Mission

The mission of the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program is to enable students to write effectively* for multiple purposes and audiences through specific instruction in Supplemental Writing Skills courses and the integration of writing across the whole curriculum.

Vision

The ability to write effectively in a variety of rhetorical situations is the hallmark of a liberally educated person. The most effective way to help students achieve this goal is by providing a framework for courses that integrate writing with content. The writing instruction in these SWS courses is supported by current research and theory in writing.

SWS Requirement

All GVSU students are required to take at least two (2) courses with an SWS designation.  Exceptions and waiver information are explained on the waiver request page. 

We value:

• A university community that shares responsibility for writing instruction;
• Writing instruction that is integrated with course material regardless of discipline;
• Writing instruction that occurs throughout the four years of undergraduate education;
• Pedagogical approaches that are based in theory and research in composition, including (but not limited to) writing as a process and writing to learn approaches;
• The importance of practicing the conventions and forms of an academic discipline in order to learn them.

*Effective writing is sensitive to the rhetorical situation and genre constraints. It meets established standards for style and correctness in that situation.