Writing matters.  It enables you to communicate ideas to others. It preserves achievements that would be otherwise be lost. Above all, it can help you think and learn. Clear thinking and clear writing are essentially inseparable.

This ten week course for first semester college students shows you the processes that lead to good writing. It teaches you to watch yourself during the act of writing so you can be more intentional every step of the way. Some time is spent workshopping drafts of students’ writing assignments from other classes.  

Course components

• Writing as a Process; Reading a Syllabus; Creating an Assignment Calendar
• Identifying Your Purpose and Audience by Interpreting a Writing Assignment; Arguments
• Drawing on Other Writers’ Ideas (“They Say”)
• Generating Your Own Ideas (“I Say”); Pre-Writing or Brainstorming
• Building an Argument for Your Thesis: Claims, Reasons, and Evidence
• Evidence and Analysis
• Paragraphs
• Structuring Your Ideas
• Improving Your Argument Through Revision
• Writing an introduction That Addresses The “So What?” Question; Writing a Compelling Conclusion