Writing-Intensive Courses

*Note: W Courses are connected to the old General Education curriculum; students graduating up till 2024 will still be under these requirements, provided they have not switched to the new Connections Curriculum

Guidelines for Writing-Intensive Courses

Definition of a W Course:

W courses follow the guidelines adopted by the faculty in the spring of 1987 and articulated in the language approved by the faculty in the spring of 2005. That language specifies that:

A writing-intensive course includes writing as an integral part of teaching and learning, with class time devoted to the discussion of the writing process and assignments designed to reinforce and develop writing skills. Students in these classes are encouraged to generate preliminary writing (e.g. brainstorming, outlines, early drafts) and are given direction and/or feedback in the process of developing assignments. Students complete a minimum of 4,000 words in final draft form. This word count serves as a general indicator of the importance of writing in the course and must be balanced by the other qualitative criteria of writing intensive classes.

In brief, writing tasks should be integrated into the course with the intent of helping students improve compositional and critical thinking skills. While ample opportunities to practice writing are certainly a factor in improving these abilities, the key element in a strong writing course is not the number of words demanded but the way the instructor uses the writing assignments to develop and reinforce skills. Logically sequenced assignments, an emphasis on the writing process, and opportunities to revise drafts typically serve these goals well.

In order to compensate for the time instructors devote to writing instruction and assessment in these courses, enrollment for all sections with a W designation is capped at 25 students.

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