“The Working Writer” syllabus approach shares ICaP’s ENGL106/108 goals, means, and outcomes. Under this approach, students will become familiar with the rhetorical situation of composing, engage in, and gain experience with, the complexity of the writing process, and begin to use composition as a means for self-discovery, social awareness, and specific communication. The goals of “The Working Writer” include familiarizing students with various discourse communities, introducing students to the research process, and preparing students for their work as writers and composers in college, their lives, and their careers.
This syllabus approach calls for students to read, analyze, and compose a variety of written, visual, and multimedia compositions. Assignments within this syllabus approach will vary from creative productions, such as poems or short stories, to traditional research papers and visual rhetoric projects. By becoming working writers and composers themselves, students will be able to identify specific writing techniques and concepts, compose a variety of types of texts, and reflect on the quality and purpose of their work. The theory behind “The Working Writer” approach allows for a wide range of assignments and in-class instruction that can, ultimately, satisfy or exceed the ICaP goals, means, and outcomes.