Being able to convey written information and ideas in ways that are compelling to specific audiences is essential both in college and beyond. Beginning in the winter quarter of their first year, students take 2 sequenced writing courses, usually WRIT 1122 and WRIT 1133. Together, these courses teach strategies for writing to well-educated readers in diverse academic and non-academic situations. Students learn rhetorical principles, the analysis and use of readings and source materials, and techniques for generating, revising, and editing texts for specific situations. They also learn to present and justify positions and to produce researched writing in various scholarly traditions, including textual/interpretive (the analysis of texts or artifacts such as images or events), qualitative (analyses based on observations or interviews), or quantitative (information gained through measurement). In each course, students complete several writing exercises and, through sustained practice and systematic instructor guidance, they complete at least four polished papers, totaling some 20 to 25 pages. By the end of the two-course sequence, then, students have completed at least 40 to 50 pages of polished writing. These courses lay the foundation for writing in further Common Curriculum courses (including the Advanced Seminar), writing in students' majors, and writing in professional and civic life after graduation.

In these courses, students will:

• Analyze strategies used in a variety of rhetorical situations and employ those principles in their own writings and communications.
• Analyze research and writing strategies used in a range of academic traditions and use those strategies in their own writings.
• Adapt, to specific situations, a strong repertory of writing processes, including generating, shaping, revising, editing, proofreading, and working with other writers.

For more regarding the Writing and Rhetoric Courses and the Writing Program, including options for students with advanced standing or in Honors, please visit www.du.edu/writing