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Academic Literacies Program

In accordance with the university’s mission to “engage the world,” the goal of the Academic Literacies Program (ALP) is to help students develop critical thinking and effective writing skills. Among our thirteen university-wide learning goals, competency (English Writing Competencies) states that: “Students will be able to effectively communicate ideas in written English in an articulate and culturally aware manner to the degree expected of a graduate of a quality international liberal arts institution.” Specifically, graduating students will produce writing that:

  • Utilizes the rhetorical style and diction appropriate to their purpose, the context and their audience, which could be multi or non-cultural, culture-specific or culture-general (context, audience & purpose);

  • Demonstrates appropriate use of writing conventions in a specific discipline and/or for a specific writing task, including organization, context, presentation, formatting and stylistic choices (genre & disciplinary conventions / writing in the disciplines);

  • Utilizes high-quality sources and appropriate evidence to develop a coherent and defensible argument (sources & evidence);

  • Uses accurate and effective syntax, word choice and mechanics (control of language);

  • Expresses positions while remaining respectful to alternative views (respect for diversity and pluralism);

  • Follows a process of multiple drafting, and incorporates peer and expert feedback.

To help all students become articulate and culturally aware writers, ALP offers courses that focus on acquiring skills in the above competencies. For faculty, the program provides workshops and guidance on developing writing intensive courses in their disciplines. ALP also works closely with the Writing and Learning Center and to foster independent learning and to support student progress in analytical writing and critical thinking.

Specifically, ALP offers the following courses:

  • WTG 124 Discovering Academic Literacies

  • WTG 128 Expanding Academic Literacies

  • WTG 130 Introduction to Academic Writing

  • WTG 150 Academic Writing: Crossing Borders

  • WTG 200 Advanced Academic Writing: Ethics at Work

Students who place into WTG 124, WTG 128 or WTG 130 must enroll in these courses their first semester at Franklin. Students who place into WTG 150 typically enroll in the Spring semester of their incoming year, after they have completed a First Year Seminar course. Writing-intensive courses at the 200-level and above all have the prerequisite of WTG 150. All students are encouraged to work with their advisor to choose a balanced set of writing requirement courses throughout their Franklin career.