Developing Excellent Writers

Goals

At Villanova, we teach our graduates to write with clarity, confidence and creativity. We want our students to use writing to think critically and reason convincingly about issues important to them as individuals, citizens and professionals. Our aim is nothing less than providing all students the opportunity to learn to shape their world through writing.

To meet these goals, the Core Curriculum requires that students encounter writing instruction in every discipline during the four years of their academic career at Villanova. This means students will regularly take "Writing Enriched" and "Writing Intensive" courses beginning their freshman year with The Augustine and Culture Seminars and the English Department’s Literary Experience courses and culminating their senior year with capstone classes in the major. To graduate, students in the College of Liberal Arts must take four Writing Enriched and four Writing Intensive courses, but most students will have taken many more during their four years at Villanova.

Writing Enriched and Writing Intensive Courses

In fact, over 250 courses are offered as Writing Enriched (WE) across the curriculum. In Writing Enriched courses, students must write at least 10 pages (frequently many more) of polished prose with a carefully monitored composing process which includes an evaluation of rough drafts and the opportunity to revise. "Writing Intensive" (WI) courses require from 20 to 30 pages of polished prose using the same evaluative drafting process, but with more attention paid to the writing style of a particular academic discipline or profession.

The Villanova Writing Center: Support for Writers at Work

Centrally located on campus in 202 Old Falvey, the Villanova Writing Center serves as a resource for student writers in Writing Enriched and Writing Intensive courses or for any student who seeks an informed opinion during the production of a piece of writing. Staffed by well-trained undergraduate and graduate peer tutors, the Writing Center offers supportive advice during all stages of a student’s writing process.

The Writing Center is a busy place, seeing more than 4000 students a year. It is open Sunday 3:30p.m. to 7:30p.m., Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. While students should call in advance for an hour-long appointment (610-519-4604), tutors will also do their best to work with "drop-in" writers.    

Significant Writing Opportunities at Villanova

As Director of the Writing Program, I encourage you to urge students to take advantage of the opportunities Villanova provides to develop their writing ability. Have them seek out Writing Enriched and Writing Intensive courses and take drafts of their work to the Writing Center. Other opportunities for building their writing repertoire include taking specialized writing courses in the English Department; writing for the Villanovan and other student publications; entering the various essay contests sponsored by the English Department, the The Augustine and Culture Seminars, and the Women’s Studies Program; and becoming a Writing Center tutor (a paid position). If you would like more information about the Villanova Writing Program, please feel free to contact Director Karyn Hollis at karyn.hollis@villanova.edu or 610-519-7872.  You can contact the Writing Center Director, Mary Beth Simmons, at marybeth.simmons@villanova.edu or 610-519-5358.