Skip Repetitive Navigation Links

Writing in the Discipline

1. Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?

Writing is an essential component of second language acquisition and proficiency advancement and is central to each concentration in the Modern Languages Department. Writing in the concentration language is at the core of the development of intercultural communication skills and cross-cultural understanding in the disciplinary areas of literary, cultural, and linguistic studies.

2. Which courses are designated as satisfying the WID requirement by your department? Why these courses?

Our courses are tiered, with each level building on the previous one for proficiency advancement in the target language. The courses below satisfy the WID requirement for each concentration within the Modern Languages Department:

  • FREN/PORT/SPAN 201 & 202: Conversation and Composition/Composition and Conversation: students acquire cultural, literary, and linguistic knowledge and skills in intercultural communication in a variety of genres while demonstrating proficiency advancement in the target language.
  • FREN/PORT/SPAN 420: Applied Grammar: this course is conducted as a writing workshop in which students examine and polish writing style in the target language through creative writing, translation, and reflection in a variety of textual genres and registers.
  • FREN/PORT/SPAN 460: This is the capstone experience where students demonstrate advanced language proficiency and communication skills learned throughout the major in intercultural communication, cross-cultural knowledge, and critical and creative literary and cultural analysis. Students demonstrate research competence, organizational and editing skills, and critical thinking skills.
Writing in the Discipline

3. What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?

Students produce a variety of genres of academic, creative and professional writing in the concentration language consistent with the literary, cultural and linguistic focus of the major such as storytelling, journaling, film review, literary and cultural analysis, narrative/expository/analytical essay, annotated bibliography, translation, professional writing. Through these genres, students will advance in language proficiency and critical thinking while practicing skills and building portfolios for graduate studies, internships and careers.

4. What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?

Students will engage in diverse writing assignments in WID courses and throughout the curriculum ranging from low-stakes, informal exercises to high-stakes, formal exercises, including journaling, annotating, summarizing, and analyzing academic and creative writing, translation, editing and peer-review.

5. When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?

Students will demonstrate intermediate proficiency (in 200 level courses) to advanced proficiency (in 400 level courses) in the target language and will be able to write in a variety of genres and registers. They will have a good understanding (in 200 level courses) to an in-depth knowledge (in 400 level courses) of the literatures and cultures in their concentration and will be able to demonstrate cross-cultural competency and critical thinking skills.​​

Page last updated: September 03, 2020