The Writing Intensive (WI) Requirement
Passed in December 1993 by the Faculty Senate, implemented in Fall 1995, and amended in May 1997, the Writing Intensive (WI) requirement
stipulates that:
every undergraduate student must complete at least
one writing-intensive course in the major at the 300 level or above.
All Writing-Intensive Courses Will Meet the Following Criteria:
- Section size is limited to 35.
- Students write at least 3500 words for a grade, divided among two or more discrete assignments. Drafts and ungraded assignments, e.g., writing exercises, response logs, posts on discussion boards, etc., are encouraged but do not count towards the 3500-word requirement.
- Students receive feedback on their writing over the course of the semester.
- Students are given an opportunity to revise, based on feedback, at least one major assignment in the course. In courses in which students are graded on multiple shorter assignments of a very similar nature—e.g., lab reports, proofs, critiques of reading— revision need not be required but is strongly recommended for one or two early assignments so that students have the opportunity to improve based on feedback.
- Teachers devote sufficient class time to instruction in how to complete assignments. Detailed written assignments with explicit learning goals and evaluative criteria are strongly encouraged as part of this instruction.
Writing-Intensive Course Information