USC Catalogue 2024-2025
The Writing Program
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Return to: USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Writing Program courses are designed to help students develop practices of reading, writing and critical reasoning that are necessary for success in academic and professional discourse. Writing Program pedagogy emphasizes small classes and frequent conferences in order to provide the highly individuated instruction and careful feedback necessary to extend the writing process and enhance the rhetorical judgment of each student. To meet the university’s writing requirement, students must complete WRIT 150 (or its equivalent) and an advanced writing course, WRIT 340 .
Jefferson Building 150 (JEF 150, mc 1293)
(213) 740-1980
FAX: (213) 740-4100
Email: writprog@usc.edu
dornsife.usc.edu/writing-program
Director: Norah Ashe, PhD
Faculty
Professors (Teaching): Norah Ashe, PhD; Stephanie Bower, PhD; Michael Bunn, PhD; Jeffrey Chisum, PhD; James Condon VII, PhD; Antonio Elefano, JD; Nathalie Joseph, PhD; Mark Marino, PhD; Shefali Rajamannar, PhD; David Tomkins, PhD; Ellen Wayland-Smith, PhD
Associate Professors (Teaching): Emily Artiano, PhD; Jennifer Bankard, PhD; Justin Bibler, PhD; Tamara Black, PhD; Amanda Bloom, PhD; Ryan Boyd, PhD; Jessica Cantiello, PhD; LauraAnne Carroll-Adler, PhD; Brent Chappelow, PhD; James Clements, PhD; Nicholas De Dominic, MFA; Andrew De Silva, MPW; Carlos Delgado, MFA; Daniel Dissinger, PhD; Elizabeth Durst, PhD; William Feuer, PhD; Amber Foster, PhD; Rochelle Gold, PhD; Amanda Hobmeier, PhD; Taiyaba Husain, MFA; Kate Levin, MFA; Rory Lukins, PhD; Stephen Mack, PhD; Matthew Manson, PhD; P.T. McNiff, MPW; Sarah Mesle, PhD; Amy Meyerson, MPW; Dana Milstein, PhD; Indra Mukhopadhyay, PhD; Cory Nelson, PhD; Vanessa Osborne, PhD; Benjamin Pack, MPW; Leah Pate, PhD; Stephanie Payne, MFA; Daniel Pecchenino, PhD; Jessica Piazza, PhD; DeAnna Rivera, JD; Sandra Ross, MA; Alisa Sanchez, PhD; Deborah Sims, PhD; Scott Smith, PhD; Mary Traester, PhD; Robert Waller Jr., MPW; William Wyatt, MPW
Assistant Professors (Teaching): Chris Belcher, MFA; Liz Blomstedt, PhD; Shana Kraynak, PhD; Chris Muniz, PhD; Tanvi Patel, PhD; Michelle Rosado, PhD; Patti Taylor, PhD; Corinna Schroeder, PhD; Keasha Worthen, PhD
Lecturers: Pamela Albanese, PhD; Rowan Bayne, PhD; Sean Cosgrove, PhD; Zen Dochterman, PhD; Laurie Fisher, PhD; Rebecca Fullan, PhD; William Gorski, PhD; Arsalan ul Haq, PhD; Ryan Leack, PhD; Michelle Meyers, MFA; Sarah Orem, PhD; Alison Pearl, PhD; Maddox Pennington, MFA
Lower-Division Requirement
WRIT 150 Writing and Critical Reasoning–Thematic Approaches focuses on the rhetorical principles and techniques necessary for successful college-level writing. Special attention is paid to critical thinking and reading, sentence-level fluency, research techniques, and the elements of academic argument and reasoning. WRIT 150 will not satisfy the lower-division writing requirement if taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.
Advanced Writing Requirement
All students at USC, except those who satisfy their general education requirements through the Thematic Option Program, must complete WRIT 340 Advanced Writing , an upper-division course designed to help students write on topics related to their disciplinary or professional interests. Students usually enroll in WRIT 340 in their junior year, and may not take the course earlier than their sophomore year. Different schools within the university offer sections of this course. Students should consult their major departments to determine which version of WRIT 340 best complements their program of study. WRIT 340 will not satisfy the university’s advanced writing requirement if taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.
All classes that meet the university’s advanced writing requirement teach students to write clear, grammatical, well-structured prose; to discover and convey complex ideas critically; and to appreciate the nuances of effective argumentation. The principal aim of the requirement is to develop a student’s capacity to formulate thoughtful and compelling writing for specific academic,
Transfer Credit
Students may complete the lower-division requirement by completing an equivalent second-semester composition course that is taken for a letter grade option (not Pass/No Pass) at another institution after high school graduation and prior to enrolling at USC. Equivalent transfer credit is determined by the university’s articulation officer. The advanced writing requirement must be completed at USC.
Time Limits
Students should complete the lower-division writing course requirement by the end of their first year at USC and must complete it before they enroll in their 65th unit. Transfer students who have not completed the lower-division requirement prior to entering USC should enroll in WRIT 150 during their first semester at USC, and must enroll in WRIT 150 no later than their 19th unit (second semester) at USC.
D-Clearance
Every fall and spring semester, the Writing Program works with students who need to modify their schedule. All sections close and go on “d-clearance” after week one, meaning students need special permission to register for a writing course. Students may email writprog@usc.edu for more information.
Joining a Writing 150 section after the second week of the semester places a student at a severe disadvantage in terms of the goals and requirements of the course. For this reason, requests to add 150 during the third week are usually denied. On the basis of extraordinary circumstances, a student may initiate an exception request with the Writing Program. Joining after week four is not permitted.
The Writing Program also does not oversee Business and Engineering WRIT 340 sections. Although it satisfies the university writing requirement, students must contact the appropriate contacts for those sections:
Marshall Business Writing:
Please email instructors listed for d-clearance
Email: asabido@marshall.usc.edu
Phone: (213) 740-0627
Viterbi Engineering Writing:
Email: ewp@usc.udu
Phone: (213) 740-3652
Programs Writing Program
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