Writing as Critical Inquiry (WRCI-UF)

The second in a two-course series, Writing as Critical Inquiry introduces students to advanced reading, writing, and critical thinking skills with an explicit emphasis on developing complex and nuanced skills of inquiry. The course also introduces more indepth research skills necessary for academic work and writing beyond academic contexts. After having learned in Writing as Exploration how to present and interpret or otherwise respond to different types of subject material—for example, personal experiences, written and visual texts, objects, public events and/or social phenomena—students in Writing as Critical Inquiry learn more complex methods for engaging these skills through individualized, research-based writing. Writing as Critical Inquiry courses are themed—most sections devote the semester to a specific realm of inquiry around an interdisciplinary topic. Each course engages global issues and perspectives through its theme and, by extension, its reading and writing assignments.

In writing II, students develop their skills in analysis and argumentation, by exploring the ways in which the ideas of others can be incorporated into their own writing. Students read and discuss longer, more challenging texts; in their own writing, students are expected to incorporate a broad range of primary and secondary sources to develop and support their increasingly complex ideas. Students are familiarized with a wide variety of possible resources at the library and should be comfortable with the mechanics and conventions of the academic research essay. The course continues to encourage in-class participation, collaborative learning, and workshop presentations.