(up to 6 credits)

Students must complete one three-credit course devoted to addressing the rhetorical abilities necessary for effective college writing and an additional three-credit course emphasizing formal academic genres, academic research skills, and the presentation of information to academic audiences. The core writing courses may not be taken pass/fail.

Writing I (WR1)

Writing I focuses on writing as a form of critical inquiry, reflection, and communication. This course is designed to help students develop transferable skills and strategies that may be applied to a variety of audiences and in a range of situations. Students explore the principles of information literacies while practicing the fundamentals of effective writing, with an emphasis on planning, drafting, revising, and editing. Upon completion of Writing I, students should be able to:

• Write using language appropriate for the task and situation
• Think analytically about writing and articulate how their writing will be situated within the contexts of purpose, audience, and setting
• Demonstrate basic concepts associated with information literacy
• Read critically for content, rhetorical strategies, and audience
• Apply different rhetorical strategies to specific writing situations and articulate why they chose them
• Recognize the conventions of personal, professional, academic, and other forms of writing
• Consider the relationship of their writing with the writing of others
• Engage the writing of others within their own work, using appropriate documentation as necessary
• Respond to the social implications of language use and maintain ethical standards in their writing

Writing II (WR2)

This course builds upon Writing I and focuses on research writing, synthesizing sources, critical analysis, argumentation, and information literacies. Students practice the fundamentals of effective writing in collaborative and academic communities, while evaluating and using sources in different rhetorical situations. This course is designed to help students develop transferable skills and strategies that may be applied to a variety of audiences and in a range of situations. Upon completion of Writing II, students should be able to:

• Produce extended writing according to the conventions associated with academic, public, and other writing situations.
• Demonstrate greater mastery of research skills and the ability to engage the work of others in their own writing
• Develop research, analytical, and writing skills transferrable to other academic, professional, and public situations
• Recognize how writing shapes conventions and expectations of academic, professional, and public situations
• Employ advanced concepts associated with information literacy
• Understand how the medium of writing impacts its composition, publication, and reception
• Respond to the social implications of language use and maintain ethical standards in their writing

EN-202 is taken by students in the Honors Program in place of EN-102.