Writing Program

The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.
                                                                                                                 ~ William H. Gass
At Mercer everyone majors in changing the world, and the ability to write well is a key component of that transformative potential. For this reason, writing instruction and practice are incorporated throughout the Mercer undergraduate experience, from general education courses to writing in the majors.

Words matter. In the world of work and public discourse, the crucial capacity to wield words effectively and responsibly is now more than ever not merely an “academic” exercise. The American dream itself is grounded in words: in the rhetoric and writing through which the great experiment has been articulated and sustained. Engaged citizens must have access to the skills and strategies of effective discourse if the ideal of free speech is to achieve its full potential.   

 The Mercer Writing Program is dedicated to equipping students with these crucial skills and to fostering the kind of adroit relationship with language they need to flourish as citizens of the world. Essayist William H. Gass suggests: “ true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.”  As our students set out to change the world, we hope they do so with a deep appreciation for the weight and wonder of words as principal instruments of such transformation. 

Dr. Deneen Senasi, Writing Program Director
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