Experienced First Year College Writing Instructor

Miriam O.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Professional Writing, from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a Master of Fine Arts in Literature and Writing from the Bennington College Writing Programs in Bennington, Vermont.
I taught as an Instructor in the English Department at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth for 17 years. Classes included First Year Writing and Intermediate Composition. With few exceptions, all First Year students were required to pass the English 101 & 102 courses, so my students were from all majors. The focus of both FY and Intermediate writing is Rhetorical Composition meant to help students write with confidence and clarity in their chosen fields. Whether proposing an art project to a gallery or pitching a market concept to potential financial backers, writers need present their arguments based on who their audience is and what their audience needs to know. Writing assignments were coupled with lessons in Digital Literacy, Visual Literacy, and Critical Thinking and included drafts, reviews, and revisions. One-on-one consults occurred several times a semester.
I have also taught Introduction to Poetry and other Poetry Writing. Wearing a different hat, I taught Introduction to Computers at Quincy College, and have been a Certified Microsoft OFFICE Instructor. I can help students get the most out of MS Word or Open Office Word.
Because UMASS has students from all over the world, I have often worked with international students for whom English was a second or other language. I also read and write Italian.