The ability to write effectively is one of the fundamental goals of a liberal arts education. In writing-rich courses we strive to help students develop fundamental writing skills so that they can use their writing to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes.
The writing portfolio, which most Carleton students submit at the end of their sophomore year, is explicitly designed to assess these skills:
- Identifying and engaging the audience and purpose of each writing assignment
- Effective argumentation, particularly involving the framing and development of thesis-driven arguments
- Clear organization
- Appropriate use and documentation of sources
- Proficient use of standard written English
Not every WR2 course is obligated to teach or engage all of these core skills, but instructors are encouraged to create opportunities for students to learn and practice as many of them as the course can reasonably accommodate.
Learning Outcomes for WR Courses
In writing-rich courses we also help students to:
- Understand writing as a process and begin to develop an effective process of their own;
- Learn how to seek and use feedback;
- Gain an awareness of audience and of voice and begin to see themselves as part of a community of scholars/writers;
- Learn how to apply forms of attribution and citation as appropriate;
- Understand accepted guidelines for academic honesty;
- Develop confidence in their writing, both through experience and also by producing at least one polished piece of their own writing
Main Components of a WR Course
Number and Variety of Assignments
- A WR course will normally have 3 or more writing assignments. These assignments may include papers, posters, lab reports, web pages and other formats and types of writing;
- These assignments may be components of one large writing project or several smaller papers, or some combination of the two;
- Informal, ungraded, writing assignments may also be used to help students create a polished piece of writing.
Opportunities for Feedback
- A WR course will offer students feedback on their writing;
- This will take place through faculty comments or individual conferences and may also include: writing tutors; peer review; class conferences; writing workshops; use of a Writing Assistant; and other opportunities;
Opportunities for Revision
- A WR course will provide students with opportunities for revision;
- These may include rewriting to improve a grade; producing drafts of a paper in succession; polishing a paper for the Sophomore Writing Portfolio; or something else.
See “Fact and Fiction”: A brief version of WR guidelines for faculty.