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What Students Should Learn | CWP
Philosophy | What Teachers Should Do
The following are the core skills and ideas students should gain from the College
Writing course sequence:
Concepts of Writing
- Students should understand that writing is a process, a series
of choices, and not simply a product.
- Based on the idea that writing is a series of choices, students should
learn how to make effective choices in their own writing.
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Since writing is a social act, students should learn how to give critical feedback
to their peers’ writing and to receive critical feedback on their
writing.
- In learning these concepts, students should begin to develop an awareness
of themselves as writers.
Writing Process Skills
- Students should understand and attend to the role of the audience in
writing.
- Students should learn how to formulate an original thesis in their writing
projects and to develop that thesis into a well-supported argument.
- Students should learn a range of research methods and how to incorporate
source material into their writing so that it develops and supports their
ideas.
- Students should learn effective organizational strategies for their writing.
- Students should learn to write in multiple genres (e.g. personal narrative,
researched essay, textual critique, proposal, profile, timed-writing
essay).
- Students should develop the ability to sustain an analytical essay for
at least eight pages.
- Students should learn how to recognize and repair sentence-level errors.
Reading/Thinking Skills
- Students should be challenged to develop critical thinking and reading
skills, so that they can devise original ideas, rather than simply echo the
ideas of
others.
- Based on class discussion, class reading, writing assignments, and conferences,
students should learn how to arrive at informed questions and opinions.
- Students should learn how to express themselves clearly as participants
of the class, whether in discussion or more formal presentations.
- Students should learn how to analyze assignments from all disciplines.
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Through experience with the instructor’s commentary and workshops/peer
review, students should learn how to interpret feedback on their writing.
Research Skills
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Students should acquire research skills, including making full and meaningful
use of the library’s resources, such as databases, catalog, stacks,
periodicals, and media holdings, as well as non-textual sources (e.g.,
the larger DC community).
- Students should learn how to support ideas with persuasive research.
- Students should learn how to evaluate the credibility of a source (especially
Internet sites), to use academic/scholarly resources, and to incorporate
sources effectively.
- Students should learn the correct formatting for MLA citation, including
the construction of an MLA-style Works Cited page.
- Students should learn the definitions of and consequences for plagiarism
and other Academic Integrity Code violations, as well as techniques for avoiding
unintentional violations.
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