Introduction
Welcome to our textbook for WRT101S!
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What is College Writing?
Writing is an active process of growing, refining, and conveying complex ideas with purpose. In this course, you’ll develop strategies for reaching an audience effectively and ethically through writing, making informed choices about how you engage with and respond to the ideas of others.
This process isn’t solitary; most writing is inherently collaborative. Your ideas will grow through discussion, feedback, and revision, just as they do in academic and professional spaces. You’ll learn to evaluate sources, consider different perspectives, and craft writing that not only expresses your thoughts but contributes meaningfully to a larger conversation.
In our class you’ll brainstorm, draft, and refine your work while building essential and cross-disciplinary skills in argument, analysis, and research. And no matter where you are in your writing journey, I hope our class class is a space for growth, curiosity, and discovery for you.
WRT101S Course Learning Outcomes
- Critically read texts to analyze and respond to texts.
- Write college-level essays using strategies such as summary, reflection, analysis, and argument.
- Practice writing processes including prewriting, drafting, revising, peer reviewing, editing, and proofreading to produce college-level essays.
- Locate, evaluate, and use research effectively.
- Write using standard grammar and mechanics
Additional Resources
The following articles and guides discuss key concepts and practices for our class and in any college-level writing.
- What Is “Academic” Writing? by L. Lennie Irvin
- So You’ve Got a Writing Assignment. Now What? by Corrine E. Hinton
- Understanding Assignments by UNC Chapel Hill
- Weaving Personal Experience into Academic Writing by Marjorie Stewart
- What’s That Supposed to Mean? Using Feedback on Your Writing by Jillian Grauman
About Formatting and Citations
You will use either MLA formatting or APA to reference the sources you use when writing your essays for our class, depending on the field or program you are going into. I can help you decide if you’re uncertain!
- MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, and its style guidelines have been assisting authors and humanities scholars since 1951. In 2016, the MLA Handbook introduced a template using core elements in an effort to simplify much of the documentation process in MLA format. It was most recently updated in 2021.
- APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and is the format designed for use within the field of psychology. However, many other disciplines – including health professions – use APA as well, so always use the format your professor stipulates.