Courses
For all students in courses assisted by the Writing Project, Writing Assistants read drafts of two or three essays, papers, or lab reports. After writing marginal and summary comments on the drafts, they meet with each writer to discuss the writer's ideas and ways to improve their presentation to a reader. After the conversation with the Assistant, the writer revises the paper before turning it in to the professor for further feedback and a grade. Writing Assistants have no role in grading the papers.
Writers in Writing Project courses are responsible for writing a serious draft and submitting it to the course instructor with a self-assessment form. They sign up for conferences and meet with their Writing Assistant as scheduled. After their conferences, they revise their papers in whatever ways they choose, proofread, and turn papers in to the course professor with the first draft and the completed self-assessment form.
Faculty members wishing to have Writing Assistants read and respond to papers for all students in one of their courses contact the director of the Writing Project, Kathleen O'Connor (X3760, koconnor@bowdoin.edu), a few weeks before registration for that semester. They schedule draft and final dates for relevant assignments that allow time--normally ten days--for reading drafts, conducting conferences, and making thoughtful revisions. Faculty members who participate in the program require participation of all writers in their class, as they find that nearly all students benefit from the perspective of an attentive reader who is not a specialist in the field, as well as from the process of drafting, seeking feedback, and revising.
In the academic year 2009-10, Writing Assistants conducted approximately 1200 conferences with 550 writers in 20 Writing Project courses.
Writing Project Courses Spring Semester 2013
| Anthropology/Asian St 138 |
Everyday Life in India and Pakistan |
Dickey |
| Asian Studies 266 |
Chinese Women in Fiction and Film |
Tsui |
| Biology 214 |
Comparative Physiology |
Dickinson |
| Economics 211 |
Poverty and Redistribution |
Fitzgerald |
| English/Africana Studies 261 |
African-American Poetry | Muther |
| English 286/Asian Studies 217 |
Forbidden Capital |
Kong |
| Film Studies 222 |
Images of America in Film |
Welsch |
| French 210 |
Intro tp Modern French Literature |
Vanderwolk |
| GWS 274 |
Writing Muslim Women's Lives |
Abdurraqib |
| GWS 281/History 256 |
Gender, Science, and Empire |
Mitra |
| History 127 |
Early Modern Europe |
Roberts |
| History 273/Asian St 271 |
History of China II |
Zuo |
| Sociology 249 |
Drugs and Disease |
Thomson |
Comments from faculty members teaching recent Writing Project courses:
"The papers I get in writing-assisted courses are ALWAYS better because they benefit so substantially from multiple conferences, a break between draft and revision, and the thoughtful attention of the peer readers. " (Spring '08)
"I am 100% clear that the papers I receive are better for having been revised with the help of the Writing Assistants....The quality of their feedback is extremely high, and they all demonstrate a shared understanding of what are higher-order concerns and what are lower-order concerns. They are valuable and valued collaborators with me and with my students. " (Fall '11)
"I have taught this class with and without Writing Assistants. The papers with WA support are consistently better written and analyzed." (Spring '12)
"All three of the tutors ...were responsible and effective. I got only positive feedback from the students." (Spring '12)
"The Writing Assistants made thorough, thoughtful, and encouraging comments. I was impressed by the level of detail that the WAs were able to address in the students' drafts. I learned a lot about how to comment effectively on drafts by observing them." (Fall '11)
Writing Project Course Forms
Download forms for use in a Writing Project Course here.
