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Essay Assignments in College Writing
The assignments in College Writing (Englwrit 112) are designed according to the following assumptions: that writing is an activity, not a subject matter; that people learn to write by writing and by receiving feedback on that writing; that writers need to be aware of their own writing processes; and that students’ own writing should be the focus of instruction.
Students write five essays in this class, each one around 750-1,500 words long. Most go through an extensive drafting process, and each introduces new challenges. In all of them, students focus on readers’ expectations, and they experiment with multiple ways of communicating with those readers.
The first essay, the focus of Unit I: Inquiring into Self, asks students to write about a familiar topic for a close, personal audience.
The second essay, the focus of Unit II: Interacting with Texts, is based on a more scholarly purpose and audience: a critical response to one or more published texts.
The third essay, the focus of Unit III: Adding to a Conversation, builds on the second paper, asking students to develop their own research question, locate multiple sources of information and ideas, and communicate what they learn with a more public audience.
The fourth essay, the focus of Unit IV: TBA (To Be Announced), differs from section to section; students receive more information about it as the semester progresses.
The fifth essay, the focus of Unit V: Final Reflection, functions as the final exam for the course.
For more information on College Writing, see the standard syllabus.
