About Us
Writing and research are the cornerstones of the Duke undergraduate curriculum. The University Writing Program (UWP) helps students develop as writers from their first through senior years at Duke, and supports the effects of faculty to teach writing in a wide range of courses across the curriculum. We do so in three main ways:
Writing 20: Academic Writing: All entering undergraduates must complete Writing 20 in their first year at Duke. Writing 20 offers an intensive introduction to the practice of Academic Writing. Each section of Writing 20 has a distinctive theme chosen by its instructor. (See Courses for brief descriptions of current and past themes.) Sections are capped at 12 students and taught by faculty who have studied a wide range of disciplines--from biology and engineering to political science and sociology to literature and philosophy and history--and who have also undergone special training in the teaching of writing. See Writing 20 Assessment for how we reflect on and revise our work with student writers.
Writing in the Disciplines (WID): All students in Trinity College must also take two writing-designated courses in the disciplines. WID courses are designed and taught by faculty in all the various departments at Duke. Such courses build on the skills developed in Writing 20 in order to offer students a more specific sense of how to write in particular fields of study. The UWP reviews WID courses and provides support for the faculty teaching them. See WID Assessment for how we track the uses of writing across the curriculum at Duke.
The Writing Studio offers free, one-on-one tutoring to students working on writing for any course they are taking at Duke. The tutors at the Writing Studio are trained professionals who can help you move forward at any stage of your work on a piece of writing--from developing ideas to drafting to revising to copy-editing and proofreading. Schedule appointments online. See Writing Studio Assessment for how we measure the effectiveness of our one-on-one work with student writers.
The Duke UWP was established in 2000 as an effort to increase the role of writing in the Duke undergranduate curriculum. See the 1999 Report of the UWP Task Force for the beginning vision of our program. In 2006, the UWP received a CCCC Writing Program Certificate of Excellence for our support of both undergraduate students of writing and their teachers. Browse our site to learn more about who we are and what we do. And please feel free to contact Professor Joseph Harris, Director of the UWP, if you have any questions.
