UAR 45WR: Introduction to Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford
The Summer Bridge writing course is designed to help students develop the confidence, strategies, and practices that will help them be successful in their required writing courses at Stanford.
Writing sections are small—no more than 17 students—and students receive feedback on each piece of writing they complete, as well as the opportunity to meet with the instructor for a one-to-one consultation about their writing, to set goals both for revising a particular essay and for their continued growth as writers across their time at Stanford. Students also work closely with classmates, building relationships that can carry into the first year and beyond.
Over the five weeks, students experiment with a variety of genres: a personal essay, an opinion-based piece, an annotated bibliography, and a source-based argument. In the final week, students create a writer’s portfolio of their work, including a preface reflecting on their writing across the five weeks and their goals moving forward. Through this work, students 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 use research and information literacy skills effectively to inform writing 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 and receiving feedback, revision, and reflection
These practices and skills support students in all of their writing at Stanford—from COLLEGE courses, to PWR courses, to the writing they will do across other departments and programs.