The Thompson Writing Program provides you with classes and resources that enable you to be a better communicator. We offer:
Our primary course offering is Writing 101 (Academic Writing). This one-semester course — required to be taken in the first year by all Duke undergraduates — introduces you to key goals and practices of academic writing. When registering for the course, you may chose from a variety of sections that focus on different topics and readings.
For those not fully prepared for Writing 101, we offer Writing 70 (Introduction to Critical Reading and Writing) — a six-week course addressing key topics such as: reading comprehension; recognizing key ideas; creating theses; conducting research; structuring arguments; eliminating errors in grammar, mechanics and diction; citing sources; and avoiding plagiarism.
For a complete list of classes offered by TWP, please review our Course Listing.
All Trinity College students are required to take two 'writing intensive' courses ('W'-coded) in order to graduate. To see if a course meets this requirement, you should review the Curriculum Codes assigned to each course and look for the "W" designation.
The TWP Writing Studio offers you the opportunity to meet with highly educated writing consultants to get help with any aspect of a writing project — from brainstorming about research questions to polishing your drafts. You may schedule up to two appointments a week, with a maximum of one a day, depending on availability.
The Duke Reader Project gives you the opportunity to get feedback on a course writing project from a Duke alum or staff member. This program – available for select courses across Duke – matches you with a volunteer who has professional experience related to your project and the type of writing for your course.
There are no upcoming events at this time.
Need help in writing for specific genres or disciplines? Want to know the best way to list sources? Or curious about your own writing process and how to work within it? The TWP Writing Studio provides a wealth of information to assist you.
Our students have produced cutting-edge scholarship, including publications and presentations in both print and online forms. We encourage you to publish your research in Deliberations – our first-year writing journal – or other vehicles.
Students interested in working as a writing consultant in either The TWP Writing Studio or as an Embedded Writing Consultant paired with a W-coded class, should first complete Writing 255.
Contact Eliana Schonberg for information about the application process.
We offer a writing seminar at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in China. Writing 230SK (Writing Across Cultures) provides writing experience and training through theme-based seminars with a particular emphasis on writing in multicultural contexts and cross-cultural inquiry through and about writing. TWP faculty offer guided practice in intellectual reading and writing of the sort expected in courses across the academy and in civic and professional life beyond the university.
