WI Course Proposal
Submit a proposal for a Writing Intensive (WI) course or section for upcoming semesters.
Overview
Thank you for your interest in the Writing Across The Curriculum (WAC) program at York College! As part of the University-wide WAC initiative, York College's WAC program includes a requirement for undergraduate students to complete a requisite number of Writing Intensive (WI) courses. There are many different WI courses for students to choose from across a wide variety of disciplines, and the WAC program regularly reviews faculty proposals for adding new WI courses or sections to our offering, such that students will have ample choice for including WI courses in their degree-completion plans.
If you are interested in submitting a WI course to be considered for an upcoming semester, please complete the form below. The information collected on this form will enable the Writing Intensive Advisory Committee to review your proposed WI course. This form may be submitted by the instructor of the course or by the chair or coordinator of the department. However, please note that the department chair must be made aware of the proposal, or it will not be approved.
Important: Please review all of the information below regarding all Writing Intensive courses before completing and submitting the proposal form.
Thank you for your help in sustaining a vibrant Writing Across The Curriculum program at York College!
Upcoming Deadline
The deadline for Winter/Spring 2025 Ad Hoc WI courses is September 11, 2024.
- New ad hoc WI sections or courses for Winter/Spring 2025.
- Continuing ad hoc WI sections or courses to begin in Winter/Spring 2025.
- Permanent WI courses submitted to the College Curriculum Committee (please see CCC's instructions)
Please note: As of January 2022, the process for submitting proposals for a permanent WI designation has been revised:
- The proposer of the WI permanent course should work with the department CCC representative on the proposal. When submitting, please alert the chair of the CCC, who will forward the proposal package to the Writing Intensive Advisory Committee (WIAC) to obtain recommendations concerning the WI aspects of the proposal.
If you wish to offer the course as a WI while the permanent WI designation is pending, please follow the ad hoc WI proposal process for each corresponding semester.
WI Course Proposal Types
There are three types of WI course proposals:
New ad hoc
New ad hoc approvals are valid for one semester. Proposals are reviewed for a specific section and instructor who has *not* previously taught the proposed course as WI. A syllabus is required as part of the proposal.
Continuing ad hoc
Continuing ad hoc approvals are valid for one semester. Proposals are reviewed for a specific section and instructor who has previously taught the course as WI. Unless there are changes to the writing aspects of the course, a syllabus is not required as part of the proposal.
Permanent
Permanent WI courses are governed by the college curriculum process with the assistance of the Writing Intensive Advisory Committee (WIAC), and are valid indefinitely. When a WI course is permanently designated, which occurs as part of the annual curriculum update process, every section of that course after the curriculum update is Writing Intensive, and continuing review is no longer necessary. Courses to be permanently designated as WI should be submitted by your department's representative on the Curriculum Committee. A syllabus is required as part of the proposal.
Please note: As of January 2022, the process for submitting proposals for a permanent WI designation has been revised:
- The proposer of the WI permanent course should work with the department CCC representative on the proposal. When submitting, please alert the chair of the CCC, who will forward the proposal package to the Writing Intensive Advisory Committee (WIAC) to obtain recommendations concerning the WI aspects of the proposal.
If you wish to offer the course as a WI while the permanent WI designation is pending, please follow the ad hoc WI proposal process for each corresponding semester.
WI Course Syllabus Criteria
The following items define the characteristics of a Writing Intensive-designated course. They do not exhaust the possibilities for writing in a course, nor are they a mere checklist against which a proposal will be measured. They are intended to assist you with incorporating writing into the course. If you would like to provide an explanation or further information for any of these criteria which the syllabus does not clearly meet, this information can be added at the end of the proposal form.
- The syllabus includes at least one writing-focused learning objective, course objective, or course goal.
- The syllabus includes an explanation to the student (placed in the introductory sections of the syllabus) on 1) the significance of WAC pedagogy as it relates to this course's objectives, and 2) how students will engage with different levels of writing throughout this course (e.g. low-stakes / in-class "writing-to-learn" assignments, mid-stakes writing assignments as part of an in-class exam, high-stakes formal writing assignments with a revision process, etc.). This explanation should be roughly 100 - 250 words.
- The syllabus clearly specifies that the course includes a minimum of ten pages of formal written work. For WI courses, formal written work must include a drafting/revision process and/or smaller assignments that build towards the final draft, where students will have an opportunity to gather and apply instructor feedback before submitting the final draft.
- Course grades are based in significant part on students' written work.
- In addition, for permanent WI courses:
Proposal Form
Please complete the form below for each section/instructor pair that is being proposed to run as a Writing Intensive section or course. Please submit a separate form for each proposal. Beginning in 2019, this is the only form that is required for WI course proposals; please do not submit any additional forms or cover sheets from previous semesters.
Reminder: Writing Intensive courses are evaluated and approved as a section/instructor pair. In some cases, a course with multiple sections may include both non-WI sections and ad hoc WI sections.
Thank You
Thank you for your help in creating and sustaining an important part of the undergraduate curriculum at York College!
If you have any questions, please contact:
- Shoba Parasram, Writing Across The Curriculum Interim Coordinator for Writing Intensive Courses
- Raquel Coy, Writing Across The Curriculum Coordinator for Writing Fellows