The Writing Associates Program
WA Application: Spring 2014
Name
Major (or prospective major)
Nominated by
Faculty reference
Peer reference
Class
Email
To apply for a Writing Associates position, you must complete the following:
1. Application cover sheet: Complete the boxes above and include this sheet as the first page of
your application.
2. One-page cover letter: Please craft a letter expressing why you would like a position as a
Writing Associate, what you hope to gain from the experience, and what experiences and
qualifications you bring to the position.
3. Sample paper: Include with your application a clean copy of a 3-5 page sample of your own
recent academic writing. Please submit a paper written for a humanities or social science
course at Swarthmore.
4. Mock WA paper: Attached to this application you will find a student paper. Imagine yourself
functioning as a Writing Associate; comment in writing on this essay in ways that you think
would encourage the writer to make constructive revisions. Be prepared to conference
about the paper during your interview.
5. References: Include the names of two references: One from a faculty member who can attest
to your writing abilities, class participation, and approach to your academics and one from a
peer who can comment on your personal qualities. Please note that your peer reference
cannot be written by a current WA. Once you submit your application we will send a
recommendation form to each of your references asking them to answer a few questions about
you. Make sure you have permission from both people to list their names as references.
6. List of courses: On the enclosed sheet, please list the courses you have taken both in the fall
and spring semesters (dept. code and number, e.g. ENGL 33) or, if you prefer, include a
photocopy of your transcript.
7. List of activities: Please list previous extracurricular activities and jobs and anticipated
extracurricular activities and jobs for next year.
8. Interviews: When you submit your application, sign up for an interview. Interviews will take
place March 26 through April 9 in Pearson 103. Additionally, we highly encourage you to take
advantage of the practice WA interviews being offered by Career Services. Call x8352 or stop
by Parrish 135 for more information.
Completed applications are due Monday, March 24, 2014 by NOON
at the Writing Center, Trotter 120.
For more information about becoming a Writing Associate please visit writing.swarthmore.edu,
or contact Josh Throckmorton, Writing Associates Program Intern, at jthrock1@swarthmore.edu or (610) 690-2059.
The Writing Associates Program
WA Application: Spring 2014
The Writing Associates Fellowship Program selects and educates students to be peer mentors of writing.
WAs collaborate with students during all stages of the writing process and in various disciplines. They
work in conjunction with courses, and they staff the Writing Center during weekday evenings. The
purpose of the program lies in the desire to teach the Writing Associates how to talk about writing with
students from a variety of backgrounds in order to develop skills and the ethical intelligence necessary to
function as citizen teachers after leaving the College.
Goals:
By participating in the WA Program students will learn how to:
 Assess academic writing on different levels including argumentation, logic, grammar, and audience.
 Craft and disseminate both written and oral feedback that is constructive and supportive.
 Develop a reflective practice so they continue to learn and develop as peer mentors.
 Apply learned pedagogy in written commentary on papers and in conferences with students.
 Interact with a variety of students including English Language Learners, students with learning
differences, and students with underdeveloped writing processes.
 Mentor each other as they raise questions, observe, and share best practices.
 Question their assumptions about writing and writers.
 Listen actively in order to respond effectively to the individual needs of students.
 Develop an ethical process by contemplating such issues as confidentiality, time management, and
power dynamics within the peer mentoring situation.
Responsibilities:
By participating in the WA Program students will need to:
Gateway Course: During their first semester, WAs will receive a full Humanities course credit in lieu of a stipend.
 Complete all the requirements of English 001C, which is taught as a seminar during the Fall
semester on a CR/NC basis; one section will meet on Monday afternoon and one on Tuesday
afternoon. Continuation in the WA Program is dependent upon a student’s overall engagement
and development throughout English 1C.
 Work three shifts in the Writing Center over the course of the Fall semester. These Writing
Center shifts will be paid on an hourly basis at top pay scale.
Course WAing: WAs will receive a stipend when assigned to a course.
 Work with up to 15 student writers in an assigned course, offering comments on several rounds of
papers and conferencing with every student during each round in order to create a revision plan.
 Maintain communication with the Course WA professor about class needs and expectations,
providing feedback about different writing assignments and the assessment of these assignments.
 Submit an end-of-semester paper reflecting on the past semester and establishing new goals.
 Understand that Course WA positions will be assigned based on availability.
Writing Center: WAs will be paid hourly for work in the Writing Center.
 Work a weekly 2.5-hour shift for one semester each year.
 Submit a reflection piece at the conclusion of each shift.
Administrative
 Attend a start-up session once a semester.
 Meet with the program director at least once a semester to discuss goals, feedback, and
reappointment in the program.
