wrd395 course description

Throughout the quarter we read articles designed to familiarize you with theories of writing and tutoring and write to stimulate thinking about the issues these theories raise. We always consider how the works we read apply to your experiences as peer writing tutors.

As we read these works, we ask such questions as:

• How is knowledge created and shared via writing?
• How do writers learn to write?
• How is writing taught in the academy? Why?
• How is writing influenced by a writer’s culture?
• How, and why, does peer tutoring work?

In addition to challenging you to think critically about writing and teaching, this course helps you develop peer tutoring skills. During selected class meetings we will practice offering written feedback on sample papers, participate in mock face-to-face and online realtime appointments, and share specifics from your experiences as Writing Center Tutors.

In class meetings we consider:

• How can you provide effective written feedback? Conduct successful appointments?
• How can a you assist writers from different social, cultural or disciplinary backgrounds?
• How do you negotiate the roles of peer and tutor?