There are currently many different approaches and styles when it comes to teaching composition. Many people have very strong opinions on the different approaches and styles of teaching composition. At the beginning of this semester I was not one of those people and even now I am still not one of those people. However, I now have an educated opinion instead of a strong opinion on how composition should be taught in the American University System.

What type of writing program would be good for Robert Thorpe? This is a very opened question that could be answered in many different ways. Do I want a program that really teaches me to become a great writer or do I want a program that will improve my writing skills with a reasonable amount of time and work? Or do I want a writing program that consists of a very small amount of work, but does not really improve my writing skills? I could want all of this or none of this?

I feel that a college composition program should improve a students writing skills with a reasonable amount of time and work. The reasonable amount of time that I am describing is three to four semesters. The amount of work that I am describing is approximately twenty to thirty pages of writing per semester. This writing should be divided evenly over the semester so the teacher has time to give feedback and the student has time to take that feedback and do something with it.

This writing should be a combination of proper use of grammar, technical writing, and writing specific to a student’s major. It should cover topics such as:

• Developing critical thinking skills
• Encouraging insightful analysis and independent research
• Accurately summarizing a written document
• Communicating well with others
• Designing a well-organized document
• Using e-mail in a professional manner
• Making clear, well-defended arguments
• Writing proposals
• Collecting and analyzing data

This is the type of writing that employers want their employees to possess. (Courtney) A vast majority of students attend college to become well educated. This education will in turn lead to a higher paying job. So why not teach students what employers want employees to have? These topics also satisfy the idea that students attend a four-year university for a well-rounded education not just for what employers want. I feel that having a good understanding and the ability to use the listed skills, I would be a valuable asset in terms of employability and also would have a well-rounded education.

This program would be a combination of different writing programs so it could not be classified as say a "Writing in the Disciplines" or "Writing Across the Curriculum." I believe to develop a truly successful writing program you have to combine different programs and take the best aspects of each program. The program would also have to be flexible. Each class is going to be different; the instructor has to have the able to alter the curriculum slightly in order to best teach each individual class. An example of this would be: If one class is having trouble with certain rules of grammar and it is really affecting their writing. The instructor has to be able to deviate from the written schedule and have a class period devoted to correcting this problem.

Revising and conferences would also be used to help students get a better understanding of the curriculum. By having conferences between students and instructors students get one-on-one feedback about their writing, good and bad. These few minutes spent talking about a students writing could be equivalent to many hours of classroom instruction. Instead of just reading what the instructor wrote on your paper you can get a feel for what is quality work and what needs improvement. (Dossin) I have seen this first hand and I am a firm believer in conferences. Revising also lets the students take this feedback and actually use it. They can actually become better writers by improving their previous writing.

Who would the instructors of the program be? This is a very interesting question and could lead to many different debates. Should we use graduate students, associate professors, or even tenured professors? Once again I believe we should use a combination of all three types of instructors. This could satisfy the concerns of job security, teacher availability, and providing quality education. There are some things that graduate students can teach just as well as tenured professors, but at the same time there are some things that tenured professors can teach that grad students cannot. With a small amount of work these discrepancies of who teaches what could be clarified keeping everyone happy without sacrificing the students education. Examples of what type of information graduate students would teach under this program would be:

• Accurately summarizing a written document
• Designing a well-organized document
• Communicating well with others
• Using e-mail in a professional manner

These are very important skills that should be acquired early on in one’s college career. Graduate students or associate professors could easily handle these types of requirements. The more difficult information that would be taught in this program would be left to the more experienced and tenured professors (This is why they get paid the big bucks). Some examples of the types of information experienced and tenured professors would teach under this program would be:

• Developing critical thinking skills
• Encouraging insightful analysis and independent research
• Making clear, well-defended arguments
• Writing proposals
• Collecting and analyzing data

What type of textbook could be used to assist in the teaching of this program? Once again I believe a combination of different textbooks would be the way to go. The text would contain reading and writing assignments, but not as the majority. It would also have examples of different writings and examples of how to improve the writings on the previous pages. This way students would get exposure on how to improve their writing skills. In addition, it would have a small section on the technical aspects of writing such as:

• Citing sources
• Common errors in grammar
• Formatting
• Different styles of writing

Another section of the textbook would cover the important topics discussed earlier such as:

• Accurately summarizing a written document
• Designing a well-organized document
• Using e-mail in a professional manner

The textbook will not be meant to teach the course. The instructor will still be the most valuable asset of the course. It will simply be there to help assist them with the teaching of the course.

This is a quick overview of what I feel a university writing program should contain. If a university could teach and get students to understand the topics outlined in this paper they would be very proficient writers upon graduating from the university. I tried to address some of the concerns that teachers, administrators, students, and employers hiring from that university might have about writing programs. I feel that the program that I described would satisfy many of the needs and concerns of the university while providing a top-notch education at the same time. I understand that not everyone will ever be satisfied, but under this program everyone should be able to find something that they like. It does this while still accomplishing it main goal, and that is providing students with the opportunity to receive a quality education in the field of writing.

Sources Citied:

Courtney, Kyle, et al. "Employers." Unpublished web survey. 30 November 2001.

Dossin, Mary. "Writing Across The Curriculum." College Teaching 45.1 (1997): 14

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