Communication Across the Curriculum
Monmouth College
Dr. Steve Price, Director

In order for Communication-Rich (C) courses to be successful, the writing and speaking must be purposeful, necessary, and integrated into the course as well as the larger curriculum.  (Too often, writing-intensive (WI) and speaking-intensive (SI) programs at other schools have failed because faculty and students saw the work as extra and unnecessary, or as a “hoop” that had to be jumped through.) 
 

To encourage faculty and student buy-in, a campus-wide CAC Narrative will be developed, articulating the progression of writing and speaking skills that students will develop as they move through both General Education and the majors.

While the most typical WI/SI programs focus on the majors, the Monmouth College C Course Plan also includes General Education, specifically an intentional plan for communication in the four Integrated Studies courses. 
 

Monmouth College's dual approach to communication-rich courses will:
 

	insure that writing and speaking are emphasized throughout the students’ four years.
	provide multiple sites early in the students’ careers where foundational writing and speaking skills can be emphasized.
	provide multiple sites later in the students’ careers where upper-level analysis and synthesis exercises (using writing and speaking) can be emphasized and where students can develop further sophisticated communication skills.

Effective communication grows out of particular needs and clear purposes.  Communication exercises that emphasize disciplinary conventions and contexts will help students to see better the need for effective writing and speaking skills.