Course-Based Writing Assistants and Participating Faculty

Course-based writing assistants work closely with faculty and meet one-to-one with students on writing projects, research, oral presentations, visuals, and more.

During 2010-11 peer writing assistants were attached to 46 First-Year Seminars and Winter Semester writing-focused courses. They conducted more than 1,950 conferences with Bates students from across all disciplines and all class-years.

Winter 2012 Courses and Assistants

• Katie Ailes ’14 – EDUC 255 Adolescent Literacy (W2) – Anita Charles
• Nikki Bugajski ’12 – SOC 395 Sociology of Health Professions (W2) – Heidi Taylor
• Corey Creedon ’12 – INDS 211 Environmental Perspectives on U.S. History – Joe Hall
• Caitlyn DeFiore ’12 – INDS 211 Environmental Perspectives on U.S. History – Joe Hall
• Tessa Feldvebel ’13 – PHIL 213 Biomedical Ethics – Bill Seeley
• Alana Folsom ’12 – PLTC 121 Moral Questions and Political Choices – Arlene MacLeod
• Grace Glasson ’14 – REWS 207 Adam, Eve, and the Serpent – Cynthia Baker
• Brian Goldberg ’12 – INDS 211 Environmental Perspectives on U.S. History – Joe Hall
• Joanna Goldin ’12 - EDUC 255 Adolescent Literacy (W2) – Anita Charles
• Kaitlin Harrison ’12 – ASJA 125 Japanese Literature and Society (W2) – Sarah Strong
• Ryan Katon ’12 – AVWS 288 Visualizing Race (W2) – Erica Rand
• Suraj Karmacharya ’14 - ASEC 241 China’s Economic Reforms (W2) – Maggie Maurer-Fazio
• Elana Leopold ’12 – SPAN 216 Peninsular Spanish Literature (W2) – David George
• Rose Levy ’12 – PLTC 121 Moral Questions and Political Choices – Arlene MacLeod
• Nancy Ji Xuan Ma ’12 – FRE 251 French Literature II (W2) – Alex Dauge-Roth
• Ian Mahmud ’12 - ASEC 241 China’s Economic Reforms (W2) – Maggie Maurer-Fazio
• Becca Merten ’12 – HIRE 390 The Spanish Inquisition (W2) – Karen Melvin
• Dan Peach ’13 - REWS 207 Adam, Eve, and the Serpent – Cynthia Baker
• Meg Ramey ’12 – SPAN 216 Peninsular Spanish Literature (W2) – David George
• Josie Reinhardt ’12 – INDS 211 Environmental Perspectives on U.S. History – Joe Hall
• Hope Staneski ’12 – SPAN 216 Peninsular Spanish Literature (W2) – David George
• Kate Stillman ’12 – EDPY 262 Community-Based Research Methods (W2) – Krista Aronson
• Natalie Thompson ’13 - REWS 207 Adam, Eve, and the Serpent – Cynthia Baker
• Stephanie Wesson ’14 – PLTC 121 Moral Questions and Political Choices – Arlene MacLeod
• Andrew Wong ’12 – ASEC 241 China’s Economic Reforms (W2) – Maggie Maurer-Fazio
• Hannah Zweifler ’12 – AVWS 288 Visualizing Race (W2) – Erica Rand

Faculty comments

“Working with the writing assistant to my FYS has yielded some unexpected benefits. I’ve been able to talk through assignments with her in draft form and that’s helped me to fine-tune them before sending them out to the class. Based on our discussion of the assignment and its relation to the objectives of the course, the writing assistant in turn has been able to bolster the confidence of the first-years who already have good clear ideas for their papers when they meet with her but may be unsure of themselves.

“I think the first years all welcome having an additional sounding board for their ideas who is not quite the authority figure they see their professor as. Having a writing assistant makes it a lot more manageable to stage assignments in multiple stages… Going through these various stages helps students internalize the idea that writing is an evolving, processual thing.

“Having a writing assistant to meet with students and comment on their drafts also makes students more self-conscious of writing for an audience. It’s also great to have an academically focussed senior serving as a role model for the first years.”