What you learn in Expos courses about how to use a prompt
Most assignment prompts in Expos ask students to write in a specific genre (single-source analysis, comparative analysis, lens/test a theory, research essay, capstone presentation), while using specific sources, writing for specific audiences, using specific styles, and so on. In addition, the prompts for major assignments break the writing process down into smaller steps, such as response papers, drafts, and revisions (and maybe intermediary steps, e.g., annotated bibliographies or proposals).
The stable vocabulary students learn in Expos to communicate about writing—in prompts, workshops, conferences, and written feedback—is The Elements of Academic Argument, and the elements you see here in the left sidebar are drawn directly from that same list of terms. Click on any of the elements in the sidebar for an overview of why they're important and how to recognize them when you see them in a prompt.
Skills that transfer beyond Expos
Knowing how to unpack the elements of a writing prompt and break the writing process down into more manageable steps is immensely valuable, and a lot of the practice you get with this in Expos will translate directly into other courses. That being said, some prompts need more "decoding" than others to unpack everything, and it's maybe been a while since you've done it (or maybe you're in your first term and haven't taken Expos). No worries: the assignment prompt decoder exercise will walk you through the process of unpacking and breaking down just about any writing prompt.