 Conference Report.doc |
Conference sign-up sheet.doc |
WA final questionnaire.doc |
Writer self-assessment.doc |
Writing Assistant Job Description.doc |
What you should know about the WP.doc |
Previous Writing Project Courses
Fall 2012
| Anthropology 013 |
Beyond Pocahontas:Native American Stereotypes | Fayard |
| Asian St 212/English 273 |
Writing China from Afar |
Kong |
| Biology 213 |
Neurobiology |
Horch |
| English 278 |
Of Comics and Culture |
Muther |
| EOS 020 |
Living Downstream |
David |
| Film Studies 101 |
Film Narrative I |
Welsch |
| German 027 |
Modern Western Prostitutes |
Smith |
| History 018 |
Consumerism in Early Modern Europe |
Roberts |
| History 026 |
Globalizing India |
Sturman |
| Music 010 |
Music and Race in Latin America |
Birenbaum |
| Sociology 101 | Introduction to Sociology |
Murthy |
Spring 2012
| Africana St/Religion 271 |
Black Women and Religion |
Casselberry |
| Asian St/Anthropology 138 |
Everyday Life in India and Pakistan |
Dickey |
| Biology 214 |
Comparative Physiology |
Dickinson |
| Economics 212 |
Labor Economics |
Connelly |
| Economics 239/Asian St 231 | Topics on Asian Economies |
Tang |
| English 111 |
Introduction to LGBTQ Fiction |
Foster |
| English/Africana Studies 270 |
African-American Fiction |
Muther |
| English279/As St 274 |
Asian America's Aging |
Kong |
| Film Studies 202 |
Film History II |
Welsch |
| French 210 |
Modern French Literature |
Vanderwolk |
| History 221 | History of England 1485-1688 | Tananbaum |
| Spanish 205 | Advanced Spanish | Celis |
Fall 2011
| Asian Studies 21 |
Perspectives on Modern China |
Tsui |
| Asian St 213/English 271 |
Intro to Asian American Literature |
Kong |
| Biology 25 |
Venoms and Toxins |
Ernstrom |
| Biology 213 |
Neurobiology |
Whitney |
| Economics 238 | Economic History of American Enterprise |
Khan |
| Film St 201 |
Film History I |
Welsch |
| French 209 |
Intro to Medieval and Early Modern Lit |
Dauge-Roth |
| Gender and Women's St 201 | Feminist Theory |
Scanlon |
| Psychology 10 |
Introduction to the Brain and Behavior |
Mangiamele |
| Religion 14 | Orthodoxy and Heresy |
Buckley |
Spring 2011
| Biology 214 | Comparative Physiology |
Ellers |
| Economics 211 | Poverty and Redistribution |
Fitzgerald |
| English 201 |
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales | Edsall |
| English 273/Asian St 212 |
Writing China from Afar | Kong |
| GWS 211 | Muslim Women, Islam, and Feminism | Abdurraqib |
| Government 120 |
Comparative Politics | Laurence |
| Philosophy/ES 258 |
Environmental Ethics | Simon |
| Russian 251 | Central Asia in Film & Literature | Knox |
| Sociology 213 | Ending Sexual Violence | Guckenheimer |
Fall 2010
| Africana St/Sociology 10 |
Racism |
Partridge |
| Asian St 216/English 274 |
Asian Diaspora Literature of WWII |
Kong |
| Biology 213 |
Neurobiology |
Horch |
| English 204 |
Tolkien's Middle Ages |
Edsall |
| Gender & Women's St 235 |
Lawn Boy Meets Valley Girl |
Scanlon |
| Psychlogy 10 |
Introduction to the Brain and Behavior |
Ramus |
| Russian 221 |
Revolution and Love in Russian Film |
Knox-Voina |
| Sociology 20 |
In the Facebook Age |
Murthy |
Spring 2010
| Biology 214 | Comparative Physiology |
Dickinson |
| Economics 211 |
Poverty and Redistribution |
Fitzgerald |
| Economics 212 | Labor and Human Resouces |
Connelly |
| Economics 238 | Economic History of American Enterprise |
Khan |
| Economics 239 | Topics in Asian Economics |
Tang |
| English 201 |
Canterbury Tales |
Edsall |
| English/Africana St. 270 |
African-American Fiction |
Muther |
| English 279/Asian St 224 |
Asian-America's Aging |
Kong |
| Film Studies 202 |
History of Film II |
Welsch |
| Gender & Women's St 101 | Introduction to Gender and Women's St | Scanlon |
| History 242/Env St 203 |
Environment and Culture in North America |
Klingle |
| Sociology 101 |
In the Facebook Age |
Murthy |
Fall 2009
| Africana Studies 101 |
Introduction to Africana Studies |
Chakkalakal |
| Asian Studies 275 |
The Making of Modern China |
Teoh |
| Biology 213 |
Neurobiology |
Horch |
| English 204 |
Tolkien's Middle Ages |
Edsall |
| English 261 | African-American Poetry |
Muther |
| Film Studies 201 | Film History I |
