Writing Intensive Curriculum Program

The Writing Intensive Curriculum program is committed to promoting justice and equity. We recognize that, in order to create a culture of writing at OSU that truly supports all faculty and students, we must challenge all forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism, and xenophobia. WIC aims to cultivate inclusive and accessible learning environments in our work with faculty, and we support faculty in doing the same for students.

As a writing program, WIC is particularly attentive to the intersections of language and power. We recognize that language too often functions as a tool of discrimination against those who do not have access to or choose not to use White Mainstream English. The WIC program rejects linguistic racism, and we are committed to fostering linguistic justice and antiracist instruction in writing classrooms across the curriculum.

A note on terminology

The term "White Mainstream English" (Baker-Bell) refers to the varieties of English that get labeled as "standard" due to their association with white, upper- or middle-class speakers. White Mainstream English does not have one clear set of conventions or features; different types of English are identified as "standard" when used by privileged, white speakers. The term does not mean that only white people speak White Mainstream English, but that typically white language practices are viewed as "standard." The WIC program uses this term to foreground the connections between white privilege and standard language ideology.

Our Actions and Future Commitments

Some of the actions we have taken and are currently taking toward implementing our commitment to justice include:

• Sponsoring workshops on antiracist linguistic pedagogies
  • Dr. Vershawn Ashanti Young's 2022 workshop and talk
  • 2021 workshop on linguistic inclusivity across the disciplines (recording and slides)
• Publishing content in our quarterly newsletter on linguistic justice
  • Linguistic equity review video
  • Interview with Dr. Ana Milena Ribero about responding to linguistic variety
• Uploading resources for working with multilingual writers and teaching grammar in context
• Developing infographics and annotated bibliographies on best practices for antiracist, socially just, and inclusive teaching

Additional Information

The WIC program's commitment to justice aligns with the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Statement on Language, Power, and Action, which also details key principles and practices of linguistic justice.