To write well requires neither mystery nor magic. It is a craft that can be learned from expert teachers and honed in frequent practice. All that is required is the commitment to work at it.
Those who can write well are able to discover, articulate, organize and present clearly and effectively their own as well as other people’s ideas. Those who can write well are always in demand and always valued, no matter where they exercise their craft.
Who can take the Writing Minor?
The Writing Minor is open to all undergraduate students, including English students. The Writing Minor complements all fields of university study.
What are the requirements?
The Writing Minor will require successful completion of WRIT 1120 (Writing Theory and Practice) and 2.5 other courses selected from Writing courses offered in the English Department or LIBR 2100, Introduction to Research in the Information Age.
What's the difference between WRIT and ENGL courses?
Any course designated as WRIT or as ENGL/WRIT counts towards the Writing Minor. English students who are looking for courses to fulfill the requirements of a literature program (minor, concentration, major, advanced major, or honours in English) cannot count WRIT courses as part of the literature requirements, although they can, of course, take WRIT courses as electives or enroll in the Writing Minor. Courses designated as ENGL/WRIT can fulfill requirements for either the Writing Minor or one of the literature programs.
Possible Writing courses will include An Introduction to Editing, Creative Writing, Writing to Influence, Myths and Theories about Writing, and Studies in Writing. For further advice on the Writing Minor, contact the English Department Writing Co-ordinator, Dr. Anna Smol.
Where are Writing Minor courses listed?
Please note that when registering for WRIT courses, you have to search under "Writing" in Web Advisor, not "English." However, when consulting the University Undergraduate Calendar, you will have to look under "English" for a listing of WRIT courses. If you are interested in the Library 2100 course, you will have to search under "Library" in WedAdvisor. Below you will find a listing of the Writing Minor courses scheduled for 2009-2010.
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Summer Session 2010 courses
Summer Session I:WRIT 1120: Writing Theory and Practice(half unit)
Monday and Wednesday 9:00 - 11:45 a.m.
May 10 - June 23
Instructor: TBA
In this course, you will approach writing from a rhetorical perspective: that is, writing is not just a matter of following a series of rules or applying a set of templates. Instead, writing involves making choices that are appropriate to the situation. Assignments will include, but also extend beyond, traditional academic writing. You will get practice in drafting and substantial revision as well as editing and polishing. Issues of academic integrity and accurate citation will be addressed in the process of developing research-informed papers.
This course is the foundation of the Writing Minor; it is recommended that you take 1120 before you attempt any other WRIT or WRIT/ENGL courses.
Offered by the Library:
LIBR 2100: Introduction to Research in the Information Age
(half unit)
Contact Distance Learning
April 26 - June 25
Instructor: S. Orlov
Prerequisite: recommended that students have completed one term of study
An introduction to research including frameworks for the organization of information in print and online; critical strategies for acquiring, evaluating and communicating information; and ethical and legal (intellectual property, copyright, plagiarism) obligations of using information. Information sources across various disciplines, formats and media will be considered.
Summer Session II:
WRIT 1120: Writing Theory and Practice
(half unit)
Tuesday and Thursday 1:30 - 4:25 p.m.
July 6 - August 19
Instructor: TBA
In this course, you will approach writing from a rhetorical perspective: that is, writing is not just a matter of following a series of rules or applying a set of templates. Instead, writing involves making choices that are appropriate to the situation. Assignments will include, but also extend beyond, traditional academic writing. You will get practice in drafting and substantial revision as well as editing and polishing. Issues of academic integrity and accurate citation will be addressed in the process of developing research-informed papers.
This course is the foundation of the Writing Minor; it is recommended that you take 1120 before you attempt any other WRIT or WRIT/ENGL courses.
