Professor: Rucavado Course format: Seminar Number of respondents: 16 Total Enrollment: 24 Class Composition: Froshs: 22 Sophs: 1 Jrs: 0 Srs: 0 Concs: 1 Non-Concs: 8 Don't Know: 5

Instructor Average: 1.96 Course Average: 2.08

Whether you know your writing skills could use some work, or you"re just a little uneasy about writing in general, "Introduction to Critical Writing" may be a useful course. Absolutely no experience is necessary; students in the class not only worked on their ability to write clearly and effectively, but also had the opportunity to improve their abilities to think critically and read closely.

Gina Rucavado was a helpful and enthusiastic instructor for the course. She gave students clear and useful suggestions regarding their work, and respondents appreciated her sense of humor and the fact that she related well to them and to any insecurities they might have about their writing skills.

The workload for the course, taking most students no more than two or three hours a week, consisted of a short paper approximately every two weeks, as well as fairly brief reading assignments for each class. Students expected to do more writing themselves, and were surprised (and sometimes disappointed) by the amount of time devoted to reading instead of writing.

Although the chance to improve their writing skills was one of which most students were eager to take advantage, the assignments did not require that much time be devoted to the course. Respondents were satisfied with the improvement in their critical writing skills, and were therefore glad to have taken the course.

Be warned that the emphasis for this course is as much on close reading as on critical writing, but most students found it helpful nevertheless. There were lots of opportunities to participate in class discussions, and the teacher"s feedback was always valuable.

View EL/0001 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.