Writing Program Overview and Lexicon

WRITING PROGRAM

Azusa Pacific University

overview and

lexicon

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WRITING at APU

Azusa Pacific University’s undergraduate writing program is built on three courses—

Writing 1, 2, and 3—but writing instruction is by no means limited to their bounds.

Students continually improve their writing by working with faculty who are experts

at writing in their fields, engaging with academic texts, assessing multiple genres,

and practicing writing as often as possible.

Students at APU use writing to discover, develop, and demonstrate learning

throughout their coursework. Students learn to write and write to learn.

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Q: Where does writing happen at APU?

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR

One goal for First-Year Seminar (FYS) is for

students to articulate ideas through written

communication. Beyond this, FYS classrooms

are an opportunity for students to step into

the world of academic writing, develop a

writing identity, and understand

that at Azusa Pacific Uni-

versity students learn to

write and write to learn.

THE ART AND CRAFT OF WRITING*

Writing 1 introduces students to the field

of writing studies, which treats writing as a

historically-based, culturally-influenced phe-

nomenon worthy of research and academic

engagement. In this course, students im-

prove their writing skills and

rhetorical acumen while

engaging the content

of writing studies.

F I R S T Y EAR

WRITING

1

FYS

IN THE WRITING PROGRAM

ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

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WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES*

In Writing 3, students begin to participate in

the discourse community of their major by

assessing the rhetorical situations they will

encounter when they enter their academic

field or profession. Students also create

documents in multiple genres,

implementing the tech-

niques they have devel-

oped in Writing 1 & 2.

The Writing Center helps APU students become

better writers.

In one-on-one appointments, the Writing

Center’s multidisciplinary staff serves by

assisting writers first in strengthening the

global aspects of writing such as

brainstorming, organization, assignment

fulfillment, and integration of sources, and

second in sentence-level elements such as

style and usage.

Writing Coaches engage writers of all levels in

conversation about how to clearly and effectively

communicate their thoughts in a manner

appropriate to their audience.

Please visit apu.edu/writingcenter/resources for more

information on the lexicon and other writing elements.

*beginning fall 2016

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SOPHOMORE JUN IOR

WRITING

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GENRE, EVIDENCE, & PERSUASION*

Writing 2 moves students into a wider

field in which they plan to study. The

course is structured around several es-

sential questions: What kinds of writing

are done to create knowledge in this

field? What arguments have

led to knowledge crea-

tion? What is seen as

persuasive?

WRITING

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any student

project

stage {

-on- 1 1 free coaching

resources

appointments

workshops

in-person

online

& ; AT THE WRITING CENTER

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OVERVIEW of COURSES

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR

FYS

First-Year Seminar introduces students to academic success

strategies and fosters a sense of belonging at APU through

engagement in the curricular and co-curricular life on campus.

These small, seminar-style classes form around a broad,

interdisciplinary topic or question and are taught by experienced

faculty focused on students’ critical thinking, written communication

skills, information literacy, spiritual formation, diversity competency,

and wellness. Using campus resources, the course helps students

clarify their purpose, meaning, and direction.

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THE ART & CRAFT OF WRITING

WRITING 1

Writing is a skill that can be practiced and improved. In Writing 1,

writing is the subject and the practiced skill. Students engage with

comparison techniques, literacies, and genres by reading and

writing about research and arguments dealing with all aspects of

writing. Students will also craft arguments of their own based on

their research on the art and craft of writing. Writing 1 classes

are limited to 16 students.

PURPOSES OF WRITING 1:

ESTABLISH familiarity with

writing process theory and

development of improved

writing processes

ENGAGE with complex

arguments and research in

order to improve critical

thinking skills

LEARN to recognize rhetorical

elements such as audience,

message, purpose, and

medium

TRANSITION from high school

to college writing

expectations

LEARN a lexicon of writing

and rhetoric terms

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OVERVIEW of COURSES

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GENRE, EVIDENCE, & PERSUASION

WRITING 2

Writing 2 centers around the critical thinking and writing of a

field of study. Students in Writing 2 critically assess the

writing styles, questions, and arguments of their broader field

in order to understand what is considered persuasive and

what kinds of evidence are valued. For example, Writing 2:

Scientific Writing compares arguments and evidence from the

perspectives of physics, chemistry, and biology. Writing 2

courses are also available in humanities, natural sciences,

social sciences, theology, and other fields. Writing 2 classes

are limited to 22 students.

PURPOSES OF WRITING 2:

ENGAGE with a range of complex

writing and research within an

area of study in order to

encourage critical thinking skills

ASSESS the questions being asked in

related fields and how

researchers and scholars attempt

to answer those questions

BUILD upon the writing and rhetoric

skills gained in Writing 1

ESTABLISH familiarity with the

academic writing styles of

student’s fields

OVERVIEW of COURSES

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OVERVIEW of COURSES

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Writing 3 focuses on writing proficiently in students’ specific majors

and anticipates writing tasks in their professions. Proficient writers

adapt to a variety of rhetorical contexts, balancing the needs and

expectations of their audience, the conventions of their genre, and

their own goals as authors. They produce clear and engaging text

that uses appropriate support to develop a central thesis. They

craft highly literate prose or poetry with fluent use of grammar,

syntax, and diction. While composing, they seek out feedback and

incorporate suggestions to improve their writing in multiple drafts.

