Red-Penned

On Red-Penned, we’re going to investigate what writing looks like in higher ed and change the way we look at writing in and beyond the classroom altogether. Despite some common misconceptions, writing isn’t limited to the five paragraph essays you wrote about Romeo and Juliet back in your sophomore year of high school English class years ago. Writing education takes many forms: It’s teaching students how to write thorough lab reports and how to juggle scientific accuracy with differing levels of scientific literacy among scientists and public audiences. It’s teaching students how to articulate dance moves into concrete actions and descriptions, in the hopes of better capturing the indescribable art form of dance in words. It’s teaching students how to write about history, how to write about literary theory, and how to write about philosophy. Writing in higher ed should prepare students to communicate with a variety of audiences and to share their findings confidently, in their academic careers and beyond.