This was my favorite class I took in my first year at UVA. Professor Seitz is the nicest professor, and he genuinely cares about what his students think of the readings he assigns. The class used labor-based grading: if you showed up, participated, and submitted on time, you would get an A. The assigned readings were short and SO interesting. They made me want to participate and hear what my peers thought. I loved this class.

If you have the option, this is easily one of the best ENWR classes you can take. Prof. Seitz is genuinely kind and supportive he is since he creates an environment where you feel comfortable right away. Occasionally, he’ll even hold class outside and bring snacks, which adds to the relaxed vibe.

Most classes are discussion-based, so instead of formal lectures, you spend your time talking through the readings and sharing your own perspectives. There’s no strict participation grading, and the atmosphere feels more like an open, engaging conversation than a typical class.

Grading is done through a labor-based system, where your final grade depends on how much work you choose to complete (for example, completing all assignments earns an A, slightly fewer earns a B, and so on). This approach takes a lot of pressure off worrying about perfection and shifts the focus to consistency.

The course itself is centered on “Exploratory Writing,” which encourages a more personal, informal style. Many of the assignments involve reflecting on your own experiences such as writing about topics like family, connections, or personal regrets, rather than producing traditional academic essays. You also do all your writing IN CLASS. The only work out of class is reading one essay before each class. Such a light workload. Even your essays are all in class. You never have to worry about due dates.

Because the class is relatively small, it’s easy to build connections. By the end, it really feels like a close-knit group. Overall, it was a refreshing break from more demanding courses while still helping me rediscover an appreciation for writing.

Single-handedly, the best ENWR you could choose to take, if given the chance. Firstly, Prof. Seitz is not only highly intelligent, but he is one of the kindest and most understanding professors you will ever meet. Sometimes he'll host class outside and bring his dog with! Class is structured mostly as discussions, so you basically just get to talk about the readings and offer your opinion the whole time. There's no participation grade, and it's very chill-- just like having a good conversation with a group of people. As for grading, Prof. Seitz believes in labor-based grading, meaning you get to decide your grade by choosing how many things to turn in (ex: 10/10 essays is an A, 9/10 essays is a B, etc.), which relieves the stress over the quality of your work. Content-wise, this class is branded as "Exploratory Writing", which basically means that you get to write somewhat informally. The emphasis is on sharing your personal thoughts, kind of like writing in a diary, rather than academic-style writing. For example, we had prompts based on writing about family members, about favorite songs, about something we regret in life, etc.

Being a fairly small class, Prof. Seitz was able to create a classroom environment where we were all friends. I'm staying in touch with a bunch of people I met from this class last semester, and we all agree that this class was a nice reprieve from the stress of all our other classes, even while we learned so much about how to enjoy writing again and not view it as a burden. 1000/10.