The course focuses on developing students’ writing skills. Each section of this seminar offers a topical framework for examining the relationship between critical thinking, reading, and writing; practicing effective writing process; generating different kinds of writing; identifying and improving the elements of successful writing; and engaging with other writers (from peer collaboration to research) in a seminar setting. May be taken only once if a grade of “C” or better is received; otherwise a second course may be taken under a different topic. (5T) Topics course. Offered each semester.

This course offers students with college-level experience an opportunity to develop their writing skills around a more advanced and focused set of writing opportunities, practices, and outcomes. May be taken twice under different topics. Offered each semester. Students may take this course no more than twice, under different topics. Prerequisite: One semester at Beloit College or transfer credit equivalent.The 1S and 5T domained versions of this course are, respectively, Writing 201 and 202.

In this course we harness data—and the technologies used to generate them—to become more perceptive readers and better writers. Is it possible to count, or quantify, the qualitative features of writing, whether a poem, a newspaper article, or a tweet? How do we see texts and the relationships between them differently when we use visual forms and graphs, such as word clouds, n-grams, or dendrograms? In order to answer these questions, students experiment with some basic tools in the field of the Digital Humanities—e.g. digital Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) conventions—which they use to analyze their own writing as well as the writing of others. (5T) (Also listed as Comparative Literature 215.)

This writing seminar explores a variety of approaches in the evolving field called the “environmental humanities.” How can the humanities help students to communicate and respond to one of the most urgent challenges of our time–namely, global climate change? How can insights from the humanities shape a broader understanding of sustainability, climate justice, and global citizenship? While this class draws from many disciplines, its most prominent focus is literary and rhetorical. Students read and write climate fiction and consider how acts of communication, storytelling, and persuasion can positively influence both our current world and worlds of the future. (5T) (Also listed as ENVS 220.)

An introduction to the theory and practice of tutoring peer writers. Students observe and conduct Writing Center sessions. Students who complete 230 are eligible to work in the Writing Center. Prerequisite: second-year status or consent of instructor.

Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

Work with faculty in classroom instruction. Graded credit/no credit.