Re: Little Pollyana

[Jim Adams <adams001@coyote.csusm.edu>]

Well, mine is not going to be a "disgusting good news" story, but I'd like
to enter the conversation. Here at California State University, San Marcos
(one of the newest campuses in the CSU system) we have have had a
2,500-word per semester writing requirement for all classes (I remember one
guy telling me how tough his math class was because of the incredible
amount of writing he had to do). This requirement, and the demanding of our
writing program, is giving us quite a reputation inside and outside the CSU
system. The problem is that it is difficult to enforce such a policy and to
institue ways of ensuring that the requirement is enforced. There are
zealous teachers (like the math instructor) and those who either have
different priorities or do not know how to assign so much writing in a
first-semester Chinese class for example.

I sure would like to hear from folks who have ideas on how to help faculty
incorporate writing into their respective disciplines. I would also like
some recommendations on books or articles which suggest how to make clear,
effective writing assignments. We all dread having to find a way around
telling a student that the reason you're having so much trouble with the
assignemt is because the prompt is incoherent. Know what I mean? Thanks
everyone.

Jim

At 02:54 PM 9/2/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Not much traffic here lately, probably due to the zaniness of new school
>year chaos, I imagine.  Just now, once again procrastinating my own
>writing, I thought it was as bad a time as any to enter in with one of
>those disgustingly wonderful stories of success in the WAC movement from
>our very own campus.
>
>Like all of you, for years now several of us have been working away trying
>to woo faculty across the curriculum to see writing as a skill beyond the
>sole responsibility of the English Department.  We have a friendly,
>receptive faculty, generally without all the turf hangups that might be
>present on some other campuses.  All the same, the changing of minds is a
>difficult thing when most believe the reason they can write well is
>because an English teacher (a darn good one at that!) somewhere along the
>line taught them how to diagram sentences.
>
>Anyway, at our opening faculty workshops this year when we were
>scrutinizing and dissecting our current General Education program, a
>proposal arose that will bring tears to your WAC ducts.  From a corner of
>the room, Mr. Biology Faculty stood up and suggested, "We think it's time
>that departments create writing-intensive courses required of their
>majors.  Of course, this would be in addition to the required Comp I
>class.  Unless we all make this a priority, students are not going to
>write well."  
>
>It was one of those moments that usually comes in early July, all green
>and bright and sparkling, smelling of new-mown grass and baby's breath,
>floating on the crest of a wave.
>
>Anyone else have disgusting good news stories to share?
>
>Ok, back to the writing desk.
>
>Katie
>
>
>