WRIT 100 PZ -Teaching and Tutoring of Writing

Institution: Pitzer

Description: “Good writers are born, not made” - so the common misconception goes. Yet writing is a deeply social activity
developed through regular practice, challenging new tasks, and constructive feedback from communities of readers.
In this seminar we’ll investigate theories from writing studies to examine our own creative and professional
practices as writers, students, and past, present or future teachers or tutors. Along the way, we’ll ask questions such
as these: why is it so tricky to name what constitutes “good” writing? What can scholars of writing tell us about why
so many of us find the process difficult? What is expertise and how do writers gain it? Why do different disciplines
conceptualize knowledge in such radically different ways? And finally, what roles can teachers and tutors play in
helping diverse learners develop as writers? Aimed at students interested in cultivating the habits of effective writers
and educators, this class is both theoretical and practical in its orientation. All students participate in a mock
tutoring session and develop a mini-lesson plan that teaches the class a writing or reading concept. For the final
project, students contribute knowledge to the field by submitting a short essay for publication in a writing studies
journal.

Note: This course will be required of those Pitzer students who have been hired to work in the Writing Center.
Students who are not working in the Writing Center may take the course, but those students must participate in at
least 3 hours per week of tutoring either at a writing center or as volunteers in a service-learning project that
emphasizes the teaching of English or writing.

Prerequisite(s): Please check course schedule for requirements.

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.