Preceptors tend to focus on the analytical component of Expos.

"It's a course in argument," says preceptor Anne Fernald, who teaches "The Essay and the Modern World" in Expos 20. "It introduces students to college-level analytic writing."

According to preceptor David S. Gewanter, a published poet who is leaving Expos after six years to accept a tenured appointment at Georgetown University, Expos aims to teach not only writing, but also humility.

"Expos tries to give [first-years] a broad-based introduction to research and text-based analytic writing, which is the basis of a lot of the writing that they'll be required to do in subsequent courses at Harvard," Gewanter says. "It's also a way of students coming to terms with their writing strengths and writing challenges."

Students take a similar view of Expos' mission.

Alexander R. Gildengers '97, who took Gewanter's Expos class, says Expos is an important requirement for first-years who left high school thinking that they knew everything about writing.

"It's a good idea," Gildengers says. "Everyone is pretty high on themselves, and a little humility is a good thing."

In addition to the humbling aspects of Expos, however, students also say that Expos is useful to teach writing.

"The mission that I interpreted was to provide me with writing skills that I could use and build on during my time here," says Lamelle D. Rawlins '99, the president of the Undergraduate Council, who took "The Essay" with preceptor Stephen Donatelli.

But some undergraduates question the effectiveness of the Expos mission.

"I've actually learned more about writing in other classes, like Afro-American Studies 10," Rachel Shacham '97 says.

Shacham says her preceptor taught her more about his particular style of writing than he did about other, more important skills.

"I wouldn't say Expos is a bad class," she says. "I learned something about what a certain type of writing looked like, but that type of writing isn't useful for all classes."

What is Expos?

In its current incarnation, Expository Writing comprises three course components.