The purpose of the course is to provide students with additional instruction and experience in writing.
Special emphasis is placed on developing techniques of effective written communication.
The course will focus on how to organize ideas, how to interact with the audience, how to refine writing skills, and how to evaluate expository prose. The lessons will be judged both on their content and on their style. A grade will be given for each lesson, so that the student will have an idea of the instructor's general evaluation of his or her work. More weight will be given to the grades on the eight formal themes than to the grades on the exercises. The grade for the course will depend largely on how well the student performs on the Mid-Course Test and Final Examination, both of which will be essays similar to the formal themes.