Writing

A minor in writing combines both creative genres (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction) and professional writing in order to develop well-rounded scholars. Students also read and analyze the work of other writers to understand their thought processes and strategies.

To complement the required coursework, writing minors also travel to hear writers read their work and attend conferences where writers discuss the act of writing. Mount Union students also have the chance to participate in public opportunities to read and receive feedback on their own work.

Featured Course

WRT 199: Introduction to Grant Writing

This course will give you the knowledge and confidence required to develop and submit grant proposals. You will learn the basics of grant writing, including how to identify potential sources of funding, how to write a compelling proposal, and how to maximize the grant’s chances of success. You will learn how to do the research that supports grants, how to create a budget, and how to write using the evaluation criteria established by funding organizations. If you are contemplating a career in the non-profit, government, or community sectors, this would be an ideal course for you.

Learning Objectives

Upon graduation, students who minor in writing will be able to:

Recognize and respond to a variety of audiences, contexts, and purposes
Craft sophisticated print and digital texts in a variety of genres, both creative and professional
Demonstrate growth as a writer by producing a professional-quality portfolio
Evaluate the appropriateness of rhetorical choices in own and others’ texts
Arrange the organization of texts appropriate to the rhetorical situation
Recognize and self-edit errors in written discourse
Produce complex texts with correctness in syntax, grammar, usage, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling
Demonstrate an advanced sense of coherence and cohesion in written discourse
Consider, apply, and control stylistic options (prose style, figurative language, voice, register, tone, word choice, etc.

THINK LIKE WRITERS

Talk and write about their writing and consciously synthesize and integrate insights from one project into another
Articulate a statement of identity as a writer (including style, voice, and ethos)
Use multiple research methods (both primary and secondary), utilizing and documenting their research in their writing
Develop a sophisticated vocabulary for thinking, talking, and writing about their own and others process of writing and the texts they produce
Assess and respond to other writers, paying attention to the choices writers make, the reasons for those choices, and the effect those choices have on an audience
Recognize and gear writing towards a pluralistic and diverse world

READ LIKE WRITERS

Demonstrate an understanding that writing emerges from an existing conversation and be able to join that existing conversation
Read widely and read a variety of texts, both creative and professional in nature
Exhibit knowledge and reading skill by effectively incorporating their reading into their writing

Curriculum

As a writing minor at the University of Mount Union, you will analyze poetry and fiction, explore a wide variety of writing styles and genres and learn the foundations of professional writing. You will read numerous pieces of literature and gain hands-on experience by expressing yourself through your own writing pieces.

Experiential Learning

Students will develop broadly as writers through in-class work and significant experiences outside the classroom including trips to hear writers read their work, conferences in which writers discuss the act of writing, and public opportunities for students to read and receive feedback on their own work. These experiences prepare students to enter the workforce or a graduate program.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

The Digital, Written and Oral Communication Studio  is an interdisciplinary writing support center offered free of charge to Mount Union students. The Studio offers English and Writing students an opportunity to tutor others’ writing and, in the process, become more effective writers and communicators. Typically, half the 20 yearly staff positions are filled by English and Writing students.

The Calliope, The University of Mount Union’s annual literary and arts magazine, first appeared in 1954. Today, it operates as a recognized student organization, with an annual budget of more than $11,000. Students who participate in the organization publish two magazines annually (Calliope and The Agora), work with nationally recognized writers and artists as judges, gain experience in event management, editing and publications management. Calliope has recently expanded to accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, drama, and all forms of visual art from students at other regional and national institutions, as well as from Mount Union students, alumni, faculty and staff. Best in category submissions are awarded cash prizes.

Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society. Its central purpose is to confer distinction upon students of the English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies. Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.

Book Club is a student-led organization on Mount Union’s campus. The organization promotes an outlet for creativity and curiosity by hosting and attending intellectual and cultural activities pertaining to literature and/or writing.