Writing in the Disciplines

The mission of the Writing in the Disciplines Initiative at Quinsigamond Community College is to promote and expand writing activities on campus by providing guidance and support to faculty, and by working closely with the resource centers that foster student success.

The English Department works to undergird writing in ALL disciplines, with the guiding premise that students will transfer general writing skills into specific fields. Students, of course, have the ultimate responsibility for their writing, but instructors in all areas are the models and authority figures, the “gate-keepers” of their respective fields, and as such, are the key links to specific conventions of their disciplines.

Disciplines have particular contexts, audiences, dialogues, conversations, research, purposes and goals. As students move through their curriculum, they are expected to engage in specific practices modeled in courses and supported by a menu of aids. To that end, the English Department offers WID resources.

Writing in the Disciplines is not simply teaching or reviewing basic grammar and linguistic fluency, it embraces the value of writing as a means of learning. Particular learning goals are, first and foremost, the focus of writing assignments in the various disciplines.