Writing

Mission of the Department

  1. Engage students, through innovative and cutting-edge programs,  in writing as a process of making form and meaning, with emphasis on the minutia and vagaries of the writing process; writing as a key to critical thinking; the aesthetical and rhetorical dimensions of texts; and the development of style, voice, and attunement to genre–all elements involved in the creation of high-quality imaginative and factual texts.
  2. Make WestConn a community of writers with department members available as advisors and consultants to other departments to foster genuine writing across the curriculum and play a key role in general education–preparing students to integrate writing in their chosen fields and to exercise a lifelong confidence in their ability to write.
  3. Maintain, enhance, and develop innovative, vibrant graduate programs in writing.
  4. Train graduate students to teach writing.
  5. Train professional writing majors for work in business, publishing in all its facets, and teaching.
  6. Create synergies among all levels of the Writing Department curriculum–from basic (first-year) writing through the graduate level (M.A. and M.F.A.)
  7. Immerse students in the wealth of professional writing activities and talent in the region.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Writing Majors will:

  1. Demonstrate strong critical thinking skills through writing for a variety of audiences, purposes, and situations.

  2. Demonstrate an extensive ability to identify, assess, and perform–in both academic and professional settings–the types of writing for the chosen area of focus, such as creative writing, professional writing, and journalism.
  3. Demonstrate a working ability to identify and perform types of writing outside of the specific area of focus.
  4. Produce a senior portfolio that demonstrates an increasing level of professionalism in writing in terms of choice of topic, application of style, and ability to produce error-free texts.