Stanford
TeachingWriting

PWR 1 Assignment Sequence

The PWR 1 assignment sequence aims to engage students in the serious practice of academic analysis, college-level research, and argument. The sequence both introduces students to the standards of university-level academic writing and engages them in project-based, individually-designed research. 

Learning Objectives 

Student learning objectives for PWR 1 include the following:

  • Students will develop experience with invention, drafting, rethinking based on feedback, revision, and reflection as they work through the writing process.
  • Students will develop the ability to read and analyze texts rhetorically, taking into account relationships between writer, audience, cultural context, purpose, and argumentative strategies and appeals.
  • Students will develop the ability to compose well-reasoned arguments and write persuasively with audience, purpose, and genre in mind.
  • Students will develop research skills, including the ability to craft a focused research question and to locate, analyze, and evaluate relevant sources, including both print-based and digital sources.
  • Students will develop the ability, in research and writing, to engage a range of sources and perspectives that illuminate a wider conversation about the topic.

Writing assignments

Overall, the total amount of substantively revised, final-draft writing each student should expect to complete per quarter is between 6,000 words (20 pages at 300 words per page) and 7,500 words (25 pages at 300 words per page). Each major writing assignment includes a draft and revision stage as specified by our PWR Commitment to students.  In addition to the three major writing assignments, students may be asked to do a significant amount of informal writing, including free-writing, journaling, online discussions, outlines, parts of drafts, and reflective memos.

The assignment sequence of major graded assignments is as follows:

Weighting the assignments

In terms of weighting these assignments in relation to one another, the Research-based Argument should be worth more than the TiC or the Rhetorical Analysis, and the TiC should be weighted as equal to or greater than the Rhetorical Analysis.  Keep in mind that (as described on this page), the major assignments should be worth at least 80-85% of the class grade; any other grading "buckets" (i.e., academic community participation, informal writing, etc.) should cumulatively account for no more than 15-20% of the total grade for the class, with no single activity or informal writing experience accounting more than 15% of the overall grade for the class.  

See also the student-facing description of the PWR 1 assignment sequence on the PWRcourses website.