PWR Courses
instructor speaking with students

PWR 1 Workshop

Do you think you could benefit from additional support in your writing practice while taking your first-year writing course?  Consider joining the PWR 1 Workshop, a 1-unit credit/no credit course that you take in the same quarter as your PWR 1, ESF, or ITALIC 95W section. In the workshop, you'll continue to develop writing strategies to help you become a more confident writer, both in your writing class and in other contexts.

What is the PWR 1 Workshop?

The PWR 1 Workshop (PWR 1WW) is a community of writers, all enrolled in PWR 1 (or ESF or ITALIC 95W), who are interested in spending additional time each week working closely on their writing style and composing strategies.  Led by a PWR lecturer, but focused on group workshopping and one-to-one consultations, the Workshop gives you time to focus on elements of your writing practice that you're most interested in developing further.  The Workshop is a 1-unit, credit/no credit course; it has no outside-of-class assignments.  It is just a space to work on your PWR 1-related writing. 

In the workshop, you'll work in collaboration with your instructor and your classmates on developing strategies essential to writing situations in PWR 1 and beyond, such as: 

  • developing your writing style
  • interpreting and acting on assignment prompts and instructor feedback
  • reading texts critically
  • developing your brainstorming and drafting process
  • finding, evaluating, and managing sources
  • organizing a long essay
  • improving your research and revision strategies 

What is the difference between the PWR 1 Workshop and the PWR 1 Studio?

Both the PWR 1 Workshop and the PWR 1 Studio are companion courses to PWR 1, ESF, and ITALIC 95W.  Both have similar learning outcomes in helping students develop as writers with a focus on critical reading, composing, and researching strategies.  The PWR 1 Studio, however, is designed specifically for multilingual writers, that is, writers who grew up speaking more than one language.  For more information about the difference between the Workshop and the Studio or to talk about which might be the best fit for you, see the Studio webpage or email pwrcourses@stanford.edu.  If you are a multilingual student, you are welcome to apply to both the Workshop and the Studio, although you will only be accepted into one of these courses.

When is the PWR 1 Workshop next offered?

Dates for the 2024-2025 academic year are below. 

  • Fall quarter 2024:  Wednesdays 1:30pm-2:50pm with Dr. Shannon Hervey-Lentz and Thursdays 3:30pm-4:50pm with Dr. Lisa Swan - Application opens August 29
  • Winter quarter 2025: Wednesdays 3:30pm-4:50pm with Dr. Mutallip Anwar and TBD with Dr. Meg Formato - Application opens November 28; deadline Monday, December 18 at noon.
  • Spring quarter 2025: TBD with Dr. Meg Formato - Application opens March 6

How do I apply?

Our application period for the Winter 2024 workshop will open in early December.

When you apply, you'll be asked to respond to two prompts about your prior experiences with writing as well as the reasons you think you'd benefit from joining the PWR 1 Workshop. 

Questions?  Email pwrcourses@stanford.edu