Writing
Why take a writing class through the Summer Bridge Program?
As a student at Stanford, you'll fulfill three writing requirements during your undergraduate career: one in your first-year (focused on analysis, argument, and research); one in your second year (focused on research-based writing and presentation); and one in your major (focused on writing effectively in your discipline).
Coming into Stanford, some students might feel less confident or prepared for these classes, for a variety of reasons. The Summer Bridge writing course, "UAR45WR: Introduction to Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford" is designed to help you develop the confidence, strategies, and practices that will help you be successful in your required writing courses.
Our writing sections are small -- no more than 15 students -- and you receive feedback on each of the pieces of writing you turn in, as well as the opportunity to meet with your instructor for a one-to-one consultation about your writing, to set goals both for revising a particular essay but also for your continued growth as a writer across your time at Stanford. You'll also spend time working closely with your classmates, creating friendships that you'll carry into your first year and beyond.
In your writing for the class, you'll experiment with a variety of different genres across the five weeks: a personal essay; an opinion-based piece; an annotated bibliography; and a source-based argument. In the final week, you'll create a writer's portfolio of your work, including a preface in which you reflect back in your writing across the five weeks and your goals for moving forward. Through this work, you'll learn
- To understand how audience, purpose, and cultural context shape decisions in writing and other communication practices
- To develop strategies for effective critical thinking and rhetorical reading
- To effectively use research and information literacy skills to inform the writing you do in academic contexts
- To create strong arguments supported by evidence
- To identify and navigate common conventions in academic writing
- To engage in the writing process practiced by college-level writers, including prewriting; drafting; giving, receiving, and acting on feedback; revision; and reflection
These practices and skills will support you in all of your writing at Stanford -- from your COLLEGE course, to your PWR course or to the sorts of writing you'll do for other departments and programs.
If you have questions about the writing class or whether it would be a good fit for your academic goals, feel free to write us at summerbridge@stanford.edu.