Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Writing Enriched Curriculum

The Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC) is a department- and program-based requirement for integrating writing and writing instruction. WEC takes the idea that communication is best taught in specific contexts that matter to students, not as an abstract skill disconnected from their passions. HWS Faculty voted to approve the Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC) process in 2015; implementation began in 2016.

WEC begins with each HWS department and program, with the support of a writing studies specialist, reflecting on how they already teach communications skills (including writing, critical thinking, speaking and listening, visual literacy, and digital communications) within the context of their major. Next, and with institutional support, each department and program works together to develop a Writing Plan for their major.

(Text below adapted from Final Curriculum Proposal, 2015, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.)

Writing plans are designed to address a set of shared questions:

• How can writing in this major be characterized?
• What writing abilities should students in the major be able to demonstrate upon graduation?
• How can writing instruction be most effectively sequenced into the major's curriculum so that graduating students are able to demonstrate desired writing abilities?
• What assessment strategies would the faculty like to see in place? What sorts of support do faculty need in order to achieve the optimal integration of writing instruction?

The WEC model ensures that the teaching of writing

• can be integrated into each department and program in a way that enhances the mission of the major,
• ensures that students encounter writing instruction and writing experiences in multiple courses at multiple points throughout their HWS career,
• allows "writing" to be defined quite broadly, since writing plans may also include digital competencies, information literacy skills, research techniques, oral communication, visual literacy, critical reading, critical thinking skills, and other key characteristics.

Students in each major will be able to identify the specific writing characteristics and abilities they are developing. This will help them to identify and think critically about how to approach new writing situations, to identify their strengths and challenges as communicators, to better understand the purpose and value of their major, and to speak specifically about the communication skills they gained upon graduation.

The WEC Team

Hannah Dickinson
Associate Professor, Writing and Rhetoric; Director, Writing Enriched Curriculum
dickinson@hws.edu
Smith Hall
(315) 781-3352

Susan Hess
Assistant Director, Writing Enriched Curriculum
shess@hws.edu
Rosensweig Learning Commons, Library
(315) 781-3787

Cheryl Galvani
Administrative Coordinator, Writing Enriched Curriculum
galvani@hws.edu
(315) 781-4541

Writing Plans

Writing Plans are developed by the faculty in each department and define the competencies that each student in the program needs to establish through the writing enriched curriculum.

Testimonial

"Identifying with my colleagues the forms of writing we value and expect from our seniors and then working backward to think about how and when we can help to build those skills throughout our curriculum has been an important process. It has made me far more intentional and thoughtful about the way I craft assignments and communicate expectations to my students, and helped my students to better appreciate why certain writing conventions are important to learn. I am excited to see what will happen now that we are working toward some common goals across our courses, and look forward to seeing a cumulative effect on student writing over the next couple of years." - Stacey Philbrick Yadav, Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science

CONTACT

Hannah Dickinson
Director, Writing Enriched Curriculum
dickinson@hws.edu
Smith Hall
(315) 781-3352