The Writing Across the Curriculum program sponsors undergraduate courses in almost every academic department at Tufts. Their goal is to help students attain a deeper understanding of course material and to promote intellectual interactions with instructors and fellow students. Currently, 15-20 WW courses are offered each semester. Instructors in WW courses emphasize exploratory, getting-started stages of papers, proposals, and reports. In all Writing Workshop courses, students have a chance to revise their work at least once before turning it in for a grade.
Students work closely with each other and the instructor as they define topics and revise drafts.
In addition, many WW courses offer students the opportunity to develop their public speaking skills, as it is often easier to write more clearly and convincingly after having explained something orally. Enrollment in WW courses is limited to 20 students, but most classes are smaller. Additionally, some courses have prerequisites specified by the sponsoring department. In 1987, Ann Van Sant was hired as an associate professor in the English Department to develop this program. To date nearly 100 Tufts faculty have taught writing workshop courses.