Writing 2: Rhetoric & Inquiry

Provides declarative knowledge about writing, with a special focus on writing from research, composing in multiple genres, and transferring knowledge about writing to new contexts. 

What is it? Writing 2 is taken in the winter quarter of the first year or later. It focuses on rhetorical strategies for academic writing in various genres. Students are expected to plan and execute research projects and be comfortable with the UCSC Library databases. Writing 2 has 25 students in each class and does not focus on sentence-level skills or provide tutors.

Who is it for? While all students must complete Writing 2 and the C Requirement by the end of their second year, most students do not initially place into Writing 2. Writing 2 assumes proficiency in argumentation, the ability to recognize genres, and previous background in citation. 

What is the workload? In Writing 2, students write 4-5 major projects, typically of 1,000-2,000 words, possibly with a longer final project. This course is fast-paced, and more independent learning, including the reading of complex academic research texts, will be expected.

Current Writing 2 courses are available on the Writing Program website. 

Course outcomes

    1. Compose in more than one genre by responding to rhetorical situations and genre conventions according to readers’ expectations and writers’ purposes.
    2. Ask questions and be guided by a strategic exploration of those questions in order to generate research topics and sustain meaningful inquiry.
    3. Locate relevant source material, evaluate its credibility, and cite it appropriately.
    4. Analyze and synthesize ideas in source material to produce projects that interpret and evaluate their own ideas and assumptions, as well as those of other writers.
    5. Apply strategies when composing, revising, or evaluating their own work that enable them to follow conventions of professional English, such as arrangement, language use, mechanics, or documentation style.
    6. Reflect critically on how to apply their processes for writing and analysis to writing projects in other contexts, within and outside the university.

Catalog description: Provides declarative knowledge about writing, with a special focus on writing from research, composing in multiple genres, and transferring knowledge about writing to new contexts.