Writing Program

Overview

Writing is thinking. At a liberal arts college, you will write constantly to discover, deepen understanding, and communicate your thinking to a variety of audiences throughout all four years.

The Writing Program administers the Emily Balch Seminars, the Writing Center, and Multilingual Writing. We offer elective courses, individualized peer instruction, and workshops to supplement the academic writing instruction that you receive across the curriculum and to help you explore other forms of writing for public and professional audiences.

Curriculum

First Years & Sophomores: All first-year students take an Emily Balch Seminar in the fall. Successful completion of a writing seminar with a grade of 2.0 or higher fulfills the first-year writing requirement.

Non-native speakers and students for whom English is an additional language will benefit from taking a companion course, WRIT 120: Workshop for Multilingual Writers, alongside the Emily Balch Seminar. Directed self-placement in consultation with the Director of Multilingual Writing takes place over the summer.

In the spring, students who want to continue to hone their writing skills may take a 100-level elective writing course, such as WRIT 190. The Writing Program also offers elective courses at the 200-level for multilingual writers.

Juniors & Seniors: All students must fulfill a requirement for writing in the discipline set by their major departments. Some departments require students to take one writing-intensive (WI) course, while other departments require two writing-attentive (WA) courses. In addition, many departments require students to write a senior thesis or undertake a capstone project that includes writing. Consult your major department for details.

Academic Opportunities

The Writing Center

The Writing Center is the physical hub of the Writing Program where we offer free, individual conferences, workshops, and events to celebrate writing at Bryn Mawr. Students bring in writing assignments of all kinds at any stage in the process to consult with a friendly, trained peer. Our non-judgmental peer tutors facilitate the writing process by listening, asking questions, suggesting strategies, and guiding you through drafting and revising.

Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a passion for writing, mentoring, and teaching may apply to work at the Writing Center. Student employees are paid to learn about writing and tutoring and have the opportunity to participate in writing center studies research projects and present at academic conferences.

In Other Words

In Other Words: Bryn Mawr in Translation is an online journal that highlights the rich linguistic diversity of our campus community by featuring works in translation. Multilingual students serve as editors and contributors.

WRIT B120 Workshop for Multilingual Writers (1 Unit)

Prerequisite(s): Only Bryn Mawr students are permitted to register.

This course offers non-native speakers of English a chance to develop their skills as college writers. Through frequent practice, class discussion, and in-class collaborative activity, students will become familiar with the writing process and will learn to write for an academic audience. Student writers in the class will be guided through the steps of composing and revising college essays: formulating questions; analyzing purpose; generating ideas; structuring and supporting arguments; marshalling evidence; using sources effectively; and developing a clear, flexible academic voice. Writers will receive frequent feedback from peers and the instructor. Placement in WRIT B120 will be done on the basis of a writing sample.

College Requirement(s): Course does not meet an Approach

Typically Offered: Every Fall

WRIT B190 Writing Workshop (1 Unit)

This course offers students who have already taken an Emily Balch Seminar an opportunity to expand their skills as writers. Through frequent practice, class discussion, and in-class collaborative activity, students will become familiar with all aspects of the writing process and will develop their ability to write for academic and non-academic audiences. The class will address a number of writing issues: formulating questions; generating ideas; structuring and supporting arguments; using sources effectively; and developing a clear, flexible voice. Students will meet regularly with the course instructor to discuss their work. Prerequisite: Open to all Bryn Mawr students; other students may register with permission from the instructor.

College Requirement(s): Critical Interpretation (CI)

Typically Offered: Every Spring

WRIT B220 Multilingualism in the US (1 Unit)

This writing course, intended for multilingual students, explores the complex intersections among language use, power, and identity in everyday life in the U.S. Students will explore the sociolinguistic and sociocultural dynamics of prominent cultural groups in the U.S. and gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of speakers of more than one language variety. Topics will include linguistic justice, language use by refugees and immigrants, Deaf culture and ASL, Native American languages, Spanish language variety, and Asian languages. Reading and writing assignments will emphasize analysis and interpretation and support students’ continued development of academic vocabulary, rhetorical techniques, and grammatical accuracy.

College Requirement(s):

Critical Interpretation (CI)
Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)
Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Writing in the Major: Writing Intensive

Typically Offered: Every Spring

WRIT B230 In Other Words: Editing for Multilingual Writers (1 Unit)

In Other Words: Editing for Multilingual Writers introduces students to the theory and practice of editing, publishing, and writing in multilingual contexts. Focusing on the work of multilingual writers, students will develop skills in developmental editing, copyediting, and revision while examining how language, identity, and audience shape written communication across cultures. Through hands-on editorial work, students will collaboratively produce an issue of In Other Words, a digital publication featuring multilingual translations. Course topics include language difference and World Englishes, code-switching, translation, peer review, genre conventions, and professional publishing practices. Students will compose, revise, and edit texts for diverse audiences while gaining experience in the full process of publication, from proposal to final piece.

College Requirement(s):

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)
Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Typically Offered: Every other Spring

WRIT B280 The Teaching of Writing (1 Unit)

This Praxis II course is designed for students interested in teaching or tutoring writing at the high-school or college level. The course focuses on the relationship between theory and practice and how writing instruction differs in different contexts. Students will examine foundational composition theories and explore current issues in the teaching of writing. In the second half of the course, students will apply what they have learned by designing teaching materials for a context of their choice or developing a learning module for use by ESem students and instructors.

Tagged with: Praxis Program

College Requirement(s):

Course does not meet an Approach
Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Typically Offered: Every other Spring

Academic Catalog

Writing Program

Overview

Curriculum

Academic Opportunities

The Writing Center

In Other Words

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