Department of English

This course is intended for capable writers who possess the maturity and temperament to work successfully as peer tutors at Penn. The course emphasizes the development of tutors' own writing through the process of collaborative peer-criticism, individual conferences, and intensive sessions on writing, from mechanics to style. The class meets twice weekly; tutors also work two hours weekly in the Writing Center or elsewhere, and confer regularly in small groups, or one-on-one meetings with the instructor. Tutors are required to write four papers, eight peer critiques, and two author responses, as well as keep a journal of their classroom and field experiences, and responses to readings. Tutoring training occurs in the classroom as well as onsite, and issues and ideas as well as problems arising out of on-the-job experience in the Center can be brought back to the classroom for discussion. Along with attention to writing, training also addresses communication skills.