Students and faculty critique new writing program

Freshmen will continue submitting their first essays in the new required writing program this week, having completed several writing exercises since the beginning of the semester. Students and faculty have voiced various reactions to the progress of the new program.

"I'm thrilled with the way the new writing program is shaping up," program director Kerry Walk said in an e-mail. She noted that faculty members who "have received revisions of the first essay can already see dramatic improvement."

To ensure that this improvement continues, she added, the program will monitor progress during the semester.

During the summer, students were assigned randomly to either the fall or the spring term. Those assigned to the fall term selected their top eight seminar subject choices through a website. Subjects ranged from "T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land' " to "Communism and Dissent in Eastern Europe." About 96 percent of students got into one of their top three choices, Walk said.

One student, Annie Ostrager '05 said the writing seminars have important benefits for students.

"One of the things that I value about education . . . is that there have always been teachers in my life that wanted to instill a love of writing in me and communicated to me just how crucial it is to be able to express oneself clearly and eloquently in writing," she said in an e-mail.

Some students said they like the limited size of the seminars, which are capped at 12 students each.

"I also like that the writing seminar is a small class that allows me to work closely not only with my professor, but also with my peers," Ostrager said.

But not all students are convinced the program will yield many benefits.

One student who asked not to be identified said she does not "like how [the instructor] gives us a vague prompt and how it is hard to know what the teacher expects. In the essay, they treat us as if we don't know anything." She also said many different assignments, such as pre-drafts, are simply "busy work" that do not add anything substantive to the course.

Matt Stanton '05 said he also has some concerns about the program, but he said he understands why the program is run as it is.

"I wish it would focus more on the subject matter," he said. "But I see why it's necessary to sometimes simply focus on the writing process."

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Walk explained that "because this type of course is unfamiliar to most students, some may take a while to adjust to it, but the adjustment will be worth making. Students will learn how to deepen, refine and effectively communicate their own ideas."

Students whose first language is not English face particular challenges in a program aimed at students who have already had grade 12 writing experience.

Steffen Simon '05, who is from Germany, said, "Of course, it's harder to express yourself in English than in your mother tongue. But the writing seminar can't change that totally. It's a product that requires time."

He said the seminar is an important factor that can help foreign students improve their English skills.

Last year the faculty increased the number of credits required for graduation by one to include the new writing seminar. All students must complete the seminar in their freshman year.

Whether this extra class will ultimately prove beneficial will not be known for several months.