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Writing 5 Learning Outcomes

WRIT 5 introduces Dartmouth students to critical writing and treats writing not primarily as an instrument for communication but as a practice, a practice of thinking, by means of which ideas are discovered, examined, compared, evaluated, refined, and promoted. To learn to write critically is to learn to think critically, and that is the core value of a liberal arts education. 

Creating and Producing

Upon completing Writing 5, you should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Craft a strong, supportable claim to guide your paper, and represent that claim in a short statement (often called a thesis).

  • Support your claim with an evidence-based argument, choosing the best evidence, organizational structure, and rhetorical strategies for that argument.

  • Express complex ideas with clear, concise language, paying attention to voice and audience.

  • Participate in an academic conversation with both peers and scholars by engaging with, responding to, incorporating and appropriately attributing the ideas of others.

Inquiring, Interpreting, Integrating

Upon completing Writing 5, you should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Ask questions that inquire into the complex issues of the course.

  • Read critically, recognizing and questioning texts and other objects.

  • Assess the reliability of research sources.

  • Gather information through critical reading and research, distinguishing unsupported opinion from evidence-based argument.

  • Analyze information in the context of relevant social and scholarly conversations.