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Classes and Workshops

Overview of BARC Writing Courses

BARC writing classes are open to any student wishing to develop his or her skill at writing academic papers.  Below is an overview of the courses offered this fall: 
  • Essays and Revision (an introductory essay writing class focused on the writing process needed to generate a successful college essay);
  • Essays and Evidence (an advanced essay writing class focused on developing strong arguments and on using textual evidence); and
  • Intensive ESL (a class intended for non-native speakers of English, addressing grammar, vocabulary, and other writing issues, as well as general academic culture).
We highly suggest that students take writing courses early in their time at Bard if they feel they would benefit from extra practice and feedback.  BARC classes are not remedial classes; they require college-level reading and at least 25 pages of finished writing.  All of the classes below are 4-credit classes, but they do not satisfy any distribution requirements. 

Essay and Revision

ARC 205, 4 Credits (R. Scott Partridge)
W/F 1:30-2:50; OLIN 206

Course Description: In this course, we will sharpen our skills at composing and revising academic essays. We will consider close reading strategies, the process of developing an essay—from early invention practices through intensive revision strategies—and pay special attention to developing and supporting claims. We’ll also consider audience and discourse communities, as we respond to complicated issues with clear, convincing arguments. We will seek to do so not by simplifying our thinking, but, rather, by using the format of the essay—particularly structure—to capture and convey our ideas in all their complexity. A total of 25 pages of revised prose will be expected. Students may sign up for this class online but must meet with the professor before completing registration.

This course is designed for students who still need practice in the key elements of essay writing.  It will cover the necessary steps to compose and revise a successful academic essay over the course of several drafts.  It’s ideal for students who have a hard time getting started on their essays and for students whose writing needs more depth.  This course does not explicitly cover ESL, but it might be useful for ESL students who need further practice writing in English and are still adjusting to academic writing here in the U.S.

Essays and Evidence

Peg Peoples; Tu/Th  10:30-11:50; Olin 306; ARC 215, 4 Credits

Course Description: This writing-intensive course will sharpen students’ skills in writing persuasive analytic essays. Paying particular attention to the variety of ways we use other people's voices in our own work—to support, qualify, or broaden the scope of our argument; to get at the underlying assumptions of another writer's claims; or to acknowledge and offer alternate viewpoints—we will examine and practice rhetorical devices available to us as we use textual evidence to convey complex ideas. Our topic this semester will be Modern Memory: we’ll consider the nature and meaning of memory in the modern world and ask such questions as, How does personal memory differ from collective memory? What constitutes an ethical relationship with the past? And what is the role of forgetting in remembering? To develop our ideas, we’ll not only read articles by memory theorists but examine as well a selection of memorials, museums and films.  A total of 25 pages of revised prose will be expected. 
This course – more advanced than ARC 205 – is designed for students who already have an understanding of thesis statements, paragraphs, and essay organization, but who need or want to work on strengthening their analysis, their choice of evidence, and their ability to bring multiple sources into conversation. This class is also for students who want to work on developing more sophisticated arguments.

Intensive ESL

(R. Scott Partridge)  W (HDR 101A)/F (OLINLC 206) 10:30-11:50; ARC 107, 4 Credits

Course Description: Having spent the first semester getting acquainted with the philosophy of and some of the general subjects within a Liberal Arts education, the second semester will introduce students to essay writing while continuing to work on their overall language acquisition and awareness of the academic requirements that are placed upon them by a Liberal Arts curriculum. The second semester contains a heavy emphasis on developing reading and writing skills in order to produce real language samples. These samples allow us to focus in on developing vocabulary, addressing grammar issues, and strengthening their grasp of academic culture.

Note: There will be online writing component for this course. This will include an assignment that will be available on Moodle from 8:00am to 5:30 on Mondays. Successfully completing these assignments will require   approximately 120 minutes of work, and access to a computer. Late work will not be accepted. All work must be submitted on Moodle prior to 6pm on Mondays. Students will be responsible for creating space in their schedule to meet this changed requirement.

More Information

For more information, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact either Peg Peoples or  Scott Partridge.  If students have questions, please refer them to Prof. Peg Peoples, <peoples@bard.edu>.