Local Knowledges, Local Practices: Writing in the Disciplines at Cornell

Cornell University has stood at the forefront of writing instruction, at least since the publication of William Strunk and E. B. White\u2019s classic, The Elements of Style, in 1918. For the past thirty years Cornell has been the site of a remarkably sustained and successful interdisciplinary approach to writing across the curriculum - a program that now coordinates nearly two hundred courses each semester sponsored by over thirty different departments.


Local Knowledges, Local Practices provides an overview of Cornell\u2019s rich history and distinguished achievements in training students to write well. Including the views of professors representing a variety of disciplines - from animal science to political science, anthropology to philosophy, romance studies to neurobiology - this collection will serve as a resource for anyone interested in broadly conceived, discipline-specific writing instruction.

Jonathan Monroe is professor of comparative literature, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Director of the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines at Cornell University.