Writing Intensive

Writing Intensive (WI) courses may be disciplinary or interdisciplinary. They examine a diverse range of texts arranged around a particular question, theme or historical period. Texts may include films, musical scores or works of art. The purpose is to foreground texts for the study of a subject and to compare texts while approaching them from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and in several contexts. These courses:

• Provide a writing- and reading-intensive experience that develops further the skills acquired in Earlham Seminar courses.
• Study an array of challenging texts arranged around a particular question, theme or historical period.
• Investigate primary and secondary texts in studying an issue or era.
• Compare texts in several contexts — historical, social, political — and put them in dialog with one another.

Key defining features are:

• Sophomore or Junior level recommended.
• Reading and writing is a major focus of the course as reflected in the allocation for the course grade/time.
• Engagement with challenging texts (defined broadly) around a theme.
• Use of primary and secondary texts.
• Feedback with chances to incorporate feedback for an improved product.
• Includes multiple forms of written products and writing contexts.
• Strong disciplinary element in the writing.
• Writing is approached as a process (e.g. idea development, critical analysis, argument development) with feedback at multiple steps.
• Capped courses so that quick turnaround of work is possible.