Writing Across the Curriculum
What is Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)?
"In its most general sense, WAC refers to the notion that writing should be an integral part of the learning process throughout a student’s education, not merely in required writing courses but across the entire curriculum. Further, it is based on the premise that writing is highly situated and tied to a field’s discourse and ways of knowing, and therefore writing in the disciplines (WID) is most effectively guided by those with expertise in that discipline. WAC also recognizes that students come to the classroom with a wide range of literacy, linguistic, technological, and educational experiences, but that all students can learn to become more proficient writers.
WAC as an initiative can be transformative for learning, teaching, and research. For students, WAC promotes engaged student learning, critical thinking, and greater facility with written communication across rhetorical situations. For teachers, WAC promotes thoughtful pedagogy and curriculum design as well as community among faculty that transcends disciplinary boundaries. For researchers in writing studies and across the disciplines, WAC promotes cross-disciplinary scholarship on teaching and learning, as well as scholarship on the values and ways of thinking in the disciplines and the ways those ideas and actions are communicated in writing."
-- An excerpt from the Statement of WAC Principles and Practices, endorsed by the International Network of WAC Programs
WAC at UC Davis
UC Davis's Writing Across the Curriculum Program is housed within the University Writing Program. It also receives funding from GradPathways. If all of this sounds confusing, check out our flow chart below.
Within the WAC program, there are both faculty and graduate student consultants. The faculty hold consultations with other faculty and lead workshops for faculty and graduate students. They also offer teaching workshops for TAs on topics such as commenting on student writing, grading papers or lab reports, and leading class discussions.
The Graduate Writing Fellows offer one-on-one writing consultations with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, host writing retreats, create and lead writing workshops, facilitate the Writing Partner Program, and run the Graduate Certificate in Writing Theory and Practice. You can read more about our current Graduate Writing Fellows here.
Want to join us?
Every spring, we put out a call for new WAC Graduate Writing Fellows. We highly encourage students from a range of disciplines to apply so that our program can represent the diversity of interests and talents on our campus.
We are currently accepting applications! Please apply using this link.