Writing Requirements

Writing is a crucial component of a liberal arts education. Accordingly, the mission of the Writing Department is to support a culture of writing that ensures Colby students develop their writing and research abilities to become successful communicators in academic, personal, and, ultimately, professional environments after college.

The Writing Department is an interdisciplinary academic department that draws on many disciplines, most notably the field of rhetoric and writing studies, which brings together writing and communications pedagogy, rhetorical theory, linguistics, and research in writing across disciplines.

The Writing Department is also responsible for coordinating and assessing first-year writing (W1); helping faculty develop upper-level writing course in the majors and across the curriculum; offering faculty development around writing-related pedagogy and research; providing support for multilingual students through individual consultations and work with faculty; and, through the Farnham Writers’ Center, providing student peer-to-peer writing tutoring and faculty support.

Colby Writing Department faculty teach writing courses at varied levels, with a particular focus on first-year writing, rhetoric, sociolinguistics, and communication. For more information, please see the “Writing Department” and “Farnham Writers’ Center” sections of the catalogue or visit the department website.

Chair, Stacey Sheriff

Department Affiliated Faculty: Associate Professor Stacey Sheriff; Assistant Professors Ghada Gherwash (Farnham Writers’ Center Director) and Chaoran Wang (Multilingual Writing Specialist); Distinguished Senior Lecturer Elisabeth Fairfield (on leave 2024-25); Senior Lecturer Elizabeth Ketner; Visiting Assistant Professor Carolyn Megan; and Postdoctoral Fellow Andrew Moos