The Writing Associates Program
WA Application: Spring 2014
Mock WA Paper
Assignment: The student was asked to write a summary/analysis paper on the book The Color of Water.
The paper needs to address the following question: Critically examine how the two main character’s values
influenced their identities.
“Value of Identity”
Ruth McBride Jordan instills in her son, James McBride, the values that she dearly
embraces: love, strength, and a faith in God. Yet these values are essentially dormant for James
early in his life; he does not positively grasp them until he reflects on his own experiences as he
progresses through life. Hence, because of time, it is not until James grows up that he truly
discerns his mother’s words. Ultimately, though their value systems are innately intertwined,
time differences and distinct life experiences lead James and his mother to form separate identities.
Ruth’s value system consists of “staying in school, never following the crowd, and always
following Jesus” (McBride, 251). She believes whole-heartedly in helping herself before seeking
outside help, and has a determination that does not allow others to take advantage of her. Yet
most importantly, she preaches the concept of God being the color of water. When James inquires
to his self identity, Ruth formulates an innocent story, then proclaims, “We’re all human beans.”
She teaches her children that people are not defined by color, the money they acquire is
insignificant, and the most grand façade on display does not determine happiness.
James’ adornment of his mother during his early childhood facilitates the adoption of her
value system. Coming from a family with so many siblings, James relishes spending private time
with her. For example, when James is terrified of riding the bus to kindergarten, his mother says,
“C’mon, I’ll walk you to the bus stop.” Highly excited, James concedes that this as a “surprise
reward, the high point of my day, [because] it was the first time I remember ever being alone with
my mother” (McBride, 11) James reveres his mother; he values the special attention that she pays
him. Subsequently, because he idealizes her, he grows to acquire her values in life as well.
For instance, when James first hears the theme “color of water” from his mother, he is
The Writing Associates Program
WA Application: Spring 2014
unable to fully comprehend its meaning; that is, until he works for David H. and Ann Fox
Dawson, a well-to-do couple in Pennsylvania. While bultering their parties for important,
esteemed guests, James realizes that he:
“has no anger towards them, yet does not want to be like them, standing around sipping wine and
showing proper manners and acting appy when they weren’t – I’m similar to my mother in that
way – but these people had done nothing to me. I could see they were willing to help the band and
indirectly me, because I was dying to go to Europe, so I was grateful to them.” (McBride, 185).
As James alludes to his mother, he learns that white people are not his enemy; he comes to
understand the “color of water.” Yet it is time and experience that allow this realization to occur
for James. He only interprets the true meaning of his mother’s words when he experiences them
in his own personal context.
So no matter how similar the value systems are between James and his mother, because of
time and life differences, they nonetheless develop into separate identities. It is because of time –
the years that separate the epiphanies in their lives – that determines their unique world views.
When James reaches each stage of life – childhood, adolesence, adulthood, mid-life, seniority – it is
after his mother has progressed through them already. In essence, this variance influences the
development of their particular identities. Although each character proceeds through life with the
same values, each are subjected to dissimilar realities, and therefore travel at different paces.
Ruth McBride Jordan grows up to marry two black men, gives birth to thirteen black
children, and abandons her Jewish roots to become a Christian. She does all of this willfully, and
because she lived in a dysfunctional, Jewish home with a father who molested her, she creates a
better life for herself with God. She knows what she wants and does not want; she wants to
associate with black people who have always been generous to her. She wants to raise her children
proudly, and show them that no matter what color they are, they can achieve any of their goals.
On the other hand, James is in uncertain about his identity. Despite his faith in God, his
strength, and his love for his mother, he has trouble dealing with his own mixed heritage. He
empathizes with both his black and Jewish sides; he understands the difficulty of black males to
The Writing Associates Program
WA Application: Spring 2014
achieve promotions in the workplace, yet also commisserates with the Jewish survivors of World
War II. James even admits that in times of doubt, he tends to linger towards the black side, but as
he acquires life experience, he begins to accept and appreciate the Jewish side within him.
Ultimately, it is his choice to embrace both his black and Jewish ancestry that differentiates him
from his mother.
Both James and his mother, Ruth, transform their world anger into spiritual ambition.
They triumph over their personal set-backs, and in turn, transcend to higher levels of
understanding within themselves and between each other. Although they share the same value
system – love, strength, God – they nonetheless evolve into separate identities. While Ruth has
clearly left her Jewish roots, James is tries to uncover his. But it is their compassion that
ultimately binds mother and son – hand in hand, marching forward, emotionally drenched, they
both face their pasts, and as a result, emerge victoriously.
The Writing Associates Program
WA Application: Spring 2014
DEPT
Course #
Title
Professor
Semester &
Year Taken
ACTIVITIES & JOBS
Activity / Job Title
Years of
Participation