Ezekiel Whiting

Evan Andersson

Writing 2, MW 8:00am

May 23, 2023

A Conversation at the University

Int. administration building hallway

A professor and an assistant professor walk through a long corridor, decorated with

paintings on the walls and a shiny marble floor underneath their feet. As they continue through

the hallway, they discuss the implementation of writing classes at their university.

Professor:

As I keep saying, you continuously undervalue the importance of these courses. Our

students need to know how to write at an appropriate ‘college-level’ if they want to succeed.

Assistant Professor:

I am in no way undervaluing the need for a writing class. But for Christ's sake! Let's not

pretend like these students will write any better after a one-semester course. All I am saying is

that if you are so adamant about making effective writers out of students, we’re going to need a

lot more than one, measly semester.

Professor:

Ahh! Now I see the problem. You think writing is the only reason why we have writing

classes.

Assistant Professor:

Well excuse me, I thought a course named 'Writing and English Composition' would be

about writing and English composition.

Professor:

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 And that's exactly why I brought you here, my young apprentice! I hope you come away

from this conference with a better understanding of how these courses mold students into

independent thinkers.

Assistant Professor:

I can’t wait to be condescendingly explained the nuances of a beginner-level writing class. There

is no better way I could’ve spent my Saturday morning.

Int. conference room

A long, oval-shaped table stretches through a dimly lit room. Six people are seated

around the table. The professor and assistant professor take their seat at the head of the table and

the seat next to it, respectively. Soft murmurs can be heard around the room as the academics

quietly banter with one another.

Professor:

Well, there is no need to beat around the bush. I hope everyone is acquainted with one

another and knowledgeable of how much money the school spends on this writing program. It

just so happened that me and my associate were discussing the very topic of this meeting as we

were…

Gentile:

(interrupts) Remember that it is not just writing skills that are developed in these classes.

It is critical to stress that writing is a process that requires critical thinking and evidence-based

reasoning.

Professor:

I agree, Gentile. Had you let me finish, I would have said the same thing - how this

program teaches academic literacy. And as I said before, academic literacy is...

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Gentile:

(interrupts) You can look at academic literacy in three dimensions: the degree of required

cognitive engagement, the academic setting, and the ethical dimension. I believe cognitive

engagement is what defines a college-level writing class (Gentile 324). Students should be able

to read complex material while formulating complex ideas. Entry-level writing classes that only

stress formalities or classes that do not assign challenging material are not effective in teaching

academic literacy.

Jamieson:

I would like to emphasize what Gentile was talking about. Academic literacy is a useful

skill that college students need to develop. What comes to my mind is a specific writing study of

college sophomores. After acquiring the work of around two-thousand college sophomores,

researchers analyzed how exactly sources were used in text written by the students. The

researchers found that students had trouble using sources correctly. Aside from proper use of

quotations and paraphrasing a few sentences, they struggled with using their sources in any

meaningful capacity.

Half of the sampled students would cite only the first page of their sources. Less than

twenty percent of the papers would go beyond the first four pages (Jamieson 15). To me, this

suggests that many sophomore-year students struggle with synthesizing ideas from advanced

texts. I mean, isn't that what distinguishes an advanced writer? It is appropriate for a writing

class to equip students with the tools of advanced reading and writing.

Hendrickson:

All this talk about the skills writing classes provide, I think it is appropriate to look

outside of the classroom. Throughout their time in higher education, students will naturally

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engage in extracurricular activities. On-campus groups can be an effective way of teaching some

of these ideas. What comes to my mind specifically is a case study of a girl from High Desert

University. During her time as leader of her engineering club and managing other life affairs, she

developed many of the strong rhetorical skills needed to navigate the college environment

(Hendrickson 9). The skills of academic literacy and rhetoric do not always need to be taught in a

single semester class. Perhaps, supporting certain student groups can help create better readers

and writers.

Barbara:

It is a completely fair idea. I am more inclined to reason that this type of writing material

should be introduced in high school. While, yes, there exist optional advanced classes in most

high schools, I argue for a more comprehensive solution. Implementing writing classes during

the senior year would solve our dilemma. As a study on senior college-level writing classes

concludes, "implementation of the new curriculum holds great promise as a means for helping

students develop the literacy skills they need for success in university coursework"(Moss and

Bordelon 218).

Professor:

Well, the university is limited in its ability to change the highschool curriculum. But

perhaps we can implement a system of corequisite classes, putting less stress on students who

need to enroll in a ‘required’ writing course before advancing onward.

Weaver:

It is funny that you mention corequisite writing classes. Based on the evidence I have

seen, they are not as desirable as one might think.

