"W" Codes

Trinity College students are required to take two 'writing intensive' courses ('W'-coded) in order to graduate. To see if a course meets this requirement, you should review the Curriculum Codes assigned to each course and look for the "W" designation. You can find these in DukeHub, the University Bulletin, and the course list on most departmental websites.

The aim of the Writing in the Disciplines (WID) program is to engage undergraduates in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly research. This means that the work you do as a writer needs to be a visible and an integral part of a writing-designated course. In such courses, you should expect to:

Write frequently throughout the term

You will be given regular practice in and comments on your writing. Assignments might take various forms, including, for instance, a series of brief response papers, or several mid-length papers, or a longer research project divided into sections.

Discuss your work as writers at various points during the term

You might present papers seminar-style to the class, collaborate on assignments, post research on the web, or otherwise read and respond to one another's work.

Reflect on and improve your work as writers

You might revise some of your writings in response to comments from their instructor, or write a series of papers in response to a set of linked topics or issues, or draft proposals for or submit sections of longer projects, or expand short response papers into longer essays.

Consider the roles and uses of writing in the discipline you are studying

You might analyze the structures of various genres of writing (critical essay, lab report, research article, policy memo, etc.), become familiar with standard forms of documentation, or discuss some of the characteristic styles of argument and discourse in the field.