Mission

Mission of the Writing Committee

Constituency and Terms of Service
The constituency of the Writing Committee reflects the fact that all English faculty, regardless of tenure-eligible status, teach composition and participate in the evolution of the writing program. Six faculty members comprise the Writing Committee: the Director of Writing, a representative from the Writing Center, two tenured or tenure-eligible faculty members, and two faculty members from the instructor or visiting assistant professor ranks. The Director of First Year Writing and a representative from the Writing Center will serve as permanent members of the Writing Committee, the Writing Center representative serving as a non-voting ex officio member. The Department Chair is also an ex officio member of the committee.

A term of service of service is generally two years with the exception of the one faculty member in English at the rank of instructor or visiting assistant professor whose term of service is one year. Elections will be held in the spring for members of the committee who are tenured or tenure-eligible and whose terms are about to expire. Elections for the non-tenure eligible members will be held each fall. Members may be reelected to successive terms of service.

Mission Statement and Reporting Structure
The purpose of the Writing Committee is both to advise and serve as a resource to English faculty in relation to the composition sequence--English 1101 and English 1102--and all writing/rhetoric courses in the English curriculum: Advanced Composition, Professional and Technical Writing, Creative Writing (at both the introductory and advanced levels), and Studies in Rhetoric. While proposals for the latter upper-division courses are reviewed by the Curriculum Committee, early discussion of such courses may occur within the Writing Committee. In relation to English 1101 and 1102, the Writing Committee will consider in an on-going fashion the following:

course focus and design;
different formats in which to offer such courses, for example course pairings and Learning Community clusters;
shared course goals and policies;
assessment options;
composition course placement and exemption examination procedures;
effective implementation of computer technology;
options for supplemental instruction, including Writing Center tutoring and writing workshops or labs;
textbook recommendations, particularly for new composition faculty;
and the first-year writing sequence's role in both the core and English curricula.

Also, as part of its duties, the Writing Committee may be called upon to assume a leadership role in reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and offering recommendations to the English Department in relation to hiring instructors and visiting assistant professors--those faculty who teach the bulk of the department's composition courses.

The Writing Committee also makes recommendations to the English Department in response to departmental requests. Questions to be considered may be brought forward to the Committee chair by the department chair or any member of the English faculty. All Writing Committee meeting minutes will be distributed to English faculty via the department listserv.

Department of English and Philosophy
1601 Maple Street, Carrollton, Georgia 30118
Phone: (678) 839-6512 - Fax: (678) 839-4849
Email: engdept@westga.edu

Last updated 09-23-2005 -- Email Susan Holland with problems or questions about the site.