Aerial view of campus with Williamsport, the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain as a backdrop

The Writing Program

Purpose

The Lycoming College Writing Program has been developed in response to the conviction that writing skills promote intellectual growth and are a hallmark of the educated person. The program, therefore, has been designed to achieve two major, interrelated objectives, specifically:

  1. student learning in general and subject mastery in particular, and
  2. students’ abilities to communicate clearly.

In this program students are given opportunities to write in a variety of contexts and in a substantial number of courses, in which they receive faculty guidance and reinforcement. All writing-focused courses include formal writing instruction in class, student writing, instructor feedback, and student revision and resubmission. Also, all four-credit courses at the College must contain some kind of writing component, as each department determines to be appropriate to the discipline and course content.

Program Requirements

In order to graduate from Lycoming, all students must complete the following writing requirements:

  1. English 106 (Composition) or English 107 (Honors Composition)
  2. Three courses designated as writing‑focused, or W courses

The following policies apply:

  • Successful completion of English 106 or 107 is a prerequisite for enrollment in writing‑focused courses.
  • All courses designated W are numbered 200 or above.
  • One of the student’s W courses must be in his/her major (or one of the majors) or with departmental approval from a related department. All three cannot carry the same course-number prefix (for example, PHIL, ENGL, ACCT, etc.).

Instructional Support

The College supports faculty writing instruction by means of regular Teaching Effectiveness workshops. Instructional resources, teaching tips, sample rubrics, and other materials from these workshops are available via SharePoint Online (restricted access — faculty/staff access only).

Faculty can also consult with the director of the Writing Center for advice on assignment design, instruction, assessment, and other aspects of teaching writing. The director can provide tailored in-class workshops by faculty request. Visit the Writing Center website for more information.

Procedure for Offering a Writing‑Focused Course

A faculty member wishing to offer a writing‑focused course that has not previously been taught by that instructor must submit a proposal that clearly describes how the course meets the four criteria for W courses. The proposal must be submitted and approved before the course begins. This process will not need to be repeated when the course is offered in subsequent semesters by the same faculty member. The director of the Writing Center monitors the W-course approval process under the supervision of the Provost’s Office.

Proposal Form