Resources for Faculty

We support faculty as they enhance their courses with better writing and speaking pedagogy.

A Complete Writing Curriculum for CIE

Below, please find a series of workshop materials, including PowerPoints with audio, worksheets, and peer review sheets, designed by Writing Fellows and the CWS director, especially for Ursinus’s CIE program. 

Using these materials is not a mandatory part of CIE; you can teach writing however you see fit. These materials are intended to make your job easier.

Other Materials You Can Use in Your Class

The following workshop materials include videos, PowerPoint presentations, and worksheets. They were created with CIE in mind and use CIE texts and essays as examples, but may also be appropriate for other classes that include thesis-driven argumentation and/or textual analysis. You can use the materials in class or assign them for homework. 

Class Visits

A Writing Fellow is available to give your class a five-minute introduction to the Center for Writing and Speaking at the beginning or end of your class. Class visits are a great way to familiarize your students with the Center and make them feel comfortable with its services.

In-Class Workshops

A Writing Fellow or the Director of the Writing and Speaking Program, Talia Argondezzi, can design and deliver an in-class workshop on any topic involving writing or speaking. Recent workshop topics have included:

  • Understanding the Assignment and Getting Started
  • Improving Thesis Statements
  • Introductions and Conclusions
  • Creating an Engaging Presentation
  • Meaningful Revision
  • Positioning Your Argument among Scholarly Sources

Workshops range from 45 to 75 minutes and are tailored to the needs of your students and your assignment. We’re happy to create new workshops based on faculty requests.

Writing Fellow Partnerships

Each semester, the Center for Writing and Speaking pairs Writing Fellows with faculty members teaching writing-intensive classes, especially CIE. Your Writing Fellow serves as your consultant throughout the semester, meets one-on-one with your students about their drafts, offers feedback on your assignment sheets, delivers workshops to the class, guides peer review sessions, and so on. You and your Fellow decide on the details and extent of your collaboration.

Individual Consultations

The Director is available for one-on-one consultations about any aspect of writing and speaking pedagogy that interests you. Whether you want to introduce a new assignment, enhance what you’re already doing, integrate writing or speaking more extensively into an existing course, or troubleshoot a problem, Talia is happy to talk it over with you.