College Courses In Writing

Introduction

There are a wide variety of college writing courses, from basic first-year seminars to advanced poetry workshops. For most colleges with a strong liberal arts program, learning at least the basics of writing is required. For those seeking to take multiple writing courses or major in English with a Creative Writing Concentration, it is important to select an individualized track with strong thesis statement that suits your interests.

Function

Most colleges offer a base writing course that helps students learn the basics of producing papers. These types of courses aim to learn how to produce works of analysis and interpretation by first understanding concepts in writing such as the “rhetorical contexts of purpose, audience, and genre” (See Reference 1). In beginning courses, students learn to write across a wide range of disciplines, from producing argumentative and informative works to creative pieces.

Methodology

Current college writing courses place great emphasis on the developmental process of writing. Moreover, class engagement has become a large part of workshop writing, as both the teacher and the students mutuall aid each other in improving not only their own writing, but also in coming to better terms with their own beliefs and writing themes (See Reference 2). Overall, it is the goal of students to solidify their own writing structure and style by challenging their writing skills in the engaging nature of peer editing and writing workshops.

Requirements

Most four-year universities and colleges will require each student to take at least one foundational writing course as part of the core requirements. English majors will also have to take a one semester or one quarter writing based course centered on producing analysis and interpretations of works of literature. Most colleges typically do not require any more writing courses to fulfill an English major, but note that most college literature courses are more essay based than tests. For those seeking a Writing concentration, three to six writing based courses are usually needed at a semester based college and five to eight at a quarter-based college.

Course Types

Colleges today design their writing curriculum to suit a wide variety of writers. For those seeking to take multiple writing courses or obtain a Writing major, there is typically something that will match your style. Course choices usually include business writing, creative fiction writing, magazine writing, non-fiction writing and poetry workshops. Many four year universities and some community colleges may also offer more specialized writing courses such as technical writing and paralegal writing courses. If you plan to major in writing, be sure to research colleges and find one that suits the type of writing you want to do.