Welsch |
| Gender & Women's St 261 |
Gender, Film, and Consumer Culture |
Scanlon |
| Sociology 101 |
Introduction to Sociology | Murthy |
| Psychology 10 |
Introduction to the Brain and Behavior |
Ramus |
Spring 2009
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Economics 236: Health Economics and Policy
English 60: English Composition
English/Afr St 108: Intro to Black Women's LIterature
English 203: Tri-Lingual England
English/Afr St 270: African-American Fiction: Short Stories
Film Studies 224: Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Gender and Women's Studies 101: Introduchon to GWS
Government 265: International Political Economy
Sociology 227: Transnational Race and Ethnicity
Fall 2008
Education 20: The Educational Crusade
English/Africana Studies 14: Writers of the Caribbean
English 103: Signs and Symbos in Narrative Literature
English 278: Of Comics and Culture
Environmental Studies/Art History 243: Modern Architecture
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative
French/Africana Studies 207: Francophone Cultures
Gender and Women's Studies 247: Bearing the Untold Story
History 217: The German Experience
Spring 2008
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
English 22: Of Comics and Culture
English 201: Chaucer
Eng/ Africana St 261: African-American Poetry
Eng 272/Asian St 210:Asian-American Female Gothic
Film Studies 202: History of Film II
Government 160: Intro to International Relations
Gender & Women’s Studies 101: Intro to Gender and Women's Studies
GWS 235/History 234: Lawn Boy Meets Valley Girl
GWS 301: Doing Gender Studies
Philosophy 16: Personal Ethics
Fall 2007
Asian Studies 249: Perspectives on Modern China
Economics 211: Poverty and Redistribuion
Education 203: Educating All Children
English 204: Tolkien's Middle Ages
ES/History 244: City, Anti-City, Utopia
Film Stuides 201: History of Film I
French 209: Introduction to French Literature
Gender & Women's Studies 261: Gender, Film, and Consumer Culture
Psychology 10: Introduction to the Brain and Behavior
Religion 14: Heresy and Othodoxy
Sociology/Africana Studies 10: Racism
Spring 2007
Biology 102: Biological Principles II
Biolgoy 214: Comparative Physiology
Biology/ES 315: Coastal Ecology
Economics 238: Economic History
Education 203: Educating All Children
English/ Africana St 108: Introduction to Black Women's Literature
English/Africana Studies 275: African-American Fiction
Film Studies 222: Images of America in Film
French 210: Introduction to Modern French Literature
German 154: Post World War II German Film
Government 160: Introduction to International Relations
Fall 2006
Biology 219: Biology of Marine Organisms
Economics 227: Human Resources and Economic Development
English 107: Intro to Literary Methods: Image and Text
Environmental Studies/Art HIstory 243: Modern Architecture
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative
German 156: Nazi Cinema
History/Africana Studies 265: Africa and the Indian Ocean World
Spring 2006
Art History/Africana Studies 271: Returning the Gaze: Issues in Black Photography
Asian Studies/History 252: Pop and Mass Culture in Contemporary China
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Economics 211: Poverty, Inequality, and Redistribution
English 204: Tolkien's Middle Ages
English/Africana Studies 275: African-American Fiction
Film Studies 204: History of Film II
Film Studies 224: Films of Alfred Hitchcock
French 210: Introduction to Modern French Literature
Gender and Women's Studies 101: Introduction to Gender and
Gender and Women's Studies 261: Gender, Film, and Consumer Culture
History 221: England 1485-1688
Fall 2005
Art History/Asian Studies 13: Stories and Scrolls
Asian Studies/GWS 266: Women and Writing in Modern China
Biology 217: Developmental Biology
Biology 219: Biology of Marine Organisms
English 202: Chaucer: Troilus and Criseyde
ES/History 227: City and Landscape in Europe: London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna
ES/History 243: Modern Architecture
Film Studies 201: History of Film, 1895-1940
Gender and Women's Studies/History 245: Bearing the Untold Story
