Writing Across the Curriculum

For academic writers, writing is a way not simply to summarize or communicate ideas, but to discover, refine, and extend them. Whether it’s exams, course papers, journal articles, books, notes, or blogs, academics think and learn through writing.

WAC at SUNY Oswego

The Writing Across the Curriculum Program at SUNY Oswego was established in 1998 by a group of faculty members committed to ensuring that students in every major on campus write frequently, thoughtfully, and effectively in their courses.

The WAC Guidelines created by that group and endorsed by the Faculty Assembly require that students in all majors take at least five writing-intensive courses beyond ENG 102 during their undergraduate careers, including disciplinarily focused seminars at the introductory and advanced levels.

This unusually comprehensive five-course requirement, perhaps unique nationally, signals SUNY Oswego's commitment to writing as the center of intellectual work.

Mission

The Writing Across the Curriculum Program’s mission is to support the faculty teaching those courses with opportunities to reflect on the use of writing in their courses, to facilitate regular departmental review of Writing Plans within majors, and to help develop the general culture of writing on campus.

What Is a WAC Course?

Offered in every major on campus, Writing Across the Curriculum Courses use writing as a central feature of instruction and evaluation. Consistent with the recommendations of the WAC Guidelines, most departments' and programs' Writing Plans contain two sorts of courses:

Disciplinary writing seminars, typically offered at introductory and advanced levels, are intended to give explicit attention to the sorts of writing students are likely to do in their fields: what’s it mean to write as a literary critic, a biologist, or a sociologist? Understood as introductory and capstone experiences, the seminars are expected to incorporate as many of the elements listed below as possible.

Writing-to-learn courses, typically offered between the two WAC seminars, emphasize writing as a means to understanding the course content. They feature regular opportunities for students to write and receive thoughtful and constructive responses from teacher-readers, though enrollment may well be higher than in seminars. The main goal of these courses is to encourage students to write throughout the semester in order to enhance the learning process and sharpen rhetorical skills.

Seminar Elements

Small-group instruction (25 or fewer students), a configuration intended to promote frequent student/teacher interaction and peer discussion.

Development of student skills at verbalization and organization of the course's knowledge content.

A series of writing assignments that require students to undertake a variety of writing tasks, spaced periodically throughout the semester.

At least one assignment, but preferably more, that involves revision as a means of refining the student's understanding of the content.

Evaluation of writing assignments as a major component of grading.

Student/teacher conferences.