What is Writing Across the Curriculum?

Writing Across the Curriculum is a national pedagogical movement that dates back to the 1980s. As the National Council of Teachers of English explains, "Writing takes place in a community, and on college campuses we have many kinds of community, which tend to be organized into programs, departments, fields, or disciplines. Each of these includes its own writing processes as well as its own genres. Given this situation, it’s impossible for any writing course—including first-year composition—to prepare students for all the writing  they will need to do, and do well, in college. ... Writing across the Curriculum—or WAC, as it’s often called now—emphasizes the role that writing can play in learning, whether it’s keeping a journal, annotating a text, making field notes, or reflecting on what we have learned." 

The WAC Clearinghouse, an open-access publishing project out of Colorado State University started in 1997, has compiled a wide range of materials that can easily be adapted and used in any classroom.