Overview

Occidental expects its graduates to demonstrate superior writing ability. The Writing Program prepares students in all disciplines to write effectively: to develop complex concepts clearly and fully, to organize essays and reports logically, and to maintain the conventions of standard written English. This standard of writing performance is upheld in all College courses.

To achieve this goal, the College emphasizes expository writing and research skills in the Core curriculum, in courses emphasizing the methodologies of various disciplines, and in the composition courses in the Writing & Rhetoric Department. The foundation of the College’s Writing Program is the first-year instructional program in Cultural Studies. First-year students take year-long, sequenced seminars that help students develop college-level writing strategies in rich disciplinary content to further their knowledge and communication of the topics they study.

In addition to the Core curriculum in writing, the Writing & Rhetoric Department offers courses to students who want to concentrate on the most effective strategies for writing in and out of the academy. These include WRD 201, a class that centers on the processes and skills necessary to fine writing, and the College’s advanced writing courses, WRD 301 and WRD 401. Any student seeking individual instruction in writing or assistance with a particular paper will find support and advice available at the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), where Writing & Rhetoric professors work as writing specialists, and where student writing advisors collaborate with student writers. The Director of Writing Programs will gladly advise students of all resources available for developing their writing ability.