Writing Intensive
In November, 2012, The University Senate approved a plan that current General Education policies be revised to establish a required first-year writing seminar, Writing and Critical Inquiry. This seminar will replace the current lower-division Writing Intensive requirement for students matriculating in Fall 2013 and thereafter. Details will follow on this site but a copy of the enabling legislation is available at this link.Writing_Program_Bill.doc.
Students must satisfactorily complete with a grade of C or higher or S a Writing Intensive course which is expected to be completed within the freshman or sophomore year. Writing Intensive courses use writing as an important tool in the discipline studied and are not designed primarily to teach the technical aspects of writing. The emphasis is on using writing as a means of sharpening critical thinking in and increasing understanding of the subject of the course.
Approved courses must meet each of the following four criteria:
- A Substantial Body of Finished Work: This is generally expected to be a total of 20+ double-spaced pages in at least two, preferably more, submissions. It may be in a variety of forms—journal, reports, essays, research papers, etc.—not all of which need to be graded;
- Opportunity for Students to Receive Assistance in Progress: Such assistance may take several forms, from visits to the Writing Center (HU 140) to conferences with the instructor;
- Opportunity to Revise Some Pieces: As revision is an essential characteristic of good writing, students should be able to revise some portion of their work;
- Response to Student Writing: Such response may take several forms—from extended comments from the instructor to peer evaluation in student groups. It is expected, however, that the instructor will respond in detail to some extended work of the student.
Note: Transfer students who enter the University with credit for an “English Composition” course or a two-semester combined literature and writing course will be considered to have completed the writing intensive requirement at this University.
Learning Objectives for Writing Intensive Courses
Students will:
- produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms;
- demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts;
- research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details.
