Humanities

Writing well is an essential ingredient in the learning process of any subject. While you're here at NSU, we're trying to help you to grow and develop your abilities to think and communicate. Writing is not just an activity for an English or writing class. Writing helps you discover ideas, uncover your beliefs, and make sense of information and knowledge so you'll be prepared to speak and write and interact with your peers, both in and out of the college situation.

The kinds of assignments you'll get will vary depending on the class and the instructor. But here are some common ones:

• Your philosophy instructor might ask you to read a chapter in your textbook and summarize it using your own language.
• Your history instructor might tell you to research a major figure from the time period you're studying and write a letter to him/her.
• Your chemistry professor may have you write a narrative description or justification to accompany the results of your labwork.

Almost anything you can be asked in class can turn into a writing assignment.

Your instructor is a well-trained professional in his or her field. Even if your instructor isn't a writing or English professor, he or she has been reading, writing, and--more importantly--grading students' work for years. Additionally, your instructor is not necessarily going to grade your writing in the same way an English or writing instructor might. Often your instructor is looking to see if you understand the material being discussed or covered. Or your instructor is trying to see if you can explain a concept or idea to another reader. Grammar always plays a role because flaws in grammar, sentence construction, etc., can impede the delivery of information to any reader. Chances are your instructor will discuss specifically what he or she needs from you in a particular essay or writing assignment. If you are not sure what is expected of you for a particular writing assignment, don't be shy about asking your instructor.

In all cases, make sure you first ask your individual instructor for guidance. It's very likely that he or she will be able to answer exactly what you're looking for. However, if you're looking for further writing help, visit the Office of Academic Services, where free writing tutoring is available, both in person and online. They are located on the first floor of the Parker Building, and you can reach them at (954) 262-8350.

Writing well is an essential ingredient in the learning process of any discipline. While we teach our specialties, we also are teaching to a larger purpose. The idea behind writing across the curriculum is that students who write in a course are more likely to retain the information taught and be able to understand it in more sophisticated ways than without writing about it. WAC also stresses that faculty members in all disciplines are responsible for helping students learn how to communicate well. It is unreasonable to expect that after one or two semesters of writing classes, students are excellent writers. Writing is a skill that must be continually practiced, and the best way to do this is have students write in all their classes. By encouraging our students to read, think, and write, we are preparing them for life outside the classroom walls.

There are traditionally two categories of writing assignments: Writing to Learn and Writing in the Disciplines. Writing to Learn (WTL) can occur any time a student "thinks" on paper. Any time a student writes a short answer explanation of a theory, or responds in a paragraph or two to an exam question, he or she is writing to learn. Any instructor can apply WTL theory in a class through short assignments in class. Writing in the Disciplines (WID) involves longer writing assignments that test the writer's ability within his/her own field. If you're a history instructor, for example, you might ask your students to research a major figure in a period of history and have that student write a report that charts the figure's major effects on his/her country or surroundings. Think of WID assignments as longer, more involved writing done outside of class that is specifically relevant to the course discipline.

The most common worry for non-WRIT professors is that they aren't qualified to grade writing. Professors in all fields have great facility in reading and writing, and obviously they know their own field and discipline very well. They are perfectly prepared to assign, grade, and respond to writing assignments from within their own classes. Still, our colleagues usually ask us: Do I have to know grammar to grade my students' papers? Well, some grammar never hurts, but it's a misperception that writing across the curriculum is some veiled attempt to get history professors to teach punctuation and grammar. Our writing across the curriculum program is designed to allow students and faculty to explore and learn better. You should make sure you're acting as a reader first, not a grader. Don't let the GRADING of an essay get in the way of you interacting with the text and the ideas of your author. If your main interest in a student's essay is the content and the strength of the ideas, then don't spend 90% of your time searching for comma faults. However, if grammar gets in the way of your understanding of the paper, then it's a problem and should be considered in the final grade of a paper. You also should discuss your own goals with your students before and during the essay. WRIT professors often hear the concern from students that they don't know what kind of essay their history, philosophy, or psychology professor wants. Again, you don't have to take much time away from your "regular" classwork. Simply give them an idea of the kind of writing you're expecting. If that means clipping a general interest article from a magazine, do that. If you have a previous sample student essay, why not show them that? It's also not unheard of for a professor to write his/her own sample to provide direction. It's amazing how much more at ease a student writer feels when he/she knows what faculty members expect.

To see some examples of current writing assignments that faculty in various disciplines are using, click here.

Here at NSU there is plenty of writing help available to students in all disciplines. The place to start is the Office of Academic Services. They are located on the first floor of the Parker Building, and they offer free writing tutoring, both in-person and online, to NSU students.

Marlisa Santos, Ph.D., director of the Division of Humanities, is the contact person for WAC. You can reach her through the Division of Humanities office at (954) 262-8200.