Writing@Drew
Writing is an art and a craft, and it is learned over time and developed with practice. Different contexts, purposes, and audiences call on us to write in different ways, drawing on previous writing experiences and exploring new possibilities. To facilitate this process of continued growth and development, Drew offers not one all-purpose first-year writing course but a vertical sequence of courses that students take over their four years, satisfying the writing requirement through a combination of courses within and outside of their major(s).
Students may also enroll in Writing Studies courses in the English Department, completing a Writing and Communications Studies Minor, a Creative Writing Minor, or tracks in either as part of an English Major.
What We Do
At Drew, students strengthen their writing through a General Education writing sequence beginning in the first year with a writing enriched Drew Seminar and progressing through the four years in Writing Intensive courses and a Writing in the Major course or course sequence. This process is supported by small classes in a structured program where advanced courses build on the skills introduced in the first year sequence. All Drew Seminars and many Writing Intensive courses are also supposed by undergraduate course-embedded Writing Fellows. Students can review and reflect on their progress via writing they upload to their personal Writing ePortfolio.
Writing in the First Year
Description of First-Year Writing at Drew:
- Drew Seminar (DSEM). All first-year students take a writing intensive seminar on a topic of their choice in their first semester at Drew. The course is designed to prepare students for the writing, reading, and critical thinking that will be required of them throughout their college careers.
- Writing Studio is an elective course that supports and enhances the work students do in their DSEMs. Drew offers two versions of Studio: WRTG 111 – Writing Studio I (two credits) and WRTG 112 – Writing Studio II (four credits).
- Academic Writing (WRTG 120), which is offered in spring semester, builds on the essential skills offered in the Drew Seminar. This course is open to all students who wish to continue to improve their writing skills.
- General Education Writing ePortfolio. All students are assigned an individual ePortfolio, which they can use to reflect on and assess their progress as writers over their years at Drew. They begin by submitting the “First Day Essay,” a piece of writing in which they describe and reflect on how they accomplished a writing project completed before they arrived at Drew. Then at the end of their DSEM, they submit their final paper and an essay describing and reflecting on the the process of writing it. Students submit a paper and reflection for two WI courses and a WM course, and are invited to submit a final essay describing and reflecting on their process of creating their capstone project. This ePortfolio is also used to assess the writing program.
Resources for First Year Writers
- The University Writing Center: The University Writing Center (UWC) is part of the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). Visit this website to create an account and make an appointment with a tutor.
- Writing Fellows: Each Drew Seminar is assigned a trained undergraduate Writing Fellow who will attend class, facilitate workshops, and work with students in groups and individually in and out of class as they make the transition to college writing.
- Write-Ins: The Sunday before each DSEM paper is due, Superhero Writing Fellows will take to the First Floor of the Library to provide day-long drop-in help for any first-year student working on DSEM papers (or any other papers). There will also be a Day of Writing on the First Reading Day at the end of the semester.
The Drew Seminar
DESCRIPTION
The Drew Seminar introduces students to the intellectual life of the liberal arts college. The seminars revolve around an intellectual area of exploration, designed by the faculty member. The Drew Seminar is rigorous and analytical, engaging explorations of a significant question, mode of inquiry, or topic. The goal is to help students develop the academic skills and habits of mind that are central to higher education; faculty share their intellectual passions and welcome students into the collaborative culture of the liberal arts college. The seminar will help students develop the following skills and habits of mind: critical thinking, writing skills, rhetorical knowledge, oral communication, and information literacy. Activities include formal and informal writing, discussion of readings, oral presentation, and writing revision.
COURSE GOALS
The seminar will help students develop the following skills and habits of mind:
- Critical thinking – the ability to analyze a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that analysis, through discussion, writing, reading, and research
- Writing Skills – the ability to plan, draft, and revise texts for both form and content.
- Rhetorical knowledge – the ability to articulate how audience, purpose, and context shape a text, and to apply that knowledge appropriately when writing across a range of academic and nonacademic genres.
