Orange Alert

WAC Faculty Fellow Application

Award Amount: $3,000

We invite full-time faculty members in Arts and Sciences and/or Maxwell who are teaching courses that include student writing assignments to apply to become a Writing Across the Curriculum Faculty Fellow.

This fellowship supports faculty members who are interested in revising the use of writing in their courses and implementing pedagogical strategies that align with culturally inclusive antiracist writing practices. Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) describes a way of thinking about teaching and learning that recognizes writing as a fundamental part of knowledge-making and communication in all academic disciplines. Taking an antiracist approach to this work means that faculty are encouraged to rethink pedagogical assumptions about writing and confront implicit biases that can emerge in writing assignments and assessment.

Timeline

Spring 2025

During the Spring 2025 semester, Fellows will work with the Director of WAC, Emily Dressing, and Assistant Director of WAC, Zakery Muñoz, to explore best practices for teaching writing in their discipline. Faculty Fellows will attend a series of collaborative workshops and one-on-one meetings to revise syllabi, writing assignments, and assessments for courses to be taught either in the Fall of 2025 or Spring of 2026. Workshop dates/times will be determined by the selected Fellows’ schedules.

Fall 2025/Spring 2026:

In Fall 2025 or Spring 2026, Fellows will teach their redesigned courses, and their classes will be observed by the WAC team. Workshops and one-on-one support will be continued as needed. At the start of Spring 2026, a panel discussion will be held as a space to reflect on and share Fellows’ experiences with faculty across the College.

To Apply

Documents required:

  1. CV, including list of courses taught
  2. Syllabus and assignment sheets for the course(s) you’d like to revise
  3. Letter of Application (2-3 pages) in which you:
  • Identify the course(s) you would like to revise, the typical enrollment, and how expanding or developing writing instruction in the course(s) will support student writing.
  • Explain any past experience you’ve had using Writing Across the Curriculum principles. Past experience is not required.
  • Reflect on why you want to implement or develop antiracist pedagogy.
  • Share any other goals, concerns, or context that you feel are useful or relevant to your application.
  • Offer 3-5 hours each week when you are available to meet (March 17-April 25) to help with preliminary scheduling (not as a basis for selection).

Submit your application to Emily Dressing (eadefran@syr.edu) by Friday, February 21, 2025. Fellows will be notified by March 7. Workshops begin the week of March 17.