Mission
The Department of Writing Studies is the intellectual home for writing and rhetoric, composition, and technical and professional writing at the University of Miami. In our research and creative activity, and in the teaching and learning we do as a community, we emphasize the crucial role writing has in transforming and informing our personal, professional, and civic lives. We believe writing can be used to help address the world’s most pressing issues.
Located in Miami, FL, a global city renowned for its diversity, we host the University’s Writing Center, First-year Writing program, and a Minor in Professional Writing. Through our Writing-Enriched Curriculum (WEC) initiatives, we regularly collaborate with other departments, colleges, and units on campus. As a result, Writing Studies offers all UM undergraduate and graduate students research and learning experiences that bridge the intellectual traditions of the Humanities with 21st century technologies and literacies. We are committed to fostering educational experiences that are dynamic and flexible, and centered on students’ interests, languages, and professional goals.
As a department, we believe in a model of deliberate practice in both research and teaching. Our faculty engage in research practice that has real-world impact and seeks interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement. Further, we adopt a practice-based approach in our classrooms, offering students timely feedback and multiple opportunities for revising their writing. As a result, we embrace curiosity to hone our craft and reward learning from both failures and successes.
Vision
Our goal is to produce research and instruction that transcends disciplinary boundaries, and to support students in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in using their writing to transform their professional and personal lives. We advance a vision for writing that is accountable to and engaged with the diverse and vibrant communities in which we live and contribute. By promoting inclusive and reciprocal practices as a community, we intend to use our research and teaching to make change in the world.
Values
In addition to the DIRECCT values that make up the University of Miami Code of Conduct, the Department of Writing Studies embraces the following values:
Care
We facilitate educational experiences that meet people where they are, focusing on success regardless of preparation, perceived readiness, or background.
Community
We intentionally create community, where faculty and students alike nurture compassion for each other, and where we can all set goals and thrive.
Culture
We achieve excellence in research and teaching in writing studies by promoting a culture of ongoing improvement of our work through practice.
