SPEC 20
The Writing Process: from Inquiry to Essay Winter 2020

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

In a perfect world, we all have a fully-developed, time-proven writing process. It’s the approach that you read about in well-intended books on effective writing and that professors occasionally recommend, where you start an essay well before the deadline, progressing thoughtfully and methodically toward a completed essay that as thoughtful, effective, and on time. But for most of us, the reality falls well short of that ideal. We procrastinate, stress out, glare at the empty computer screen, and ultimately rush at the last minute to crank out something that hopefully fulfills the assignment. In fact, for many, this is the only way essays get written. This course provides an opportunity for you to develop a better approach to writing assignments: one where completing an essay is less about a looming deadline and more about the meaningful exploration and masterful articulation of your ideas. Each class meeting will be a writing workshop guided by prompts that will navigate you through the cumulative process of composing a single essay. You’ll leave the course with a fresh outlook on the real purpose of academic writing and new methods for approaching essay assignment in your classes. Whether you’re a first-year student still getting a feel for college writing or senior finally hoping to make writing more manageable, this course will help you develop the writing process that works for you. Topics covered will include: * attending to the writing assignment * finding a meaningful topic * developing an effective argument * incorporating research * determining structure and organization * understanding voice and style * appreciating the impact of audience
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 18
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: preference will be given to first-year students
Materials/Lab Fee: approximately $25 for books

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