Professor:

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Elaborate.

Weaver:

The existing literature on corequisite classes suggests that students find limited utility in

them. A survey of students at Missouri State University found that some students may choose

corequisite classes for a wide variety of reasons (Weaver et al. 92). Some students want to

continue developing their writing skills while others want to complete MSU’s writing

requirement in one semester.

Regardless of the reasons why, I believe implementing an effective writing program

requires the input of students. They ought to be able to steer their academic regimen in

whichever way they choose.

Melzer:

I couldn't have said it any better, Weaver. We should strive to create a more equitable and

effective learning environment for students. In that vein, I would like to refrain from the use of

the word ‘entry-level’ when describing these classes. The performance of students is certainly

affected by how we introduce or discuss these classes. Even though many of these classes

supplement advanced material, students still have the impression that they are 'deficient'. I think

it is best to consider many of these one semester-long classes as 'accelerated' or 'advanced'

(Melzer 99).

I propose that any future writing course at this university adopts the Advanced Writing

Framework. Essentially, we ought to take a more open and nuanced approach to the writing of

students. Rather than taking a test score to evaluate a student's writing proficiency, we rely on a

system of student-based self-reporting. Instead of creating a distinction between 'remedial' and

'adequate' writers, the framework distinguishes between 'mainstream' and 'advanced'. This small

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consideration in our language can go a long way. Adopting an Advanced Writing Framework can

help in creating a more inclusive environment and thus allowing for students to not be hampered

by the idea that their writing is ‘below standard’.

Professor:

Well, I would like to thank you all for being here. My outlook on writing classes has truly

changed throughout this wonderful discussion between these great minds. And despite his

limited participation in this wonderful conversation, I am sure that my charming subordinate

learned something new too!

Assistant Professor:

You know, barring your condescending tone, I do believe I learned quite a bit from this

discussion. The implementation of writing classes in college is undoubtedly a nuanced topic with

no clear or easy answer either which way. But so, the group of astute intellectuals that I've had

the pleasure of has laid a compelling case for the utility of writing classes in a college

environment. Ideally, students who participate in the classes don't just become better writers and

researchers, but better thinkers and creators. I believe that is the greatest benefit.

In regards to the specific implementation of these classes, there is quite a bit to consider.

As Melzer pointed out, we should consider how we present these classes to our students and how

that might affect performance. Or refering to Weaver's argument that students usually have a

wide variety of reasons for enrolling in these writing classes - whether it be a part of their major

or otherwise. In discussing writing classes, there is an interesting interplay between what the

student wants out of the course and what the university wants from the student. The necessity

and effectiveness of these classes is not only going to vary from school to school, but also from

pupil to pupil. But such is the essence of education.

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 Bibliography

[1] Gentile, James M. “College-Level Writing: A Departmental Perspective.” What is

"College-Level" Writing?, 2011, pp. 311-329,

https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/collegelevel/chapter21.pdf. Accessed 23 May, 2023.

[2] Melzer, Dan. “Remedial, Basic, Advanced: Evolving Frameworks for First-Year

Composition at the California State University.” Journal of Basic Writing, vol. 34, no. 1, 2015.

wac.colostate.edu/docs/jbw/v34n1/melzer.pdf. Accessed 23 May, 2023.

[3] Jamieson, Sandra. “Reading and Engaging Sources: What Students' Use of Sources

Reveals About Advanced Reading Skills.” Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum, pp.

1-22, https://wac.colostate.edu/atd//reading/jamieson.cfm. Accessed 23 May, 2023.

[4] Hendrickson, Brian. “Studying and Supporting Writing in Student Organizations as a

High-Impact Practice.” Across the Disciplines: A Journal of Language, Learning and Academic

Writing, 2016. ResearchGate,

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312086015_Studying_and_Supporting_Writing_in_Stu

dent_Organizations_as_a_High-Impact_Practice. Accessed 23 May, 2023.

[5] Moss, Barbara, and Suzanne Bordelon. “Preparing students for college‐level reading

and writing: Implementing a rhetoric and writing class in the senior year.” vol. 46, no. 3, 2007,

pp. 197-221. ResearchGate,

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249060396_Preparing_students_for_college-level_read

ing_and_writing_Implementing_a_rhetoric_and_writing_class_in_the_senior_year. Accessed 23

May, 2023.

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 [6] Weaver, Margaret E., et al. “Challenging Assumptions about Basic Writers and

Corequisites at Four-Year Institutions.” Journal of Basic Writing, vol. 41, no. 1-2, 2022, pp.

76-105, https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/jbw/v41n1-2/weaveretal.pdf. Accessed 23 May, 2023.

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