Writing Department

The Writing Department offers a variety of courses which may be taken for elective credit to help students develop their research and writing skills, both academic and professional. The department is also the home of the Writing Centre, which provides one-to-one and non-credit group instruction as described below.

Writing Department courses (full course descriptions are available in the Programs of Study section):

WRIT 1000 3.00 Academic Writing in the Social Sciences
WRIT 1200 3.00 Academic Writing in the Humanities
WRIT 1300 3.00 Theories of Writing
WRIT 1400 6.00 Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing
WRIT 1500 3.00 Writing and Computers
WRIT 1600 3.00 Academic Writing: Developing Sentence Sense
WRIT 1700 9.00 Professional Writing: Process and Practice
WRIT 2000 3.00 Writing and Research About Business
WRIT 2100 3.00 Studies in Nonfiction
WRIT 2200 3.00 New Challenges in Academic Writing
WRIT 2300 3.00 A Writer’s Introduction to Research
WRIT 2400 3.00 Writing History
WRIT 3900 3.00 Professional Writing for Nurses
WRIT 3988 3.00 Effective Writing and Research
WRIT 3989 3.00 Writing in the Workplace
WRIT 4000 3.00 Activist Rhetorics

Writing Centre

The Writing Department’s Writing Centre provides students with one to one and group instruction designed to assist students to become effective independent writers both in their academic life and beyond. Instruction, both individual and group, is based on students' course assignments, usually on the draft of an essay, or other writing assignment, in progress. All Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies students, at any stage of a particular course assignment, are welcome to make appointments and take advantage of the opportunity to work on their writing with one of the centre's experienced faculty. Some students in other Faculties also may use the centre (information available on the Writing Department Web site). Appointments are for 50 minutes and are available in the day Monday through Saturday as well as evenings Monday through Thursday. The centre also regularly offers group workshops on various issues and skills related to writing effectively in university. For more information contact the Writing Department at 416-736-5134.

Open Learning Centre

The Open Learning Centre offers support to English as a Second Language students registered in credit courses within a degree program at York University. Among the opportunities available at the centre are a regular workshop series on topics related to the language needs of ESL students, individual tutoring on specific language needs, small-group English language learning sessions and a weekly English movie night with conversation after. For more information, contact the centre at 416-736-2100 ext. 22940.

Multimedia Language Centre

The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Multimedia Language Centre provides service primarily to the Department of French Studies and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. For more information, contact the Multimedia Language Centre at S117 Ross, 416-736-5197.

Learning Skills Services (LSS)

Throughout the year, students may meet individually with a learning skills counsellor or attend workshops to help in developing and improving study skills and strategies. Workshops are offered throughout the year. Students are asked to register in advance either online at http://www.yorku.ca/cds/lss or in person at N110 BCSS.