A Helpful Guide To Third Writing Courses & Study AbroadStudy abroad is a wonderful opportunity, and the balance between finding courses that you enjoy as well as some that fulfill Core requirements for your Santa Clara degree can be a challenge. The third writing requirement is very difficult to fulfill with a course taken abroad, and we hope this guide will make choosing your courses more efficient and keep you from taking a course that you think might work but which you discover after your time abroad does not fulfill the requirement.
For a course to fulfill the third writing requirement, at Santa Clara or abroad, it must meet the criteria established by the 3W subcommittee. The criteria are given on the opposite side of this sheet, so consult it carefully. Below you will find answers to some frequently asked questions as well as information on who to contact if, after looking at the requirements, you think the course might fulfill them.
Q: When is the best time to determine whether or not a study abroad course fulfills the 3W requirement? A: Before you go!! Don’t wait until after you have been abroad and then hope that it will fulfill it!
Q: I have the course description and it says I have to write a paper. Will it count? A: No, unless there is sustained attention to teaching writing as well as the other content of the course. Writing a paper, or even several papers, doesn’t make the course a 3W course. The course must directly address the student learning outcomes of rhetorical knowledge, critical reading, and composing processes and writing conventions (details below).
Q: The course is a literature course, so why doesn’t it fulfill the third writing? A: Not all literature courses focus as well on teaching writing; even at SCU not all literature courses fulfill the third writing Core requirement.
Q: Is the short course description enough to tell if it might fulfill the 3W? A: No, not usually. You need to get the syllabus; many are online and you can download them. If you can’t find it online, you will need to email the program or the professor to request the syllabus.
Q: I’ve looked at the syllabus and the 3W requirements, and I think the course meets the requirements. What do I do? A: You can make an appointment to meet with the Director of Core Composition, Sherry Booth. Her office is St. Joseph’s Hall 307; her email is sbooth@scu.edu. Bring the syllabus with you, not just the short description as that rarely gives enough information to determine if it meets the outcomes. You may also email her the relevant information, attaching the syllabus, and she will respond via email.
Q: Why is it so hard to fulfill the third writing abroad? A: The main reason is the difference in educational practices in foreign countries; most European universities, for example, do not offer writing courses that are like writing courses in US colleges and universities.
Q: I’ve already studied abroad and thought one of my courses fulfilled the requirement but I didn’t check before I went. What should I do? A: Basically, you need to follow the process above, and if you can gather sufficient evidence that it did, make an appointment with Professor Booth to discuss it.
Santa Clara University Core Curriculum PurposeThe third writing requirement contributes to the preparation of students to be effective and principled communicators, thereby helping to achieve the university goals of leadership, academic excellence, and open, rigorous, and ethical dialogue. The purpose of this requirement is to 1) provide within a variety of discipline-specific contexts additional study of and practice in rhetorical theory, composing processes, and critical thinking, enhancing the reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities students have developed in Composition and Rhetoric I and II; and 2) develop students' familiarity with the values, genres, and conventions of a particular discipline. As in freshman core composition courses, the third writing requirement helps students gain increased sophistication in critical reading and writing with a purpose, including addressing diverse audiences (which includes the ability to employ a range of styles and voices) and shaping documents with an awareness of discipline-based conventions. This requirement both reinforces the learning that takes place in freshman composition and builds deeper knowledge of the purposes, means, and effects of academic discourse, as students engage with it and in it. The requirement also helps students connect their academic study and writing with ethical values and the larger world of academic and public discourse, including concern for diverse points of view and fair treatment and use of the ideas of others.
Student Learning OutcomesRhetorical Knowledge:1. Understand the concept of rhetorical situations and the connections of purpose, audience, subject, and writer/voice/style 2. Write for a range of audiences 3. Compose in a range of genres 4. Know the main uses, features, and forms of evidence of writing in the field, 5. Understand the role of ethics in creating credible, persuasive writing Critical Reading: 6. Use writing as a critical thinking tool to comprehend, question, and evaluate 7. Read with an awareness of historical, cultural, and social contexts and with sensitivity to cultural difference Composing Processes and Writing Conventions: 8. Work through multiple drafts, incorporating responses from others, to reach final results 9. Apply the research methodologies and technologies of the field 10. Know the conventions of usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and documentation in the field, and observe the conventions of Edited American English (EAE). International Programs actively support & recognizes the Campus Sustainability Pledge locally and globally and the Standards of Good Practice of the Forum on Education Abroad.  |
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