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Courses
Explore the courses offered by this organization.
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The Program in Writing and Rhetoric opens in a new tab (PWR), housed within the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE), plays a central role in Stanford’s commitment to undergraduate education. PWR designs and teaches the courses that fulfill Stanford’s undergraduate Writing and Rhetoric requirements as well as intermediate and advanced classes. Grounded in the philosophy that writing serves as a powerful tool for discovery and exploration, self-expression, and civic participation, the program helps students cultivate their unique voices, analyze persuasive strategies in a wide array of scholarly and popular texts, and develop rigorous, research-based arguments.
The Faculty Senate has structured the undergraduate writing requirement around two foundational courses:
PWR 1: This first-year course focuses on the elements of academic argument. Students learn to develop an argumentative thesis and support the thesis with evidence and sound reasoning, analyze varied purposes and audiences, and make strategic organizational and stylistic choices. The course emphasizes research-based writing, requiring students to conduct significant research and deploy primary and secondary sources to build persuasive arguments.
PWR 2: This sophomore-level course builds on the foundational work completed in PWR 1 by integrating oral and multimedia presentations into the research process. Students explore the dynamic relationship between writing and speaking, learning to use visual and multimedia elements to present their research and scholarship effectively.
PWR classes are small, seminar-based, and highly interactive. Students complete a minimum of three major assignments per course, including written essays (ranging from 5 to 15 pages) and oral presentations (ranging from 3 to 10 minutes), with an intensive focus on drafting, rehearsal, and revision. PWR courses supplement In-class workshops with peer feedback and a minimum of two individual or small-group conferences with the instructor each quarter.
Beyond the classroom, PWR supports a vibrant communication ecosystem across Stanford. This includes overseeing the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, which provides free, individual tutoring for all Stanford students on writing and oral presentations. Through these combined resources, PWR empowers students to become effective, ethical communicators both at Stanford and in their future lives and careers.