Writing Across the Curriculum

Our Mission

Welcome to the William Paterson University Writing Across the Curriculum Program. The premise of W.A.C. is that engaging in writing as a way of making knowledge is how students develop and retain knowledge about any subject. Using writing in the classroom has been proven to facilitate critical thinking, mindfulness, and reflection. Therefore, the role of our WAC program at WPU has been to forward and foster the idea of writing-as-learning in every discipline by supporting faculty in their teaching. Research in Writing Studies demonstrates a direct correlation between WAC programs and student success.

Resources

WAC at WPU has three main resources for faculty, including Pedagogy Workshops, Faculty Writing Groups, and the Celebrating Student Writing Magazine. The goal of the Faculty Pedagogy Workshops is to combine "writing-to-learn" and "writing-in-the-disciplines" as a central component of teaching, focusing on how the subject matter of a course is learned and how instructors can ensure that learning is happening as intended through writing, both evaluative and exploratory. The Faculty Writing Groups, open to any interested faculty, are an opportunity to present work-in-progress for peer discussion to help direct efforts and move their scholarship forward. The groups are especially helpful to early-career faculty on the tenure track, but faculty at all levels engage.

Student Writing

Lastly, WAC at WPU holds an annual Student Writing Contest and publishing a magazine featuring the best writing of the previous academic year. This annual contest is open to all undergraduates, requires faculty-nominated submissions of previously unpublished work from all disciplines and levels, and features the winning entries in the WAC Celebrating Student Writing Magazine.