ENGL / WRIT 2221-18: Creative Writing
(half unit)
Contact Distance Learning
July 5 - August 19
Instructor: TBA
Pre-requisite: ENGL 1170/1171 or ENGL 1155 or permission of the instructor. If you are taking this course in the Writing Minor, you are recommended to complete WRIT 1120 first. This is a study of lyric and narrative thinking via specific writing assignments in poetry, fiction, and/or nonfiction, in a workshop environment. Reading and written discussion of (and visits by) contemporary writers are central to the course, with peer-reviewed literary journals drawn on as texts and to establish standards. Limited enrolment.
Fall - Winter 2009-2010 WRIT courses
WRIT 1120: Writing Theory and Practice (half unit)
A writing exercise will be assigned in the first class. Students whose performance is judged inadequate will be strongly recommended to withdraw.
Students on the waitlist must attend classes until a decision on their status can be made.
In this course, you will approach writing from a rhetorical perspective: that is, writing is not just a matter of following a series of rules or applying a set of templates. Instead, writing involves making choices that are appropriate to the situation. Assignments will include, but also extend beyond, traditional academic writing. You will get practice in drafting and substantial revision as well as editing and polishing. Issues of academic integrity and accurate citation will be addressed in the process of developing research-informed papers.
This course is the foundation of the Writing Minor; it is recommended that you take 1120 before you attempt any other WRIT or WRIT/ENGL courses.
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ENGL / WRIT 2220: Writing to Influence Winter term; half unit
Section 02: Winter term
Tuesday and Thursday 10:30-11:45
Instructor: S. Drain
Pre-requisite: WRIT 1120 or five units of university study. If you are taking this course in the Writing Minor, you are recommended to complete WRIT 1120 first. Building on WRIT 1120, this course explores the rhetoric of persuasion in various genres and situations. The foundation of the course is classical rhetoric, as reinterpreted fro modern times. We explore logic and style as part of effective persuasion, as well as ethical issues that arise. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with a variety of rhetorical and literary terms --impress your friends by referring casually to paronomasia or paraprosdokian. Some research in the field is required.
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ENGL / WRIT 2221: Creative Writing Fall term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 9:05-10:20
Instructor: C. Goulet
Winter term; half unit
Section 18: contact Distance Learning
Pre-requisite: ENGL 1170/1171 or ENGL 1155 or permission of the instructor. If you are taking this course in the Writing Minor, you are recommended to complete WRIT 1120 first. This is a study of lyric and narrative thinking via specific writing assignments in poetry, fiction, and/or nonfiction, in a workshop environment. Reading and written discussion of (and visits by) contemporary writers are central to the course, with peer-reviewed literary journals drawn on as texts and to establish standards. Limited enrolment.
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WRIT 2222: Introduction to EditingFall term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 12:05 - 1:20
Instructor: C. Goulet
Pre-requisite: WRIT 1120 and ENGL/WRIT 2220 or permission of the instructor. This is an introduction through workshops and case studies to the history and practice of text editing, from manuscript analysis, structural and stylistic issues to copy editing and proofing galleys, in a range of genres: literary, scholarly, scientific, and popular. Students will have access to manuscripts and editing professionals. Based on the Professional Editorial Standards of the Editors' Association of Canada. Limited enrolment.
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ENGL/ WRIT 3330: Myths and Theories about Writing Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:45
Instructor: S. Drain
This course addresses some fundamental questions about writing: where do ideas come from? how is writing accomplished? can writing be taught? what makes "good writing"? In exploring these questions, we will examine our own practice and assumptions, and will concentrate on selected readings from recent theorists and researchers in the field of rhetoric and composition. Of interest to anyone who writes or struggles with writing, this course provides a framework particularly important for potential teachers, editors, and critics.
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Offered by the Library:LIBR 2100: Introduction to Research in the Information Age
Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 10:30-11:45
Instructor: M. Raven
Prerequisite: recommended that students have completed one term of study
An introduction to research including frameworks for the organization of information in print and online; critical strategies for acquiring, evaluating and communicating information; and ethical and legal (intellectual property, copyright, plagiarism) obligations of using information. Information sources across various disciplines, formats and media will be considered.
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