Writing 3 classes are limited to 22 students.

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WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES

WRITING 3

PURPOSES OF WRITING 3:

SYNTHESIZE the critical thinking and

writing skills developed early in

college careers

ENGAGE in the discourse community of

a discipline

CONSTRUCT complex arguments within

discipline conventions

ADAPT writing skills to new genres and

audiences

USE sound writing processes to

produce polished writing products

PREPARE to transition from college

writing to professional writing

Most Writing 3 courses are required for

specific majors and offered by departments.

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LEARNING to WRITE

WRITING IN COMMUNITY

While in college, students begin to understand and join the

conversations of academic fields by reading texts and conducting

research. Students also collaborate directly with their peers, writing

coaches, and professors. As students at APU move throughout their

studies, they engage in writing communities early and often, and

prepare to contribute to their fields

and future professions.

AUTHORSHIP

Students at APU write not only

to communicate what they have

learned but also as an act of

learning; while communicating

ideas, writers also develop new

ideas, increase understanding of

concepts, and secure knowledge in

their memories. While writing, students

begin to establish their identities as

writers and capable critical thinkers.

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WRITING to LEARN RHETORICAL SITUATIONS

Not all writing is academic, but all writing has certain rhetorical elements in

common—audience, message, purpose, tone, medium, genre, and context.

Students at APU learn to assess and understand these

elements, implement them in various rhetorical

situations, and thereby gain the tools necessary to

transfer writing skills

from one course

to the next

and into

their future

careers.

ACADEMIC WRITING In order to join and contribute to the conversations of any

given field, students need to fully understand and engage in

the information that is so readily at their fingertips. Students

at APU use information literacy skills to access, assess,

integrate, and appropriately document research, all while

maintaining their own voices and demonstrating their own

critical thought processes.

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RHETORICAL SITUATION

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The foundation of APU’s Writing Program is rhetoric. Every text,

every act of communication, has a rhetorical situation. The movie

theater below is a representation of the rhetorical situation of any

kind of text—a student’s paper, for instance.

Here, the paper is represented by the movie itself; both have a

genre (academic paper/action-adventure), message, purpose, and

tone. Both also have a primary audience (Shakespeare scholars/

American young adults). They may also have a secondary audience

(professor/film critic) who is not necessarily part of the primary

audience but offers a critique or feedback. Finally, the paper and

the movie both have cultural and historical context, which affects

the audience’s reception of the text or film.

Students at APU learn to recognize and adapt to rhetorical ele-

ments such as audience, purpose, and medium, in order to effec-

tively communicate in multiple contexts.

Cantor & Lang, 2015

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TEN WRITING PRIORITIES

The Ten Writing Priorities are a hierarchical list of writing

elements that APU students and instructors often use to assess

writing for feedback and revision.

In writing conferences, peer groups, and during individual

revisions, the Ten Writing Priorities serve as a tool to focus

attention first on global issues such as thesis (message),

audience, and adherence to the conventions of the genre, and

second on sentence-level issues such as syntax and diction.

For more information, see the Writing Center’s “Ten Writing

Priorities” handout.

THESIS AUDIENCE

G E N R E

ORGANIZATION

S U P P O R T

S Y N T A X

D I C T I O N

S T A N D A R D U S A G E

SPELLING/PUNCTUATION

P R E S E N T A T I O N

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Maimon et al. (1981) and Dr. Diana Glyer

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PROGRAM LEXICON

argument A genre of writing in which the author makes a claim

in the form of a thesis, backs up the thesis with rea-

sons, and supports the reasons with evidence. The

writer makes connections between reasons and ana-

lyzes the evidence in an attempt to persuade a spe-

cific audience.

audience A specific person or group of people to whom a text

is directed. Writers need to understand their audi-

ence’s expectations, familiarity with the subject, and

level of sophistication in order to make appropriate

choices about a text’s organization, support, syntax,

diction, etc.

connotation The meaning(s) connected to a word that go beyond

the definition (the word’s denotation) and include as-

sociations, emotions, and implications. For example,

cheap and frugal have essentially the same denota-

tion, but cheap has a negative connotation and frugal

has a positive connotation.

counterargument The views that oppose a writer’s thesis. In order to

remain persuasive, writers need to be aware of coun-

terarguments and refute or concede all or particularly

compelling aspects of those that may persuade their

specific audiences.

diction Word choice and phrasing. Writers need to consider

what kind of diction—academic, colloquial, personal,

literal, figurative, abstract, concrete, etc.—is the most

appropriate for their rhetorical situation.

