College Writing Program
Writing in the College
Faculty across the College agree that mastery of the skills of written argument, including critical thinking, problem solving, organization of ideas, and clarity and power of expression, is of enormous importance both in academic work during residence in the College and in the world of work beyond the College. Writing is how we know what it is that we know, because our ability to explain a subject clearly and precisely is an ultimate test of having learned it. Writing enables us to persuade others of the truth, the utility, or the beauty of what we know, and in our writing we can make our ideas have an impact upon the world at large.
The community of writers at the University of Rochester includes everyone at all levels, from the newest students to the most senior professors and researchers. From work done in first-semester composition courses to the publication of scholarly books and essays, reports of research done in the laboratory, or imaginative pieces of fiction or poetry, we are together engaged in what the political philosopher Michael Oakeshott has called "the conversation of mankind." Writing as a part of academic life is a given, whether by students completing required course work or by scholars as part of their professional lives, but for many of us at the University writing is also a source of discovery and pleasure.
Our goal is to introduce you to writing in the College and invite you to join our community of writers through our courses, consultation services and writing-related events.