Government 114: Democracy and Democratization
Religion 14: Heresy and Orthodoxy
Sociology/Africana Studies 10: Racism
Spring 2005
Asian Studies 249: Perspectives on Modern China
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Classics 12: Birth to Death in the Ancient City
Classics 102: Introduction to Ancient Greek Culture
Education 101: Contemporary American Education
English 104: Introduction to Narrative
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative
Spanish 210: Introduction to Modern Hispanic Literature
Women's Studies 101: Introduction to Women's Studies
Women's Studies 301: Doin Women's Studies: Research and Social Activism
Fall 2004
Africana Studies 101: Political Economy of Race in America
Archeology 304: Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius
Asian Studies 254: Transnational Chinese Cinemas
Biology 213: Neurobiology
Chemistry 25: Principles of Drug Action
Economics 211: Poverty and Redistribution
Film Studies 222: Images of America in Film
History/ES 244: City, Anti-City, Utopia: Building Urban America
Philosophy 142: Philosophy of Religion
Women's Studies 261: Gender, Film, and Consumer Culture
Spring 2004
Classics/Women's Studies 221: Women in Antiquity
English 22: Tricksters/Trickstars
English 106: Introduction to Drama
English 266: Children's Literature
French 210: Introduction to French Literature
Government/Asian Studies 227: Chinese Politics
History/Asian Studies 260: Media, Technology, Nation
History/Asian Studies 283: Japanese Culture & Civilization
History/ES 203: Environment, Culture & the Human Experience
Religion 16: Portraits of the Marys
Theater 270: Directing
Fall 2003
Biology 213: Introduction to Neuroscience
Biology/Environmental Studies 219: Biology of Marine Organisms
Economics 212: Labor Economics
English 223: English Renaissance Drama
English/Africana Studies 275: African American Fiction
Environmental Studies 245: Modern Architecture and its Critics
Env. Studies/History 242: Environmental History of North America
History 221: History of England, 1485-1688
Philosophy 221: History of Ethics
Psychology 251: Research Design in Psychology
Sociology 10: Racism
Spring 2003
Biology 10: Bioterrorism
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Economics 208: Economic History of American Enterprise
English 276: African-American Poetry
Environmental Studies 203: Environment, Culture and the Human Experience
Geology 202: Mineralogy
Government 120: Introduction to Comparative Politics
Music 124: Music of South and Central America
Philosophy 120: Moral Problems
Fall 2002
Africana Studies/English 275: African-American Fiction
Biology/Environmental Studies 219: Biology of Marine Organisms
Economics 211: Poverty, Inequality, and Redistribution
Education/Af St 207: Perspectives on African-American Education
Film Studies 254: The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Government 111: The Korean War
History/Environmental Studies 232: History of the American West
Italian 222: Dante's Divine Comedy
Spring 2002
Anthropology 210: Ethnographic Documentary Film
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Classics 211: History of Ancient Greece
Economics 236: The Economics of Health Care
Economics 238: Economic History of American Enterprise
English 104: Introduction to Narrative
Env Studies 203: Environment, Culture, & the Human Experience
Environmental Studies/History 244: City, Anti-City, Utopia
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative
Film Studies 202: History of Film II
Fall 2001
Classics 231/History 203: Magic, Mysteries, and Monuments in Greece
Economics 211: Poverty, Inequality, and Redistribution Program
Economics 212: Labor and Human Resources
English 106: Introduction to Drama
English/Africana St 275: African-American Fiction
Film Studies 201: History of Film I
History 221: England 1485-1688
Spanish 208: Spanish Cultures
Spanish 209: Early Modern Hispanic Literature
Spring 2001
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Classics 212: Roman History
Economics 238: Economic History of American Enterprise
English 106: Introduction to Drama
ES/Hist 227: City and Landscape in Modern Europe
Film Studies 222: Images of America in Film
