The Franklin College Writing Intensive Program invites proposals from faculty and departments across the disciplines for innovative undergraduate courses that encourage writing. Programs/Faculty submitting successful proposals will be awarded trained teaching assistants qualified to assign and to respond to writing in the disciplines.
Note: WIP is currently transitioning to a writing-enriched curriculum (WEC) approach to supporting writing across the curriculum and in the disciplines. The WEC model involves the development of department Writing Plans to articulate how writing contributes to the major, the role and value of writing in the discipline, as well as the skills, conventions, processes, and genres that define writing in the field. What’s more, this new approach will contribute substantively to the sustainability of writing instruction and support across the disciplines. The WEC model helps ensure that writing-intensive courses and learning experiences are afforded to students as a programmatic objective and faculty share the responsibility for writing instruction. In addition, the iterative development and regular assessment of Writing Plans ensures that programs maintain and advance their writing-enriched curricula over time according to a manageable, collaborative process.
Proposal guidelines – for departments
Departments interested in offering at least four WIP courses are invited to submit a department proposal. In addition to outlining how the courses will implement a writing-intensive pedagogy, departments will be asked to consider how the proposed courses help students build/develop their writing skills and knowledge across the curriculum.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, two-three departments submitting proposals will be invited to collaborate with WIP on the development of a Departmental Writing Plan. These living documents provide a road map for 1) how writing is situated in the field and in discipline-specific coursework, 2) how writing is integrated into the curriculum, 3) how writing instruction is supported and maintained, and 4) how writing and writing instruction will be assessed.
For departments currently developing a Writing Plan and once a Writing Plan is in place, WIP will work directly with the departments to ensure support for their WIP coursework and Writing Plan implementation each year.
Proposal guidelines – for individual courses
Writing-intensive courses vary across disciplines at UGA, but all make writing important to the thinking of the course, give students opportunities to write in low-stakes and high-stakes situations, and engage students in conversations about writing. In general, writing-intensive courses should:
- Feature innovative writing assignments that a) relate clearly to course learning; b) teach the communication values of a discipline—for example, its practices of argument, evidence, credibility, and format; and c) prepare students for further writing in their academic work, in graduate school, and in professional life.
- Stage assignments to emphasize the writing process or sequence assignments to emphasize the constitutive parts of effective writing in a field.
- Provide opportunities for planning, feedback, and revision.
- Underscore the value of writing to the course, the discipline, and student learning by making writing a substantive component of the overall course grade.
- Make effective use of WIP teaching assistants as writing coaches and make their resources clear to students.
For courses that have already been taught as WIP courses at least twice, faculty will have the opportunity to refer to their previous proposals and then provide updates/changes to the course for 2025-2026, rather than submitting a new proposal.
Submit through Friday, March 14, 2025