INTRODUCTION TO WRITING STUDIES

Course Description

The purpose of W&L CS 20: Introduction to Writing Studies is to introduce students to Writing Studies as an academic discipline. It will also provide an opportunity to reflect on your own writing and development as a writer. Writing Studies has developed knowledge that can help you understand your own processes as a writer, the kinds of writing you might engage with, the tools of writing available to you, and how that writing may have an effect on others. Writing Studies grew out of the teaching of writing but extends to understanding the role of writing in people's lives, the development of writing competence over the lifespan, the historical development of writing practices, the changing forms of writing with changing technologies, the role of writing in forming and sharing knowledge, and the uses and forms writing takes throughout society, governance, and the economy. Writing Studies moves beyond the classroom to all aspects of life and takes a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Required Text

Adler-Kassner, Linda, Naming What We Know, classroom edition Utah State University Press