Writing-Intensive
Course Guidelines
Writing-intensive
courses will meet the following guidelines:
1. The
course requires students to produce 15-20 pages of formal prose written with a
specific thesis, audience and purpose in mind.
This does not include in-class essay exams or informal writing about
course content. Preferably students will produce at least two formal written
pieces unless a single longer piece written in multiple drafts is more
appropriate to course objectives. Instructors will provide explicit written
directions for completion of the formal writing assignments as well as clear
assessment criteria; they will build into the course syllabus instruction in
how to complete formal writing assignments. [DO WE NEED TO ACCOMMODATE POETRY
WRITING COURSES HERE? FICTION AND
TECHNICAL/ BUSINESS WRITING COURSES CAN MEET THIS CRITERION, BUT IF WE SPECIFY
PROSE, THEN POETRY COURSES WON’T BE ELIGIBLE FOR WRITING INTENSIVE COURSES. IS THAT A PROBLEM?]
2. For
at least two of the formal written pieces, the instructor will provide
substantive suggestions for revision on an intermediate draft before students
submit the final draft for a grade. [IS
IT TOO MUCH TO EXPECT FEEDBACK ON TWO PIECES?]
If a single longer piece written in multiple drafts is more appropriate
to course objectives, the instructor will intervene at least twice in the
student’s writing process to offer substantive suggestions for revision. The instructor may choose to make suggestions
for revision either in written form or in conferences with students.
3. Students
will use informal writing to explore materials studied in the course, engage
the readings actively, and examine their own thinking about course
content. Such informal writing can
include any of the following and any number of other writing activities: reading journals or logs, focus questions or
discussion topics, short in-class responses to lectures or readings, invention
and pre-writing for formal papers.
4.
The course description and syllabus
distributed to students will indicate that it is a writing-intensive
course, describe the role writing will play in it, and explain any special
policies related to writing such as a policy on late papers, peer writing
workshops, revision, or plagiarism.
Writing-Intensive
course procedure for approval
Writing-intensive
course proposal form
Writing-intensive
course sample proposal
Sample description &
syllabus for writing-intensive course