We share a collective goal: to offer students sustained, meaningful writing opportunities that include reflection, authentic audiences and genres, and emphasize process across all four years.
Students’ writing development does not happen in a single course; rather, it is a learning process across the undergraduate experience–a journey over their entire academic career. The visual represents students' writing development as a mountain climb, progressing through four stages from base to summit. At each stage, students build on previous skills while learning new ones.
The 4 Steps of the Journey
Foundations Writing (base)
Students learn and practice writing process, rhetorical situations, and genre awareness, establishing
a solid base for future writing tasks.
General Education Writing Attribute (ascending)
Students expand their writing process and genre awareness, gaining versatility and dexterity across disciplines.
Writing Emphasis in the Major (continuing upward)
Students are introduced to discipline-specific genres with explicit teaching of relevant content, styles, and expectations of communication.
Capstone Projects (summit)
Students create authentic professional writing for real communities, applying all they've learned and mastering the styles and conventions of their future profession.
Through this climb, reflection serves as a constant companion. Students engage in cyclical reflection on writing development, rhetorical awareness, and metacognition throughout the 4 steps. Reflection supports student growth and helps recognize how writing skills transfer to new contexts.
Foundations Writing
Students begin their journey in Foundations Writing (e.g., ENGL 101/102 or ENGL 107/108). In these courses, they learn essential writing processes (like revision and research), experience university writing genres, including reflection, and are introduced to core writing vocabulary designed to help them transfer these skills to other writing courses.
Learn More About Foundations Writing
Writing Attribute in General Education
Students continue their journey in GE courses with a designated Writing Attribute. These courses build on Foundations Writing to highlight rhetorical and genre awareness, disciplinary ways of knowing, and "writing-to-learn." Students utilize writing as a tool to explore different perspectives and make connections across disciplines.
Learn More About The Writing Attribute
Writing Emphasis Courses in the Major
Students deepen their skills in major-specific courses with a writing emphasis. These courses highlight writing for specific audiences, genres, and rhetorical situations. The goal is to utilize writing as a tool for developing expertise in a discipline and mastering its specific communication styles.
Learn More About The Writing Emphasis
Capstone Experience
A Senior Capstone is the final milestone for students in a major. In these courses, students complete a significant project that brings together everything they have learned, showing they fully understand their field and its methods. This involves "authentic writing situations," where students research and write for real-world audiences and communities relevant to their future careers.