Using a survey of writing assignments to make informed curricular decisions. Writing Program Administration

Because almost every member of an English department teaches fresh-man composition, all too often the course is shaped by the diverse theories and inclinations of those who teach it. Many English faculty, especially those trained in literature, still believe that freshman composi-tion should teach students how to read and write about literature. Others see its purpose as teaching students to write about themselves. Still others insist that freshman composition should give students tradi-tional instruction in the rhetorical modes. But increasing numbers are convinced that freshman composition, if it is to survive as part of a college's or university's core curriculum, must prepare students for majors in other disciplines. In fact, the academic community accepts the usual composition requirement because it assumes we are providing students with generally useful writing skills-not only those that stu-dents need in their academic lives but also those they will later need in their professional lives