- Oral Communication – the ability to listen to, explore, and share ideas in discussion and informal presentations.
- Information literacy – the ability to evaluate information and its sources critically, to manage and use information, and to use the ideas of others as part of an intellectual conversation.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES IN THE DREW SEMINAR
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- articulate an evidence-based point of view on a topic in written form based on an interaction with texts and ideas.
- communicate effectively in oral forms in ways that are appropriate to the situation.
- identify the audience, purpose, and context for written texts (including their own) and explain how these features shape the text in form and content.
- identify a topic and argument in a text and in oral discussion and describe how the author/speaker develops and supports that topic or argument.
Each Drew Seminar will be assigned a Drew Writing Fellow, an undergraduate student trained to work with peers as they strengthen their writing skills.
Some students may elect to also co-register for Writing Studio, where they will continue to strengthen their writing skills conjunction with the seminar.
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)
All courses in the writing sequence share a general concern for the written word and the process of writing. They use writing as a mode of learning, assign frequent writing that is incorporated into the course, and provide feedback and the opportunity to revise papers based on that feedback. In Writing Intensive and Writing in the Major courses, class size is generally capped at 20, which allows for timely and meaningful feedback and close attention to each writer. Drew Seminars are capped at 16 students, and Writing Studio at 12 students.
The WAC program has a vertical curriculum beginning with the Drew Seminar and Writing Studio in the first semester, followed by Academic Writing, Writing Intensive (WI), and Writing in the Major (WM) courses and course sequences. Students are required to take the following:
- Drew Seminar
- Two WI courses in different disciplines
- WM course(s) required for their major (double majors take WM courses in both majors)
At least one piece of writing from each of these courses is uploaded to an ePortfolio.
The WAC Writing Sequence at Drew Consists of Several Kinds of Courses:
IN THE FIRST YEAR
- Drew Seminar Writing
- Writing Studio
- Academic Writing
BEYOND THE FIRST YEAR
- Writing Intensive courses (WI) build on the academic literacy skills taught in the Drew Seminar and expand those skills. They require students to use writing as a mode of learning and as a way of entering scholarly conversations about topics presented in a course. WI courses may not require any more pages of writing than regular sections of the same course; however, they do require that faculty provide sufficient written feedback on student writing and that students use such feedback to rethink, revise and improve their writing. This process of writing, engaging with feedback, and revising is the heart of the writing-intensive course experience. [WI Outcomes]
IN THE MAJOR
- Writing in the Major courses and course sequences (WM) are designed to introduce students to the conversations in the field and invite them to join those conversations using the writing style and format of the discipline (or disciplines) of the major. The purpose of WM courses is to teach students to understand and practice the kinds of writing that are specific to the discipline in which they are studying. For this reason, no two WM courses look the same; however, all WM courses and course sequences share the same broad goals. [WM Outcomes]
The WAC Program Provides a Range of Support for Student Writers:
- The Center for Writing Excellence: This center, located in the Academic Commons in the Rose Memorial Library, supports all University faculty, students, and staff through any stage of the writing process. Appointments are recommended. For more information about the Center for Writing Excellent, please visit the CWE website.
- Writing Fellows (Drew Seminar Writing Fellows; Edward W. & Stella C. Van Houten Memorial Fund Writing Fellows; and Writing & Information Literacy Fellows). For more information on the various kinds of course-embedded undergraduate Writing Fellows see the Writing Fellows page.
Resources for Student Writers
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM: HOW TO ROCK WI AND WM COURSES
These resources will help you use the reading, writing, researching, and critical thinking skill you learned in one class to help you succeed in another. Learn the conventions–and expectations–of each discipline and how and why they use writing to report and advance knowledge in the field.
WRITING BEYOND COLLEGE: HOW TO GET AND KEEP THAT JOB
These resources will help you use the reading, writing, researching, and critical thinking skills you learned at Drew to help you get–and keep–that internship or job!