French 210: Intro to Study of Modern French Literature
Govt 214/ES 202: Environmental Policy and Politics
History 214: Europe and the Cold War
Fall 2000
English/Af Studies 275: African-American Fiction, Prof. Muther
Anthropolgy 26: The Deaf World, Prof. Nakamura
Economics 212: The Labor Economics, prof. Connelly
ES 241: Land Use Planning, Prof. Fisk
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative, Prof. Welsch
Government 284: Israeli-Arab Conflict, Prof. Lieberfeld
Italian 222: Dante's Divine Comedy, Prof. Saiber
Sociology 251: Sociology of Health and Illness, Prof. Bell
Spanish 209: Intro to Early Hispanic Literature, Prof. Turner
Spring 1999
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Economics 237: Economic Analysis of Politics
English 60: English Composition
English/Africana Studies 276: African American Poetry
ES/History 227: City and Landscape in Modern Europe
Film 222: Images of America in Film
History 214: Europe 1939 to Present
Women's Studies 101: Introduction to Women's Studies
Fall 1999
English/Af Studies 275: African-American Fiction
ES/History: City, Anti-City, Utopia
Film 101: Film Narrative
Government 226: Middle East Politics
Philosophy 221: History of Ethics
Sociology 219: Sociology of Gender
Fall 1998
Africana Studies/WS 216: African American Women
Biology 219: Biology of Marine Organisms
English/AS 275: African-American Fiction
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative
French 209: Survey of French Literature
Sociology 219: Sociology of Gender
Women's Studies 101: Intro. to Women's Studies
Spring 1998
Anthropology 101: Intro. to Cultural Anthropology
Biology 214: Comparative Physiology
Film Studies 224: Films of Alfred Hitchcock
French 210:Intro. to Modern French Lit
History 207: Society & Culture in 16th c. Europe
Philosophy 112: Early Modern Philosophy
Physics 80: Light & Color
Psychology 219: Human Learning & Memory
Fall 1997
AS 102/History 131: African American Autobiography
Anthopology 203: History of Anthropological Theory
Biology 219: Biology of Marine Organisms
Chemistry 210: Quantitative Analysis
Classics/WS 221/Hist 204: Women of Classical Antiquity
English 101: Survey of English Literature
Film Studies 221: German Expressionism & Its Legacy
French 209: Intro. to the Study & Criticism of Modern Fr Lit
Russian 222: Women in Russian Society & Culture
Spring 1997
Anthro/AS 234: Women, Power, & Identity in India
Art History 130: Intro. to the Art of Mexico & Peru
Biology 14: Natural History of Maine
Biology 114: Comparative Physiology
Biology /ES 396: Conservation Biology
Chemistry 254: Physical Chemistry
Classics/History 212: Roman History
French 209: Intro. to French Literary Criticism
Government 104: Comparative Politics
Mathematics 60: Intro. to College Math
Philosophy 112: Early Modern Philosophy
Philosophy/ES 136: Environmental Analysis
Spanish 209: Intro. to Hispanic Literature
Women's Studies 101: Intro. to Women's Studies
Spring 1996
Anthro 223: Laughter & Humor in the Social Order
Biology 114: Comparative Physiology
English 275: Af.-Am. Fiction: History & Ideology
History 220: Judaism, Christianity, & Antisemitism
History 255: Modern Latin America
Physics 62: Contemporary Astronomy
Religion 201: Christianity
Women's Studies 101: Intro. to Women's Studies
Fall 1996
Biology 119 Marine Biology
Classics 228: Ancient Slavery & Modern Ideology
French 210: Intro. to French Literary History
History 212: The Revolutionary Era, 1750-1848
History 223: History of England
History/AS 236: History of African-Americans
Fall 1995
Biology 119: Marine Biology
Philosophy/ES 258: Environmental Ethics
Sociology 219 Sociology of Sex and Gender
Film Studies 101: Film Narrative
Government 105: American Politics
Mathematics 172: Advanced Differential Calculus
Spring 1995
Art History 130: Art of the Ancient Americas
Biology 114: Comparative Physiology
English 275: African-American Fiction
Film Studies 224: Films of Alfred Hitchcock
History 238: 19th c. American History
Fall 1994
Biology 203: Comparative Neurobiology
Film Studies 221: German Expressionism
Government 105: American Politics
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