipline or for a specific purpose, focus attention on writing as a process, and encourage students to use writing as a tool for discovery and learning. Students must take two “Writing Intensive” courses. One of these courses must be taken in the major, and one of the courses must be completed by the end of the sophomore year.  Students who have more than one major must take a “Writing Intensive” course in each major. In keeping with the overall goals of the General Education program, in particular the goals of developing students’ capacities for expressing and communicating ideas in writing, using writing as a means of discovery and understanding, and developing students’ capacities for critical thinking, intellectual independence, and imagination, courses given this designation seek to:

 • give students significant practice in writing;

• focus on writing as a process, with opportunities for revision;

 • enable students to understand that writing varies according to purpose and audience;

 • give students opportunities to use writing as a tool for invention and discovery.