Writing in the Major Courses (Part of the Major)
Writing in the Majors (WM) courses are designed to introduce students to the conversations in the field and invite them to join those conversations using the writing style and format of the discipline. The purpose of WM courses is to teach students to understand and practice the kinds of writing that are specific to the discipline (or combination of disciplines) they are studying. For this reason, no two WM courses look the same; however, all WM courses and course sequences share the same broad goals. Worksheet for planning WM course objectives Use this form to help you think through what your objectives for writing in the major are. These objectives will be discipline-specific. Also see the WM workshop for more suggestions. WM course approval form (CAPC) This form must be completed and submitted to CAPC before a course or courses can be designated as WM. Approved WM courses (CAPC) Current list of approved WM courses.
General Education Writing ePortfolio
All students are assigned an individual ePortfolio (look for “My ePortfolio” in Moodle), which they can use to reflect on and assess their progress as writers over their years at Drew. Contents include
- “First Day Essay” – assigned in the first DSEM, this is a piece of writing in which they describe and reflect on how they accomplished a writing project completed before they arrived at Drew. [See assignment on your “My ePortfolio”]
- Final DSEM Paper – at the end of their DSEM, students upload their final paper, which is a revision of paper #3. The paper is also submitted to the DSEM instructor for grading.
- Final DSEM Reflection – this is the last DSEM assignment and students are asked to describe and reflect on the their process of writing and revising the final DSEM paper. By paralleling the first assignment, this reflection allows students and faculty to begin to track their evolving habits of mind and writing processes. [See assignment on your “My ePortfolio”]
- Writing Intensive Paper & Reflection – Students may take as many Writing Intensive courses as they like beyond the requirement of 2 courses, but upload to their ePortfolio a piece of writing and reflection on it from two writing intensive courses at any point over their four years at Drew.
- Writing in the Major Paper & Reflection some majors require more than one writing in the major course while others require only one. Students may select which piece of writing they submit from the course or courses, and in the reflection they are asked to discuss that writing as typical of the major, considering audience, purposely, and genre.
- Final Reflection – students are also asked to upload a final reflection describing and reflecting on their process of creating their capstone project.
This ePortfolio is also used (anonymously) to assess the writing program.
Writing Beyond the First Year
After completing the DSEM (and Writing Studio if they elect to take that class) students may register for Writing Intensive (WI) courses and once they select a major, they will take a Writing in the Major (WM) course or course sequence.
- Writing Intensive courses (WI) build on the academic literacy skills taught in the Drew Seminar and expand those skills. They require students to use writing as a mode of learning and as a way of entering scholarly conversations about topics presented in a course. WI courses may not require any more pages of writing than regular sections of the same course; however, they do require that faculty provide sufficient written feedback on student writing and that students use such feedback to rethink, revise and improve their writing. This process of writing, engaging with feedback, and revising is the heart of the writing-intensive course experience. [WI Outcomes]
- Writing in the Major courses and course sequences (WM) are designed to introduce students to the conversations in the field and invite them to join those conversations using the writing style and format of the discipline (or disciplines) of the major. The purpose of WM courses is to teach students to understand and practice the kinds of writing that are specific to the discipline in which they are studying. For this reason, no two WM courses look the same; however, all WM courses and course sequences share the same broad goals. [WM Outcomes]
- General Education Writing ePortfolio. All students are assigned an individual ePortfolio, which they can use to reflect on and assess their progress as writers over their years at Drew. They begin by submitting the “First Day Essay,” a piece of writing in which they describe and reflect on how they accomplished a writing project completed before they arrived at Drew. Then at the end of their DSEM, they submit their final paper and an essay describing and reflecting on the the process of writing it. Students submit a paper and reflection for two WI courses and a WM course, and are invited to submit a final essay describing and reflecting on their process of creating their capstone project. This ePortfolio is also used to assess the writing program.
Writing Beyond College: How to get and keep that job
- These resources will help you use the reading, writing, researching, and critical thinking skills you learned at Drew to help you get–and keep–that internship or job!