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Of central importance in a Bates education is the development of each student's confidence and ability as a writer of rigorous and articulate prose, and the critical thinking required to be an effective writer. While many courses and units at Bates require considerable writing, special attention to the craft of writing is given in the courses and units that meet General Education requirements. Since General Education takes into account the development of every student as a writer, students beginning with members of the Class of 2011 take at least three writing-attentive courses at different stages of their Bates career. All first-year seminars and several other courses and units meet the first-level writing-attentive requirement. The second-level writing-attentive courses—taken in the sophomore or junior year—are currently under development. Most upper-level writing-attentive courses are senior thesis courses. For more information on the writing focus of the General Education requirements, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions links for students and faculty.

6/2007