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Writing Center: Writing in the Major

This is a collection of resources that Writing Center tutors have found helpful. Be sure to visit us in person to meet with a Writing Center tutor and pick up some of our free handouts!

Faculty Resources for Writing in the Major

Teaching Resources for Writing in the Major Courses

Below you will find a list of resources for faculty teaching Writing in the Major courses, organized by Course Learning Objective.

If you have any questions about how the Writing Center can support you and your students or if there are additional resources you'd like to see included in this LibGuide, please contact Ryan Rickrode, Director of the Writing Center, at rrickrode@messiah.edu.

 

Writing in the Major Course Learning Objectives

CLO 1 - Ethically locate, evaluate, and manage credible, effective, diverse information sources in one’s field of study. (Critical and Creative Thinking)

CLO 2 - Make an argument in writing by incorporating, analyzing, and engaging evidence. (Critical and Creative Thinking)

CLO - 3 Demonstrate rhetorical flexibility, including awareness of context, audience, purpose, genre, and conventions across diverse writing situations. (Communication)

CLO 4 - Write in ways that attend to the conventions of one’s field of study and its related media and genres. (Communication)

CLO 5 - Apply digital literacy skills to produce content that could be disseminated in a variety of media. (Communication)

Writing in the Major - CLO 4

CLO 4 - Write in ways that attend to the conventions of one’s field of study and its related media and genres. (Communication)

Writing Center LibGuide Resources
Citations and Style

 

Related Readings - Disciplines and Discourse Communities
“I Passed First-Year Writing—What Now?”: Adapting Strategies from First-Year Writing to Writing in the Disciplines by Amy Cicchino
"Understanding Discourse Communities" by Dan Melzer
"Creating, Using and Sharing Information in Research Communities" by Cassie Hemstrom and Kathy Anders
 

Related Readings - Discipline-Specific Readings
"A Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper" from the Harvard College Writing Center
"A Brief Guide to Writing the Philosophy Paper" from the Harvard College Writing Center
"A Brief Guide to Writing the English Paper" from the Harvard College Writing Center
"A Brief Guide to Writing the Psychology Paper" from the Harvard College Writing Center
"Introduction to Primary Research: Observations, Surveys, and Interviews" by Dana Lynn Driscoll
"How to Analyze Data in a Primary Research Study" by Melody Denny and Lindsay Clark
"Putting Ethnographic Writing" in Context by Seth Kahn
"At Work in the Archives: Place-Based Research and Writing" by Lynée Lewis Gaillet and Jessica Rose
 

Related Readings - Formatting and Citation Styles
"Beyond Black on White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom" by Michael J. Klein and Kristi L. Shackelford

MLA
"Citing in MLA Style" from from Yale's Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
Sample MLA Papers from MLA Style Center
MLA Escape Room Activity from Washtenaw Community College

APA
"Citing in APA Style" from from Yale's Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
Academic Writer (official online product of APA)
APA Escape Room Activity from Washtenaw Community College

Chicago
"Citing in Chicago Style" from from Yale's Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
Annotated Sample Chicago Paper from Purdue's Online Writing Lab

Director of the Writing Center

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Ryan Rickrode

Sending Students to the Writing Center

Best Practices for Sending Students to the Writing Center

Writing Center appointments can be helpful to students at any stage of the writing process. If you're considering requiring or encouraging your students to come to the Writing Center, see below for some suggestions on how to help your students get the most out of their appointment.

Please note that Writing Center tutors are not equipped to help students with citations, resumes, or cover letters. For help with citations, please direct students to meet with the librarians at Murray Library. For assistance with resumes and cover letters, please direct them to the Career and Professional Development Center. 

1. Ask Students to Schedule Early

Our appointment slots tend to fill up quickly, especially around midterms and finals. If you are going to require your students to come to the Writing Center, we ask that you notify them as early as possible and encourage them to make their appointments in advance. Setting aside time in class for students to schedule appointments may be beneficial. 

2. Send Us Your Prompt

If you are requiring your students to come to the Writing Center for a specific paper, reviewing the prompt in advance would be helpful to our tutors. Please send a copy of your prompt to writingcenter@messiah.edu so we can familiarize ourselves with the requirements.

3. Encourage Students to Come with Goals

When your students come to the Writing Center, encourage them to come with goals for their sessions. Such goals could include but are not limited to creating an outline, writing a thesis, or improving clarity.

4. Get Notified About Appointments

We let students decide whether or not they want their professors to be informed of visits to the Writing Center. If requested, your students' tutors will notify you via email to confirm students’ appointments. Such emails will contain faculty dialogue forms in which tutors will comment on any topics covered and progress made during appointments.

5. Show the Writing Center Video in Class

To help students learn more about the Writing Center, consider showing our informative 4-minute video in class. Click here to view our video on YouTube. The video covers how to schedule an appointment, what an appointment looks like, how students can prepare for their appointments, and more. 

6. Help Students Schedule Appointments

If students are having trouble when scheduling appointments, offer assistance or direct them to the Writing Center to help make the process smoother. Sometimes, setting aside time in class for students to schedule can be helpful. Click here for instructions that will help you assist students scheduling appointments.