By establishing a consistent vocabulary for APU faculty and students, the Writing Program Lexicon facilitates students’ smooth transitions between courses and encourages learning.

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discourse

community

A group of people who share common communication

practices including special terminology and knowledge.

For instance, most people within the APU discourse

community understand the terms Cougar Walk and

chapel. Similarly, within their majors, students are enter-

ing into specific academic discourse communities where

people use terms and understand concepts that those

outside of the community might not. Writers should

consider the discourse community or communities to

which an audience belongs.

drafting The process of composing wherein writers put words on

paper or screen. The drafting aspect of a student’s writ-

ing process may include several progressively improved

drafts.

editing The process of making sentence-level changes to a text

in order to improve syntax, diction, and more.

evidence Proof in the form of data, facts, anecdotes, expert tes-

timony, examples, visuals, and more that a writer uses

to support a reason.

genre A recurring writing form that follows certain conventions

such as form, organization, syntax, diction, and presen-

tation. Examples include lab reports, cover letters, exe-

geses, reviews, research papers, and blog posts.

invention The act of brainstorming in order to generate ideas.

Some brainstorming techniques include listing, cluster-

ing, and freewriting. While freewriting, for example, a

writer generates ideas by writing continuously and as

quickly as possible. The key to invention is avoiding self

-censorship.

lexicon The vocabulary of a particular person, group, or field.

This list, for instance, is the vocabulary of Azusa Pacific

University’s writing programs and instruction.

literature

review

A compilation, summary, and evaluation of the research

available on a clearly defined topic or issue. May exist

as a stand-alone text or part of a larger work. 13 13 13

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organization The arrangement of a text that creates coherence.

Texts may be organized in many different ways—in

order of importance, from general to specific, spatial-

ly, chronologically, from abstract to concrete, etc.—

but the organization should be logical and pertinent

to the rhetorical situation.

paraphrase A slightly condensed rewording of an original text that

uses dissimilar words and sentence structure. Para-

phrases require documentation.

persuasion The art of causing an audience to believe something

or act in some way. Writers persuade by appealing to

audiences’ reason, emotions, and values.

plagiarism Presenting someone else’s words, work, or ideas as

one’s own, either intentionally or unintentionally, by

neglecting to document appropriately.

process Writing processes vary dramatically depending on the

available time, the rhetorical situation, the writer’s

preferences, and many other factors. A writing pro-

cess may include some or all of the following: inven-

tion, gathering research and materials, drafting, revis-

ing, editing, and proofreading. Writing processes are

recursive, meaning writers may move back and forth

among actions as necessary.

proofreading The process of carefully checking and correcting a

text for spelling, punctuation, documentation, and

presentation.

purpose A writer’s goal(s) for writing a specific text for a spe-

cific audience. The range of purposes is endless. Ex-

amples include to inform, to persuade, to entertain,

to express, and to record.

reason A statement offered to support a text’s central thesis.

Reasons need the support of analyzed evidence in

order to persuade.

revision The process of adding, moving, altering, and deleting

substantial elements of a text in order to establish

effective organization and support. 14 14 14

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rhetoric The art of communicating effectively. Rhetoric approach-

es matters of language and communication by valuing

the author’s purpose, impact on audience, and adapta-

tion to the writing task.

rhetorical

situation

The context of a given text or other act of communica-

tion. Several factors affect each rhetorical situation: the

author, the audience, the text (including its genre, me-

dium, message, and purpose), and the surrounding his-

torical and cultural context.

rubric A document designed to clearly communicate the ex-

pectations of an assignment to students, assist stu-

dents in evaluating their own work, and more fairly as-

sess and grade final products.

signal phrase A phrase, clause, or sentence that explains the origin

of a quote, paraphrase, or other material. “She writes,”

and “According to APU President Jon Wallace,” are sig-

nal phrases.

standard usage The customary manner in which words and phrases are

used. Usage evolves over time.

summary A condensed but comprehensive report of the main

points of a text.

support Reasons, evidence, and analysis included in order to

persuade an audience of a text’s central message.

thesis A claim that a writer sets out to prove to an audience,

which often takes the form of a thesis statement.

tone A writer’s attitude toward a subject, which can be de-

scribed with adjectives such as objective, serious, sar-

castic, patient, sympathetic, pedantic, jovial, etc.

transition A word, phrase, or sentence used to clearly connect

one idea to the next.

writing A skill that can be learned and taught. Writing can be

a process, a tool for thinking, and a means of commu-

nication. At Azusa Pacific University, students learn to

write and write to learn.

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FURTHER RESOURCES

Conference on College Composition and Communication position

statements

ncte.org/cccc/resources/positions

National Council of Teachers of English position statements

ncte.org/positions

APU General Education

Apu.edu/provost/generaleducation

APU Writing Center

apu.edu/writingcenter

APU Libraries

apu.edu/library

Rebecca Cantor, Ph.D., Executive Director of Writing Programs,

in collaboration with the General Education Writing Committee

Updated: June 2015