At SUNY Cortland, our three writing programs work together to cultivate a rigorous and diverse intellectual community, in which students develop as writers. Our mission is to teach writing as communication, expression, and a habit of inquiry.
Writing Programs
Composition Program
Our first-year writing courses emphasize critical inquiry and prepare students to research and enter academic conversations. In Composition Program courses, students develop strategies for reading, analyzing, and composing texts for academic and public audiences.
All students take six credits of first-year writing, and these credits fulfill SUNY Cortland’s general education requirement.
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Contact Information
- Kati Ahern, Director of Writing Programs and Assistant Professor of Professional Writing
- Michael Turner, Associate Director of Writing Programs and Writing Center Coordinator
Writing Center
At the Cortland Writing Center, we believe that the process of composing text is often a complicated one. In addition to the physical act of writing, it also involves conversation, collaboration, engaging with other voices, reflecting, reconsidering, and revising.
Students use the Writing Center for all sorts of purposes: getting a handle on an assignment before they start writing, working through revisions, considering how to respond to feedback they’ve received from peers and professors, and for support for long-term projects such as an Honors Thesis or Senior Capstone project.
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Contact Information
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Michael Turner, Writing Center Coordinator
Writing Intensive (WI) Courses
In their Writing Intensive courses, students learn discipline-specific writing strategies and receive individual feedback on their writing. These courses build on the writing and inquiry practices taught in the Composition Program. Writing Intensive courses are offered in every department on campus.
All students are required to take at least six credits of Writing Intensive courses at SUNY Cortland, including at least three credits in their major.
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Contact Information
- Kati Ahern, Director of Writing Programs and Assistant Professor of Professional Writing
- Michael Turner, Associate Director of Writing Programs and Writing Center Coordinator