Writing Intensive (WI) courses may be disciplinary or interdisciplinary. They examine a diverse range of texts arranged around a particular question, theme or historical period. Texts may include films, musical scores or works of art. The purpose is to foreground texts for the study of a subject and to compare texts while approaching them from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and in several contexts. These courses:
- Provide a writing- and reading-intensive experience that develops further the skills acquired in Earlham Seminar courses.
- Study an array of challenging texts arranged around a particular question, theme or historical period.
- Investigate primary and secondary texts in studying an issue or era.
- Compare texts in several contexts — historical, social, political — and put them in dialog with one another.
Key defining features are:
- Sophomore or Junior level recommended.
- Reading and writing is a major focus of the course as reflected in the allocation for the course grade/time.
- Engagement with challenging texts (defined broadly) around a theme.
- Use of primary and secondary texts.
- Feedback with chances to incorporate feedback for an improved product.
- Includes multiple forms of written products and writing contexts.
- Strong disciplinary element in the writing.
- Writing is approached as a process (e.g. idea development, critical analysis, argument development) with feedback at multiple steps.
- Capped courses so that quick turnaround of work is possible.