Princeton Writing Program Jump To: Jump To: Program Offerings Writing is integral to intellectual pursuits of every kind, whether in the humanities, the social or natural sciences, mathematics or engineering. The Princeton Writing Program encourages excellence in writing and critical thinking across the University through a variety of initiatives, including Writing Seminars for first-year and transfer students, Sophomore Research Seminars and a Writing Center for all students. Goals for Student Learning Students learn how to frame compelling questions, use databases to locate and evaluate sources, position an argument within a scholarly conversation, substantiate and organize claims, purposefully integrate different types of evidence and revise for greater cogency and clarity. Moreover, students practice writing as genuine intellectual engagement on the page — a recursive process that involves drafting, revising and getting feedback at any and every point along the way — and learn to treat both their readers and sources with integrity and generosity; they are introduced to academic writing as a complex social interaction between writer and reader, exchanging rigorous, insightful and compassionate feedback with their peers. In this way student writers are encouraged to regard their development as an ongoing process, and not the accomplishment of a single semester or even an entire undergraduate career. Shared experiences in the Writing Seminars and Sophomore Research Seminars provide students a foundation for their continued development in other coursework and independent work, guided by faculty across the University. Program of Study The Writing Seminars are topic-based multidisciplinary courses that emphasize transferable skills in critical inquiry, argument and research methods. Every first-year and transfer student completes a Writing Seminar to fulfill the University writing requirement; students rank their choices of topics according to their interests, having been assigned to take the course in either fall or spring. The elective Sophomore Research Seminars offer students a follow-up opportunity to explore disciplinary ways of knowing and the practical work of scholarship as they prepare to select their major. All Writing Program classes are capped at 12 to allow for extensive instructor feedback and support as well as a close community of readers and writers learning together.The Writing Center offers student writers free one-on-one conferences with experienced fellow writers trained to consult on assignments in any discipline. Students may bring writing projects to the Writing Center in any form — ideas, rough notes, or a first or full draft. Writing Center Fellows offer advice about the writing process, from getting started to revising, and can work with students on essential elements of academic writing, such as thesis, organization, use of sources and clarity of ideas. Appointments may be scheduled online. Additional Information For more information about the Princeton Writing Program, visit the program website. Faculty Director Amanda E. Irwin Wilkins Associate Director Christopher M. Kurpiewski Judith A. Swan Executive Committee Laura Kalin, Council of the Humanities Simone Marchesi, French & Italian Celeste M. Nelson, Chemical and Biological Eng Seth A. Perry, Religion Senior Lecturer Alexander K. Davis Emma K. Ljung Lecturer Alexander Aguayo Avram C. Alpert Eli O. Anders Sarah E. Case Durba Chattaraj Timothy Kevin Dalton Andrea L. DiGiorgio Allen Durgin Bronwen E. Everill Marina Fedosik Lynne Feeley Philip Keel Geheber Thea Goldring Sariel Golomb Anna Elizabeth Grant Sakinah R. Hofler Jorie Hofstra Annemarie Iker Jessica E. Jones Soo-Young Kim Deborah Levy Justin A. Linds Shaofei Lu Patrick W. Moran Diana R. Newby Tatiana A. Nunez-Bright Christopher Parton Erin L. Raffety LC Santangelo Liora A. Selinger Ardon Z. Shorr Osha Smith-Gittelman Emma Thompson Nina Toft Djanegara Julianna V. Visco Alena S. Wigodner For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.
