Writing in the Discipline
The University of Portland offers a Writing in the Discipline program (WD) that fosters writing across campus. This program incorporates both a prominent contemporary theory of college writing instruction and a national trend—the rise in universities adopting this interdisciplinary model for the teaching of writing. The WD program provides students with writing intensive courses and various kinds of writing assignments to deepen thinking about disciplinary content and to gain a better understanding of the forms of writing in their professions.
The Writing in the Discipline program supports writing objectives already in place in the two-course Writing Embedded core sequence, consisting of courses in English 112 and Philosophy 150 required of every student. By offering writing intensive courses in every major, this program:
- Helps students to master learning outcomes related to writing articulated by their department or school
- Introduces students to the type of writing required in the discipline and to think and write in their respective disciplines
- Provides all students courses with a significant writing component that will increase the ability of student to write and think critically
- Offers students writing assignments consistent with the discipline. The type of writing can vary depending upon the major. Some examples are a research paper, an argumentative essay, lab reports, project memos/reports or a critical reflection on a clinical, teaching or field experience.
The Writing in the Discipline courses are the following:
College of Arts and Sciences
Pamplin School of Business
Shiley School of Engineering
Schools of Nursing and Education
The School of Nursing has designated two WD courses: NRS 301, Nursing Theory and Knowing; and NRS 422, Maternal Child Nursing.
The School of Education chose the following courses:
- The first WD course for all students in Education is ED 320. This course is taken by nearly all ED students in either the freshman or sophomore years (some take ED 320 as juniors).
- ED 400 or ED 450. ED 400 is taken by elementary students as juniors. ED 450 is taken by secondary students as juniors.