Note: Students seeking a course on essay-writing/nonfiction writing without the affiliation with the Writing Advisors program should take Albert DiBartolemeo's English 135 or Karen's Rile's English 125.
This course is intended to prepare undergraduate writing advisors to work with their peers. Weekly essays and informal writing assignments, along with weekly peer review sessions, give students considerable practice at both writing for readers and becoming an informed, helpful reader for other writers.
The course emphasizes the writing process rather that the written product and focuses, through practice, readings and feedback, on ways of making that process self-conscious. Readings include books about writing by Peter Elbow, William Zinsser, and Richard Lanham as well as a selection of model essays by many contemporary writers. The purpose of the class is to provide students with a repertoire of options for writing and responding and to assist them in making intelligent choices.
The specific topics the course will address include the implications of writing for an audience and for stated purposes. We will also discuss revising, risk-taking in writing, creativity, personality, and style. Throughout the semester, students will work on drafting and revising skills in an effort to make them comfortable with the procedures that lead to high quality, publishable writing.