The Programme in Writing and Critical Thinking offers these choices for several reasons. First, in order to make a sensible choice, students will need to give some critical thought as to which module is most appealing and challenging. Second, having a range of modules gives each tutor in the Programme the opportunity to present a topic in which he or she has expertise, so that students can expect to learn something substantial about that topic even as they get intensive practice in becoming better writers. Programme has devised a unique way of giving students practice in cross-disciplinarity, awareness of methodology, and intellectual independence. Even though these modules vary by topic, they are all designed to teach a common set of writing lessons.
Every module requires three drafted and revised essays.
In each module students will learn how to read textual material with probity and attentiveness. Students will learn the importance of using source material scrupulously as they develop respectable, persuasive arguments. They will learn the importance of contextualizing a source, understanding the broader historical and cultural circumstances in which the source is situated. They will learn the importance of writing for an intelligent, public audience, and they will learn to acknowledge points of view at odds with their own, conceding ground when necessary. Students will learn that good essays and arguments often begin with the humble experience of questioning, doubting, or wondering.