Undergraduate Writing Majors in the 21st Century: Seeking Disciplinary Identity in the Modern Economy

Abstract

Deborah Balzhiser and Susan H. McLeod’s 2010 “The Undergraduate Writing Major: What Is It? What Should It Be?” lays the groundwork for a general outline of what a writing studies major should be. We, nine undergraduates, argue that seven years later, the writing studies major continues to expand without a concrete academic or professional identity, and many students graduate without a clear understanding of their place in the job market. Through review of the field’s literature, national employment surveys, and analysis and synthesis of our own experiences, we conclude that adjustments must be made to current writing studies curricula. In an attempt to catalyze widespread institutional cohesion, we propose several elements that we argue are a foundation from which other students, faculty, and administrators in the discipline should work toward creating a unified undergraduate writing major that will better prepare its graduates to succeed in the 21st century workplace.