Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Writing Colleagues Program

Program Faculty
Amy Green, Co-Director
Hannah Dickinson, Co-Director
Ben Ristow, Co-Director
Cheryl Forbes, Founding Director

The Writing Colleagues Program combines two reciprocal experiences for non-majors as well as WRRH majors:

• Practical experience supporting peers as a trained writing tutor working in a specific course context. Writing Colleagues work across the curriculum and in a host of disciplinary contexts, including FSEMs, introductory-level courses, and sometimes with more experience in upper-division courses.
• Intellectual and writerly experience as a student in the Writing Colleagues Seminar and as a member of the Writing Colleagues Program in course placements, in the social-academic community of the Writing Colleagues Program at HWS, and potentially if selected as a Writing Fellow in the Center for Teaching and Learning after two field placements.

A student is nominated by a faculty or staff member to the Writing Colleagues Program, or they may self-nominate by contacting one of the Writing Colleagues Program Directors. After application, interview, and acceptance, the student enrolls in the Writing Colleagues Seminar course (WRRH 335), following which the student is qualified to work with a professor and students in a field placement in a course. During the placement, the Writing Colleague receives CR/NCR course credit for WRRH 490 (Writing Colleagues Field Placement), attends class meetings, completes readings (but not major assignments/exams), and conducts meetings with students outside of class time. Completion of the Writing Colleagues Program is a valuable way to highlight writing strengths in a student's coursework and in collaboration with faculty and students in the writing process.

Offerings

The Writing Colleagues Program offers both a disciplinary and an interdisciplinary minor. Students who major in Writing and Rhetoric and minor in the Writing Colleagues Program must have a second minor.

Writing Colleagues Minor – Disciplinary

6 courses
Requirements:
WRRH 335 Writing Colleagues Seminar; two WRRH 490 field placements, one of which may be in a first-year seminar; three courses from approved Writing and Rhetoric electives.

Writing Colleagues Minor – Interdisciplinary

6 courses
Requirements:
WRRH 335 Writing Colleagues Seminar; two WRRH 490 field placements, one of which may be in a first-year seminar; one social or natural science elective; two courses from approved Writing and Rhetoric electives.