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The PLHC Writing Portfolio and Honors Writing Courses

The PLHC Writing Program serves as a centerpiece for our students’ academic pursuits and includes a required Writing Portfolio and offers a wide variety of required and elective honors writing courses.

Writing Portfolio: Each honors student is required to maintain an individual writing portfolio, housed in the office of the Director of Writing. The portfolio opens with the two essays submitted with the honors entrance application, and the student then submits a minimum of two essays each year. The Director, using a general grading rubric, scores all essays. The portfolio enables the student and the Writing Director to chart areas of concern and progress. Upon graduation, the student receives his or her portfolio and a brief assessment of the student’s writing strengths and progress.

Honors Writing Courses: All four-year honors students are required to take Honors 1100—Freshman Composition, unless the student has earned advanced credit before entering the college. The class meets the campus-wide freshman composition requirement. Designed to meet the specific needs of honors writing, this class provides individual attention in a seminar setting.

All transfer students must take Honors 3100—Writing the City, which satisfies the campus-wide, junior-level writing requirement. Some students may be excused from this honors requirement if their majors require other writing courses. Students should check with their honors advisors regarding this requirement and their majors. Four-year students may take Honors 3100 to satisfy their junior-level writing requirement. Like Honors ll00, Honors 3100 offers a relaxed atmosphere yet challenges students to tackle writing development in their majors.

All honors students must take Honors 4100—Writing Portfolio, a one-hour independent writing course. Taken during one of their last two semesters before graduation, this practical and popular course offers individual attention and options to work on graduate school applications, resumes, senior seminar papers, and/or the honors portfolio. Students should be sure their portfolios are complete and on file before beginning this course. Once students enroll in this class, the instructor will communicate with them by their student email accounts regarding required presentations on various topics and due dates for the required work for this course.

Other Honors Writing courses are offered each semester. These include various creative writing courses, independent writing projects and a workshop for the publication of Bellerive, the PLHC creative writing book. Most all of the writing courses count for the Writing Certificate offered by the English Department of UM-St. Louis. Again, for more information on the Writing Certificate or Honors Writing courses, students should see their honors advisors.

Individual Assistance with Writing: The Director of Writing grades and reviews each honors student’s writing portfolio, as well as maintains open office hours to assist students with their writing questions, difficulties, and ideas. Students may stop by for quick assistance or schedule a formal appointment. For more information on the PLHC writing program, please see the Honors Student Handbook.