The Writing Minor
It is the responsibility of the University to see that its graduates are able to communicate effectively and to write proficiently. As part of the institutional commitment to its students as they enter careers in academia or the professions, it is essential that students be given opportunities to develop their communication skills and to prepare them for fluency in language use and writing. A minor in writing addresses the necessity for continuing to engage students in the writing process and for encouraging students to develop as writers within academic and pre-professional communities.
By offering a wide variety of courses in writing, the minor provides students with extensive opportunities for professional development within and across the disciplines as well as preparation in academic discourse. Each course emphasizes writing as a process and iterates the importance of gaining sophistication in criticism and analysis. The writing minor courses propose challenging and rigorous assignments while facilitating students' abilities to research, synthesize, innovate and create. Students who participate in the writing courses will be able to apply these intellectual approaches to any course that they take at the University. Within the writing minor courses, students demonstrate individual responsibility for the production of written work and are able to recognize the parameters of intellectual property and the seriousness of their endeavors as writers. This sense of responsibility enriches students' writing and enhances the work they produce in other courses.
In addition, the writing minor allows students to improve their understanding of the theoretical, disciplinary, interdisciplinary and professional aspects of writing and to develop the vocabulary, syntax, style and voice appropriate to the practice of composition in diverse fields. By engaging in a continuous process of writing, students discover the potency of their ideas, and that writing is influential, whether in the pursuit of research, the creation of policy, or by the nuances of creative writing. The writing minor fosters an attitude of respect for language, for the contributions of peers and for the value of effective communication.
The minor in writing is open to—and appropriate for—students majoring in any field. The rigors of completing the writing minor will prepare students who plan to go on to graduate work for the challenges of advanced academic writing. By representing the student's intensive work in writing, the minor will also signal to prospective employers the student's distinguished preparation for the demands of the professional workplace.
Requirements
Students can follow one of two tracks in the minor, focusing either on Professional Writing or Creative Writing.
To complete the minor, students must take at least five courses:
• One lower-division course from the following list :
WRI 25 (Introduction to Creative Writing)
WRI 30 (Introduction to Professional Writing)
• One required upper-division course
WRI 100 (Advanced Writing)
• Three upper division courses from the following list:
WRI 105 (Language and Style)
WRI 110 (Tutor Training)
WRI 115 (Science Writing)
WRI 125 (Topics in Creative Writing)
WRI 130 (Topics in Professional Writing)
(With an instructor's permission, students may repeat WRI 125 and WRI 130 as their specific topics change.)