Academic Writing Seminar
The Academic Writing Seminar is a seminar-format course designed to develop English college-level academic writing skills in all students to prepare them for both academic and other forms of writing they will encounter in later classes (argumentative writing, reflective writing, etc.).
Emphasis on:
- Fundamental writing mechanics.
- Argument construction and use of evidence.
- Rhetorical thinking/flexibility to address various situations, audiences, and genres.
Each faculty member selects a theme for his or her section(s) to focus students' reading and writing work.
Sample Sections
Re-Making Seattle: Literature, Environment, and People
Faculty: Hilary Hawley
The Puget Sound, home to the Coast Salish peoples for thousands of years, has undergone dramatic changes in the past two centuries. Through literature, historical accounts, cultural artifacts, neighborhood explorations, and a community-engaged environmental restoration project, we will consider how Seattle has been shaped and reshaped through movements of people and of the land itself. We will also consider how communities are working toward a more just future through the reclamation of both urban and wild spaces.
Art for Social Change
How does art shape your opinion about social issues? In this academic writing course you will examine the rhetoric of art for social change evident in various forms of creative expression, including literary arts, music, and visual arts to understand ways in which the arts communicate messages, advance arguments, and motivate civic responsibility. Through close-readings and rhetorical analyses of written and visual texts, you will write about ways in which art is essential to sustaining people and place.