The Arts & Sciences Writing Program

Through its courses and tutorials, the Writing Program helps BU undergraduates acquire writing and communication skills and more general habits of mind essential both to their full participation in the intellectual life of the University and to their future personal, professional, and civic lives.

Learning Outcomes

CAS WR 111 Academic Writing for ESL Students 1 teaches ESL students to use effective strategies for reading college-level texts and for acquiring new vocabulary in academic contexts; to build a logical analytical argument in a short essay; to express ideas using a controlled range of structures; to identify and practice various writing styles and formats; to fluently perform classroom language functions; to understand the culture of the American academic classroom; to acquire knowledge of grammar and basic meta-language; and to perform meta-cognitive and self-reflective tasks.

CAS WR 112 Academic Writing for ESL Students 2 teaches ESL students to read academic texts on varied subjects with accurate comprehension and intellectual discernment; to recognize and use the conventions of expository and argumentative discourse; to develop the tools to critique academic texts, including the ability to identify and critique thematic and rhetorical structures; to write grammatically correct prose, using appropriate diction; to plan, write, and revise academic papers with structural accuracy, clarity, coherence, and attention to stylistic features of written English; to understand American academic conventions; to develop the ability to respond to the writing of others; and to use effective strategies for self-editing.

CAS WR 120 First-Year Writing Seminar teaches students to read a range of genres with understanding, appreciation, and critical judgment; to express themselves orally and converse thoughtfully about complex ideas; to craft responsible, considered, and well-structured written arguments; to produce clear, coherent prose in a range of genres and styles, using different media and modes of expression as appropriate; to plan, draft, and revise efficiently and effectively, and help their peers do the same by responding productively to their work; and to reflect on their own reading, writing, and editing practices.

CAS WR 150 Writing, Research & Inquiry builds on the skills cultivated in WR 120 and teaches students to strategically search for and select both scholarly and non-scholarly sources and read them with understanding, appreciation, and critical judgment; to engage a range of sources in order to address research questions and to communicate findings in the form of responsible, considered, and well-structured written arguments; and to reflect on how research, reading, writing, and editing practices differ for varied audiences, genres, and purposes.

CAS WR 151 Writing, Research & Inquiry with Oral and/or Signed Expression builds on the skills cultivated in WR 120 and teaches those covered in WR 150. It also places special emphasis on teaching students to express themselves orally and converse thoughtfully about complex ideas, recognizing and cultivating the vital connections between oral and written communication.

CAS WR 152 Writing, Research & Inquiry with Digital/Multimedia Expression builds on the skills cultivated in WR 120 and teaches those covered in WR 150. It also places special emphasis on engaging with sources in different modes and media and developing an understanding of the capabilities of various communication technologies.

Requirements

All students entering as freshmen in Fall 2018 and after will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, a general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements are flexible and can be satisfied in many different ways, through coursework in and beyond the major (or minor) and, in some cases, through co-curricular activities. Students who take CAS WR 120 and either CAS WR 150, WR 151, or WR 152 will satisfy Hub requirements in First-Year Writing and Writing, Research & Inquiry. Those who take WR 151 will receive an additional Hub unit in Oral and/or Signed Communication, and those who take WR 152 will receive an additional Hub unit in Digital/Multimedia Expression.

For other ways of fulfilling the First-Year Writing (CAS WR 120) and Writing, Research & Inquiry (CAS WR 150, 151, or 152) requirements, see the BU Hub Bulletin page.

Placement Notes

  • Students who submit TOEFL scores or other proof of English language proficiency as part of their applications for admission to Boston University will be placed into CAS WR 111, CAS WR 112, or CAS WR 120, based on their performance on a placement test.
  • Students who are not required to take the writing placement test will be placed into CAS WR 120, though they may elect to take the test and receive a recommended placement.