Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The Writing Program

Director: John Holland

Professors (Teaching): James Brecher, Ph.D.; Geoffrey Middlebrook, Ph.D.

Associate Professors (Teaching): Norah Ashe, Ph.D.; Diana Blaine, Ph.D.; Stephanie Bower, Ph.D.; Kevin Egan, Ph.D.; William Feuer, Ph.D.; Phyllis Franzek, Ph.D.; Nathalie Joseph, Ph.D.; Stephen Mack, Ph.D.; Matthew Manson, Ph.D.; Mark Marino, Ph.D.; John Murray, Ed.D.; Erika Nanes, Ph.D.; Sandra Ross, M.A.; Scott Smith, Ph.D.; Robert Waller Jr., MPW; William Wyatt, MPW

Assistant Professors (Teaching): Michael Bunn, Ph.D.; LauraAnne Carroll-Adler, Ph.D.; Jeffrey Chisum, Ph.D.; James Condon VII, Ph.D.; Andrew De Silva, MPW; Jay Fisher, MPW; Indra Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.; Steve Posner, MPW; Shefali Rajamannar, Ph.D.; Eric Rawson, Ph.D.; David Tomkins, Ph.D.

Lecturers: Jennifer Sopchockchai Bankard, Ph.D.; Jessica Wells Cantiello, Ph.D.; James Clements, Ph.D.; Carlos Delgado, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Durst, Ph.D.; William Gorski, Ph.D.; Farida Habeeb, Ph.D.; Amanda Hobmeier, Ph.D.; Ashley Karlin, Ph.D.; Rory Lukins, Ph.D.; Philip McNiff, MPW; Sarah Mesel, Ph.D.; Amy Meyerson, MPW; Samantha Noda, Ph.D.; Daniel Pecchenino, Ph.D.; DeAnna Rivera, J.D.; Deborah Sims, Ph.D.; Brandon Som; John James Strong, MPW; Ellen Wayland-Smith, Ph.D.

Writing Program courses are designed to help students develop practices of reading, writing and critical reasoning that are necessary for success in academic and professional discourse. Writing Program pedagogy emphasizes small classes and frequent conferences in order to provide the highly individuated instruction and careful feedback necessary to extend the writing process and enhance the rhetorical judgment of each student. To meet the university’s writing requirement, students must complete WRIT 150 (or its equivalent) and an advanced writing course, WRIT 340.

Lower-Division Requirement

WRIT 150 Writing and Critical Reasoning – Thematic Approaches focuses on the rhetorical principles and techniques necessary for successful college-level writing. Special attention is paid to critical thinking and reading, sentence-level fluency, research techniques, and the elements of academic argument and reasoning. WRIT 150 will not satisfy the lower-division writing requirement if taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Advanced Writing Requirement

All students at USC, except those who satisfy their general education requirements through the Thematic Option Program, must complete WRIT 340 Advanced Writing, an upper-division course designed to help students write on topics related to their disciplinary or professional interests. Students usually enroll in WRIT 340 in their junior year, and may not take the course earlier than their sophomore year. Different schools within the university offer sections of this course. Students should consult their major departments to determine which version of WRIT 340 best complements their program of study. WRIT 340 will not satisfy the university’s advanced writing requirement if taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.

All classes that meet the university’s advanced writing requirement teach students to write clear, grammatical, well-structured prose; to discover and convey complex ideas critically; and to appreciate the nuances of effective argumentation. The principal aim of the requirement is to develop a student’s capacity to formulate thoughtful and compelling writing for specific academic, professional and public audiences.

Preparatory Course Work

Some students are better served by taking a preparatory course before they enroll in WRIT 150. Entering freshmen who score below a specified level on the verbal portion of the SAT take the University Writing Examination. Based on the results of this examination, certain students enroll in WRIT 120 Introduction to College Writing or WRIT 121 Introduction to College Writing in a Second Language during their first semester at USC.

International students take the University Writing Examination after having completed any course work required by the American Language Institute.

Transfer Credit

Students may complete the lower-division requirement by completing an equivalent second-semester composition course that is taken for a letter grade option (not Pass/No Pass) at another institution after high school graduation and prior to enrolling at USC. Equivalent transfer credit is determined by the university’s articulation officer. The advanced writing requirement must be completed at USC.

Time Limits

Students should complete the lower-division writing course requirement by the end of their first year at USC and must complete it before they enroll in their sixty-fifth unit. Transfer students who have not completed the lower-division requirement prior to entering USC should enroll in WRIT 150 during their first semester at USC, and must enroll in WRIT 150 no later than their nineteenth unit (second semester) at USC.

Courses of Instruction

Writing (WRIT)

The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.

WRIT 095x Writing Tutorial (1, FaSpSm) Individualized instruction in writing to support instruction in WRIT 130 or WRIT 150. Graded CR/NC. Not available for degree credit. Concurrent enrollment: WRIT 130 or WRIT 150.

WRIT 120 Introduction to College Writing (4, FaSpSm) Intensive instruction and practice in the writing process. Focuses upon the formal conventions and conceptual expectations of college writing, with emphasis upon the grammatical, stylistic, and rhetorical techniques required in successful writing. Graded CR/NC. Limited to and required of students who score below specified level on the USC Writing Examination.

WRIT 121 Introduction to College Writing in a Second Language (4, FaSp) Intensive instruction and practice in the writing process for non-native speakers of English. Focuses on the formal and conceptual conventions of college writing, with emphasis upon the grammatical, stylistic, and rhetorical techniques required in successful writing. Graded CR/NC. Limited to and required of students who score below specified level on the USC Writing Examination.

WRIT 130 Analytical Writing (4, Sp) Focuses on analytical and argumentative writing skills requisite to academic and professional writing. Emphasizes logical analysis of texts and other data, effective use of evidence, ethical argumentation, and stylistic and grammatical fluency. Enrollment limited to specified groups of students. Students must achieve a satisfactory score on the verbal portion of the SAT, the USC Writing Examination, or credit for WRIT 120 or WRIT 121 before enrolling in WRIT 130.

WRIT 133 College Writing for International Students (4) College writing for International Students, emphasizing the expectations of academic discourse in U.S. higher education while drawing upon a context informed by cross-cultural perspectives. Recommended preparation: International Academy course work.

WRIT 150 Writing and Critical Reasoning–Thematic Approaches (4, FaSpSm) Academic writing, emphasizing analysis and argumentation, rhetorical judgment, critical reasoning, creative insight, the careful use of evidence, ethical perspectives, logical organization, stylistic and grammatical fluency. (Duplicates credit in WRIT 130 and former WRIT 140.)

WRIT 340 Advanced Writing (3-4, FaSpSm) Instruction in writing for various audiences on topics related to a student’s professional or disciplinary interests, with some emphasis on issues of broad public concern. Prerequisite: WRIT 130 or WRIT 150.

WRIT 440 Writing in Practical Contexts (4, FaSpSm) Advanced training in analytical and argumentative writing for particular purposes, in professional and practical contexts. Prerequisite: CORE 112 or WRIT 340.

WRIT 501ab Theory and Practice in Teaching Expository Writing (1-1, Fa) Pedagogical application of rhetorical and linguistic theory to teaching university-level expository writing. Accompanies supervised teaching. Limited to assistant lecturers and teaching assistants. Graded CR/NC.

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