Information
about Requirement | Key Dates | Petitions
to Change PWR Quarter
The
New Writing and Rhetoric Requirement for Incoming Frosh
The new writing
requirement approved by the Faculty Senate in May 2001 was implemented
in Fall 2003. The incoming frosh in this year’s class are
the third group of students to fulfill the new requirement.
The new writing
requirement includes courses at three levels. All new frosh will
complete the first-level PWR 1 course in their first year and the
second-level PWR 2 course (or another WR 2 course approved by the
Writing and Rhetoric Governance Board for this purpose) by the end
of their sophomore year. The only exceptions to
this policy will be students who enroll in and complete SLE and those
who transfer in writing courses that are approved as equivalent to
PWR courses by the Office of External Credit in the Registrar’s
Office. AP English exam credit does not determine placement
in PWR courses or fulfill any part of the requirement. The third-level
required course will be a Writing
in the Major (WIM) course taught in the major department. (Note: Transfer
students who enter Stanford after Fall 2005 will be required to complete
all three parts of the requirement.)
PWR offers
approximately 110 sections of the first-level four-unit PWR 1 course
each year, taught in a seminar/workshop format with no more than
15 students in each class. These small classes allow time for individual
consultations with instructors and for extensive revision of the
students' analytical and research-based writing.
PWR 2, the second-level
four-unit course, is also offered each quarter. In PWR 2, building
on the analytical and research-based writing providing the focus
of PWR 1, students continue to develop and carry out substantial
research projects, with additional emphasis on how best to present
their findings. Students in PWR 2 learn how to evaluate the research
presentations of others and to develop effective oral, written, and
multimedia presentations of their own. In addition, PWR 2 provides
opportunities for students to conduct diverse kinds of research (e.g.
field research) and to work in an expanded range of genres.
When new students
arrive on campus and receive their Academic Assignment Sheet, they
will be assigned to a quarter (fall, winter, or spring) in which
to enroll in their PWR 1 course, as well as a quarter in their
sophomore year in which to enroll in their PWR 2 (or certified WR
2) course. Before the student's assigned PWR quarter begins, s/he will
receive an email from the PWR office outlining the registration deadlines
and procedures. At the same time, the section descriptions of all classes
to be offered the following term will be posted on the PWR web site.
Each student should consult the site to preview the section offerings,
identify those that best match her/his interests, and submit her/his
top seven choices online. Once assignments to specific sections are
made and before the beginning of the quarter, the PWR section assignment
will be added to the student's Axess Study List. If a student submits
a petition to change her/his section assignment, the update will
be made on AXESS within the first two weeks of the quarter. The PWR
office makes all the enrollment updates on AXESS; no PWR
sections will be open on AXESS for the students to enroll in directly.
If a student decides to withdraw from a PWR course during the quarter,
the student must visit the PWR office to petition to withdraw and
to be reassigned to another quarter.
Key
Dates and Deadlines for Fall 2006 Enrollment in PWR Sections
Tuesday, September 19, 12 noon: Section Preference Form opens on-line.
Follow the links on http://pwr.stanford.edu/courses to view section descriptions
and submit preferences.
Friday, September 22, 7 p.m.: Deadline
to submit Section Preference Form.
Saturday, September 23, 7 p.m.: Section
assignments are posted on this web page.
Saturday, September 23, 7 p.m.: Petition
to Change Section Assignment Form opens on this web page.
Sunday, September 24, 5 p.m.: Petition
to Change Section Assignment Form closes.
Sunday, September 24, 7 p.m.: Petition
to Change Section Assignment results are posted. All previous petitions
are erased. Petition Form re-opens until 5 p.m. Monday.
Monday, September 25: Instruction Begins. Attendance
of your assigned PWR section is mandatory for all of the first three
class sessions. Failure to attend will result in an automatic drop
from the section.
Monday, September 25, 5 p.m.: Petition
to Change Section Assignment Form closes. Results are posted at 7 p.m.
All previous petitions are erased. Petition Form re-opens until 5 p.m.
Tuesday.
Tuesday, September 26, 5 p.m.: Petition
to Change Section Assignment Form closes. Results are posted at 7 p.m.
All previous petitions are erased. Petition Form re-opens until 5 p.m.
Tuesday.
Wednesday, September 27, 5 p.m.: Petition
to Change Section Assignment Form closes. Results are posted at 7 p.m. If
you still need to change your section assignment, please come to the
PWR office (460-223) during our regular office hours.
Thursday, September 28: Students with
PWR scheduling conflicts should come to the PWR office in Building
460, Room 223 from 8 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, September 28: AXESS
updated. Current section assignments are posted to the AXESS study
list.
Thursday, October 5: FINAL
AXESS update. Final section assignments are added to Spring Quarter
study lists.
Petitions
for Changes in Quarter Assignment
If students have irreconcilable scheduling problems involving
their PWR 1 and/or PWR 2 quarter assignments, they may petition for
a change of quarter assignment. Please advise your students that such
changes should only be requested for compelling reasons (e.g. the student
will be studying overseas during the quarter in which s/he has been
assigned to PWR 2). Also advise your students that filing a petition
does not automatically change the quarter assignment. Students should
continue the section selection process for the quarter they’ve
been assigned to until PWR responds to their petition. We will do our
best to respond to students’ petitions for quarter changes in
a timely manner.
For questions
about PWR course offerings or for questions about the Writing and
Rhetoric requirement, contact pwrcourses@stanford.edu or
the Program's Associate Director, Marvin Diogenes, at marvind@stanford.edu.
