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Intensive Writing Credit

The purpose of the Intensive Writing (IW) requirement is to provide students with practice in writing, preferably in their major field, under the direction of an instructor well-acquainted with the standards of good writing in that discipline.

Intensive Writing courses must be taught at the 200 level or above by a qualified instructor. In most cases the instructor will be a full-time member of the faculty; under unusual circumstances, the instructor may be a visitor or an advanced graduate student working under the close supervision of a full-time faculty member. Faculty members are encouraged to use the resources of the Campus Writing Program, and all visitors and graduate students will be expected to attend an orientation and training session conducted by that program.

For a course to qualify for IW credit, students must be required to write at least 5,000 words (roughly 20 typed pages), not counting revisions, essay examinations, and informal writing (e.g., journals or brief response statements). Students must receive periodic evaluations of their writing, and they must be required to redraft one or more papers in light of the instructor’s comments. Ordinarily, students will write a series of papers over the course of a semester, not one long term paper. A single long paper (for example, an honors thesis) may be acceptable, however, if it is drafted in sections that are reviewed during the semester and if the entire paper is extensively revised at least once before the course ends. The instructor is expected to provide feedback that addresses both the subject matter of a paper and the analysis and presentation of this subject matter, recognizing that these entities are always intertwined. Instructors should tell students at the beginning of the class that they will receive two grades, one for their mastery of the course and another—for the quality of their writing—that indicates whether they have satisfied (S) or not satisfied (N) the Intensive Writing component.

Classes designated for automatic IW credit are limited to no more than 25 students. In larger classes, a small number of seats may be set aside for students who will fulfill an IW component in conjunction with the regularly assigned work in the course. That is, with prior approval of the College, faculty may allow up to 25 students in a larger class to fulfill their IW requirement by completing additional assignments that will bring the general written requirements of the course up to the standards for IW classes. (The recommended format for Intensive Writing requests can be found here .)

Alternatively, with departmental and College approval, students may meet the requirement in conjunction with individualized readings courses, supervised research, internships, or honors theses, as long as the total amount of writing, the structure of the writing assignments, and the criticism provided by the faculty member all meet the guidelines for IW. Students can find the necessary form—Proposal to Satisfy Intensive Writing by Special Arrangement—on the Web . The proposal must be filled out and signed by the course Instructor and endorsed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the student’s major department. The request is then evaluated by the College, and the student will be notified of approval or denial. Intensive Writing credit will not be awarded for written work in courses not listed as carrying Intensive Writing unless arrangements are completed and approved by the College by the end of the second week of instruction for regular semester-length classes, by the end of the first week of a particular eight-week session, and by the end of the first week of classes taught in a particular summer session.

The College of Arts and Sciences will not grant IW credit for course work taken outside of IU. Course work from another campus of IU may be considered for IW credit if the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the student’s major department specifically requests it in writing. The request must be accompanied by evidence that a student successfully completed writing assignments comparable to those employed in the department’s own IW courses. To make that determination, the Director of Undergraduate Studies must review papers that were prepared for the course in question, noting the sort of writing that was required and the nature of the feedback provided by the instructor for the course. Without that information, requests for using work done at another IU Campus to meet the IW requirement will be denied. Students can find the necessary form—Proposal to Satisfy Intensive Writing with a Course Taken at Another IU Campus—on the Web . If the course is endorsed as IW by the student’s major department, the request is then evaluated by the College, and the student will be notified of approval or denial.

Remember Each time an IW course section is scheduled, the department’s scheduling officer must notify the Registrar (by using the Registrar’s Report Code Value “BLIW” and placing a check mark on the IW requirement designation line) that it is offered for IW credit.

• A list of courses that have been approved by the College to carry IW.