Prep. Writing
“I don't know what I think until I write it down.” Joan Didion
The AGUSL Writing program is designed to get students to express, in clear English, ideas and understanding about the world around them. Our mission as Writing instructors is to send our students into their Faculties and professions with the confidence that comes from a solid set of writing skills, which they can build upon for years to come. By the end of the Prep. Writing program, students combine their ability to compare, to classify, to describe, and to analyze, in substantial pieces of clear writing in English, including effective reports, accounts of the opinions of others, and personal opinion supported by argument.
We acknowledge that many of our students have rarely, if ever, written long form texts in their own language, so writing in a second language brings with it many challenges. To address this, we take things gently, and systematically. We want students to understand that writing is a process, encouraging drafting, editing, correct attribution and reflection; by going through this process you will learn how to write - this is somethig that everybody has to learn; nobody can master a skill as complex and as improtant as Writing without being carefully taught. At the end of this process of learning and of writing and of improving and of writing again etc. the product that each student gains is the skill of well organised thinking and meaningful expression.
Foundation Writing and Writing 1
At Foundation Writing and Writing 1 we begin with concrete facts and focus on writing in order to descibe the world that we can see. We learn how to state, how to elaborate, and how to order facts logically and effectively in paragraph form.
Writing 2
By the end of Writing 2 students have moved on to themes that are more abstract; they can now use patterns of discourse organisation to express ideas such as cause/effect, problem/solution, and classification. Students will also have learned how to frame their main ideas both by means of introductory information that readers need in order to understand, and by a conclusion in order for the reader to understand the significance of what was written.
Writing 3
In Writing 3, broaden their Writing repertoire dramatically; they learn how to write in a multi-paragraph format and, vital for any academic writing, they are given detailed guidance in how to write about the ideas of others
When a student has passed Writing 3, they can leave Prep. as soon as they have amassed 52+ credits. (It is important to note these two rules:
1. If a student does not pass Writing 3, they cannot graduate from Prep. (however many credits they have);
2. Passing Writing 3 is not sufficient for a student to be able to take English 101.
Writing 4
By the end of Writing 4, Prep. students are confident in writing about abstract ideas, in different ways that are appropriate for academic writing: they can both write objectively, whether reports about problematic situations, or clear analyses and summaries of what other people think, and they can write more subjectively, making careful arguments to to support their opinions.
When a student has passed Writing 4 they can leave Prep. as soon as they have amassed 52+ credits. And, as long as they have also passed 'Summarising', they can go straight into English 101.
They will be truly ready for the academic writing they will need to do in Faculty.