Writing-Intensive Requirement
Also known as Writing in the Major, the writing-intensive courses, designated "WI" in the Schedule of Classes, introduce students to the writing conventions and intellectual traditions of their major.
Every academic discipline has its own requirements concerning form, style and methods of citation, which writing-intensive courses teach. But these courses do not teach writing simply as a way to articulate what is learned. They use writing as a mode of acquiring knowledge and understanding in their particular discipline.
Students will fulfill the writing-intensive requirement through coursework taken in the completion of their major or other options described in the requirements for the major.
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All Writing Intensive courses:
- Include a significant amount of discipline-appropriate writing.
- Assign frequent writing activities.
- Require thoughtful revisions informed by feedback from an instructor, teaching fellow or peer.
- Use writing as a means to increase mastery of the discipline.
- Provide instruction on the style and content of discipline-based texts.
- Offer models of exemplary writing from the discipline.
- Evaluate both the writing quality and content of student work.
The syllabus of a Writing Intensive course should clearly and prominently indicate that it is Writing Intensive and include a brief statement explaining what that means in your course, along the lines of:
This is a writing intensive course. As such, it incorporates multiple assignments designed to assist students with developing the necessary skills for writing effectively within the discipline of theater and performance studies. Students will engage different forms of writing — short reflective responses, scholarly performance reviews, close readings, and research papers — and will have opportunities to workshop, revise, and receive feedback on their work throughout the semester. One of the aims of the course is to investigate writing as a mode of learning.
— Isaiah Wooden
Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing
Upon completion of a writing-intensive course, students will be able to:
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Grasp the specific problem-finding and thesis-defining conventions of a discipline.
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Understand how to make a contribution to the ongoing progress of research in that discipline.
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Write clear, persuasive and expressive prose in a disciplinary context.
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Use appropriate research and composition procedures proficiently.
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Recognize how to evaluate their own written work in the discipline.
