Duke's one-semester, first-year course in Academic Writing (Writing 120), offers students a foundation for and introduction to university-level writing. Writing 120 courses enroll no more than 15 students per section, creating a seminar environment consisting of vigorous class discussion and careful consideration of student writing. The course helps students develop strategies for generating, supporting, and sharing their ideas within a community of scholars.
Writing 120: Academic Writing
As a reflection of Duke’s commitment to intellectual inquiry, Writing 120 provides a foundation for you to learn new kinds of writing, preparing you to identify relevant questions and articulate sophisticated arguments in your future work, both inside and outside the university. You choose from among Writing 120 courses that are designed and taught by scholars trained in disciplines across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Thus, individual sections of Writing 120 often focus on different topics and readings, but all sections share an emphasis on writing as a social process and a commitment to helping students generate effective academic arguments.
Learning Outcomes
- Pursue Inquiry and Construct Arguments
How to foster inquiry and craft arguments, with awareness of disciplinary context, to contribute, challenge, and/or advance knowledge.
- Engage with the Rhetorical Context
How to write with awareness of purpose, how to recognize features and conventions of genre, how to consider the expectations and dispositions of various audiences, and how to account for one’s own commitments as a writer.
- Evaluate and Integrate Evidence
How to locate, evaluate, and cite evidence within disciplinary and/or writing context, how to navigate disinformation and misinformation, and how to recognize primary, secondary, and tertiary evidence.
- Explore the Ethics of Academic Writing
How to cultivate an ethical sensibility with academic writing, including how to write with integrity, use writing-related tools responsibly, represent others conscientiously, and consider multiple perspectives.
- Understand Writing Processes and Writing Transfer
How to approach the writing process—with iterative practice in brainstorming, researching, drafting, providing/receiving feedback, revising, and reflecting—and how to apply, adapt, and or repurpose writing knowledge across varying contexts.
Course Faculty
Writing 120 faculty have doctorates in a variety of disciplines—including Writing Studies, biology, English, history, literature, anthropology, ecology, philosophy, and more—and have completed specialized training in the teaching of writing.