PWR Courses

PWR 1D: Writing Academic Arguments: The Art of the Essay

Schedule

Note: This course is only offered in the summer.

Units: 3

Grade option: Letter (ABCD/NP) or CR/NC

Prerequisite: None; Enrollment limited to high school students

This course does not meet the Stanford first-year writing requirement.

What distinguishes a truly compelling and persuasive academic essay from a mediocre, formulaic one? How can you not only hook readers but sustain their interest over the course of a well-researched argument? How can you write college-level essays that make readers nod and even smile instead of yawn and nod off?

This course will help you move far beyond the five-paragraph essay. You’ll learn how to craft good research questions, conduct ethical scholarly research, engage counterarguments, and write and revise academic essays. We’ll read and discuss a variety of well-crafted essays, but mainly we’ll focus on your own writing as students in the class. You’ll learn to write a rhetorical analysis of a work that interests you— an essay, film, song, painting, etc. Then you’ll develop a persuasive, research-based essay that explores a topic you feel passionate about.