Department of English and Cultural Studies Writing Tutors
The Department of English and Cultural Studies has three extraordinarily qualified and effective
Writing Tutors. They are there to help you strengthen your essay writing skills, and are willing
and able to discuss a broad range of points with you, including: integrating quoted material into
your assignments, developing a more persuasive thesis, and mounting better articulated and more
advanced arguments. I strongly encourage you to consult the tutors, and to discuss your essay
writing questions with them.
The essay assignment for ESC 3Q03/CSCT 3Q03 is heavily weighted, as you know, and many
students, understanding the importance given to the essay, give this assignment a great deal of
thought and submit carefully prepared, thoughtful, and persuasive work, work that is alive to
questions and problems posed by the course materials and lectures. But every student can grow
his or her writing skills! Here is an opportunity to help you identify areas needing improvement
and to point you towards ways to make those important changes to your writing practice.
The tutors and their respective office hours:
Ailsa Kay:
Office hours: Tuesdays 9-5 CNH 424
Leigha Bailey
Office hours: Wednesdays 9-5 CNH 415
Melissa Carroll:
Office hours: Thursdays 9-5 CNH 424
E-mail address: engltut@mcmaster.ca