Writing Lab: Grinnell College
Search to Grinnell College Frontdoor  
Welcome to Writing Lab
Home Facilities Ethical Use of Sources Criteria for Papers Writing Inventory Links to Writing Sites Staff

Writing Inventory

Writing Inventory Descriptions of Writing Requirements Since Grinnell College aims to teach students how to write, many courses across the curriculum require writing. This page contains an inventory of the writing required in individual courses. Use these descriptions only as a guide as they may change at the instructor's discretion during the course of the semester. In addition, this inventory lists a professor's full roster of courses and therefore is not a perfect match with the registrar's schedule of courses. For this reason, advisers should work from the current schedule to the inventory, not the other way around.

Some courses are designated "writing intensive." A writing intensive course encourages students to use writing to understand course materials, develop critical thinking skills, and communicate ideas effectively. Such a course satisfies the spirit of these guidelines:

  • Regular Writing: Students work on writing assignments--formal or informal, graded or ungraded--throughout the semester. They need not complete written assignments every week, but do complete a substantial number.
  • Regular Feedback: Although not all written work receives instructor feedback, students receive frequent suggestions for improvement.
  • Revision: Students are encouraged to revise at least one, and ideally more, of their assignments.
  • Clear Expectations: The instructor provides clear written instructions for all assignments.
  • Grading: A substantial part of the course grade depends on the quality of written work. Instructors make explicit their criteria for evaluating written work.

In the following inventory, writing intensive courses are marked with an (*).

Africana StudiesAmerican StudiesAnthropology
ArtBiology
ChemistryChineseClassics
Computer ScienceEconomicsEducation
EnglishEnvironmental StudiesFrench
Gender & Women's StudiesGermanGlobal Development Studies
GreekHistoryHumanitiesJapanese
LatinMathematicsMusic
PhilosophyPhysicsPolitical Science
PsychologyReligious StudiesRussian
Russian, Central, & Eastern European StudiesScienceSocial Studies
SociologySpanishTheatre

These PDF documents require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.


  Academics Admission Alumni Athletics Calendar Catalog Comment Directory Library Offices Students ITS  
© 2001-2009 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA 50112-1690 641-269-4000 Privacy policy and additional information. Nondiscrimination policy