News and Announcements...

The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program is now accepting submissions for the 2014 Undergraduate Writing Contest. Submission deadline March 28.

Schedule an Appointment

Writing Consultants are open.

The Consultants will close for Spring Break on March 8.

Writing Fellows and Write On are open.

The Writing Fellows will close for Spring break on March 7

Speaking Fellows are open.

The Speaking Fellows will close for Spring break on March 7

Exciting New Library/WSA Program Collaboration

The WSA Program is mobile! Click here to download our Android App or here to download our iPhone App.

Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program

(formerly College Writing Program)

Welcome to the University of Rochester's community of writers, readers, and researchers.

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 on the world at large.

At the University of Rochester, we are all writers. The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program leads the effort to build a strong community of writers, readers, and researchers, guided by advice from an interdisciplinary faculty committee. The program does this by teaching writing courses, advising writers, holding writing events, sponsoring an annual writing colloquium, providing support for writing in the majors, and providing a comfortable place to write.