General Education Writing Intensive Courses
Writing Intensive Course Requirements (3 Semester Hours)
A number of courses fulfill the general education intensive writing requirement. These courses are marked in the semester brochure with a “W.” All these courses have as their minimum prerequisite WRT 101 or equivalent or appropriate placement. Criteria for a course carrying the “WRT” or writing intensive label:
1. The course involves research which includes the gathering and written analysis of information, data, perceptions, evidence, background, observations or arguments as are appropriate to the subject or genre of the course.
2. The course involves the student in a writing process which may take the form of exercises, discussions, logs, reactions to readings, role playing, personal reflection, group work, critical thinking, multiple drafts, freewriting or other activities that integrate the research with the author’s objectives and evolve toward clear and effective writing for a purpose and an audience. As it unfolds, the writing process of the course exposes students to some of the essential issues that writers face –– for example, organization, tone, voice, accuracy of expression, dramatic effort, authenticity and level of diction.
3. In a writing intensive course students produce at least one substantial piece of polished or finished writing, work that has gone through a full cycle of writing process from initial idea to final polish and presentation.
4. Students in a writing intensive course will be required to generate documentation displaying, as an average, at least one “page” of student writing for every 50 minutes of class time. This documentation may take several forms; for example, a comprehensive portfolio may include research notes, responses to assignments and readings, freewritings, logs, drafts, web text or any number of other types of writing appropriate to the subject or writing genre of the course.