Writing

Writing

The first-year Writing requirement exists so that students can most directly and deeply learn how to explore ideas through writing--everything from discovering topics, to generating material, to making decisive and forceful arguments. The Writing requirement is based on two fundamental assumptions: 1) Writing is a form of inquiry and 2) writing is rewriting. The first of these assumptions entails encouraging students to take risks in their writing, to see it as a means of adding to their knowledge and their wisdom. The second assumption is based on the conviction that writing is an iterative process involving prewriting, drafting, revising and editing.

Objectives for students completing the Writing requirements are:

to use strategies for invention and arrangement;
to incorporate the elements of good writing (vividness, development, organization, voice) into their own work;
to use writing to ask questions--that is, understand that writing is exploratory;
to use various forms (e.g., narrative, description, dialogue) to help articulate their inquiries and develop the implications of their thoughts;
to respond critically to their classmates' works-in-progress;
to use writing to make decisive and forceful arguments;
to conduct and incorporate library and Internet research into their writing as a means of engaging in academic conversations;
to use academic documentation with clarity and consistency.