This literature then becomes the focus of their papers. In addition to the morning classes, discussion sections led by current Carleton students provide even more individual attention. They also provide a forum in which the issues raised in the literature can be analyzed in the students' writing assignments. The writing workshop meets daily to provide students with opportunities to focus on their own writing process. We have found that students learn most about writing when they can talk about their tentative first drafts with their professors and rhetoric assistants.
Students write every day.
They will be asked to write expository prose, the sort of writing they will generally use in college. Although we also include occasional creative writing exercises, the focus of the workshop remains on academic papers. Computers are available and basic instruction in word-processing is available on an elective basis.