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