1. Awareness of Audience/Context/Purpose:

Students will demonstrate an awareness of the role of audience, context, and purpose in determining rhetorical choices. For example, students completing a written proposal in a business class would, depending upon the target audience (e.g.,the CEO), demonstrate the ability to make appropriate rhetorical choices regarding format, tone, and organization.

2. Thesis Statement and Development:

Students will demonstrate the ability to clearly articulate a thesis -- a main point or a controlling idea. Further, students will demonstrate the ability to develop a thesis through adequate support. For example, a sociology student completing a research project would demonstrate the ability to report relevant, representative, and sufficient data to support the results of his or her study.

3. Unity and Coherence:

Students will demonstrate the ability to write unified and coherent paragraphs. Unity refers to "all the elements in a document that contribute to developing a single idea or thesis. A paragraph is unified when each sentence contributes to developing a central thought" (Hodges' Harbrace Handbook 795). Coherence refers to "the principle that all the parts of a piece of writing should stick together, one sentence leading to the next, each idea evolving from the previous one" (Hodges' Harbrace Handbook 769). Coherence can be greatly enhanced by the use of transitional words or phrases. For example, if a student completing a play review in a drama course refers to set design in a particular paragraph, the rest of the sentences in this paragraph would be expected to deal with this topic or criterion; further, sentences in this paragraph would be expected to be organized in such a way that the effect is of one sentence leading to the next sentence.

4. Correct Grammar, Punctuation, Usage, and Mechanics:

Students will demonstrate in their writing, no matter what the disciplinary field, an ability to write following Standard English (or, for a foreign language, Standard French, Spanish, German, etc.) with respect to grammar, punctuation, usage, and mechanics. Instructors teaching courses coded for the writing skills area should refer to the latest edition of the handbook currently adopted by the faculty (or an equivalent text for a foreign language) for questions regarding these areas.