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WCWP 10B

Writing Toward Balance: Exploring Big Questions of Our Time


Warren students during class.

Our second course in the Warren Writing sequence follows a theme-based approach inspired by the college motto, “Toward a life in balance.”

Using the theme as a starting point, students explore big, interdisciplinary problems and open-ended questions that are meaningful to them and that spark their curiosity. Through writing, students engage in a process of questioning, research and discovery, revealing that writing itself can be a powerful way of learning. They work individually and in groups, supporting and challenging one another to research and communicate new ideas and deepen their perspectives. Students analyze how their discoveries affect people and communities, while reflecting on their changing views as they write. In their final capstone project, students communicate their research insights to real world audiences by applying writing strategies and concepts they have learned in both courses.


2025-2026 Course Topics

The Storyteller’s Craft: Building a World Through Stories

Professor Simrita Dhir

Ways of Seeing

Professor Tricia Ornelas

Communicating Climate Justice

Sarah Callahan, Bibi Renssen, Sophia Zummo, and Katelyn Meyer

Big Questions about STEM Ethics in the Real World

Professor Jeff Gagnon

Humanity, Technology and the Digital Self

Professor Jill Martiniuk

Food: Identity, Belonging, Justice

Professor Emma Uriarte

Wealth Inequality, Opportunity, and American Dreams

Professor Walter Merryman

Schedule and Registration

Winter 2026 Class Schedule

WCWP 10B Winter 2026 Schedule

Sect

Day

Time

Room

Instructor

Topic

001 MW 8:00AM - 9:20AM EBU3B 1124 Simrita Dhir The Storyteller’s Craft: Building a World Through Stories
002 MW 9:30AM - 10:50AM EBU3B 1124 Simrita Dhir The Storyteller’s Craft: Building a World Through Stories
004 MW 12:30PM - 1:50PM EBU3B 1124 Simrita Dhir The Storyteller’s Craft: Building a World Through Stories
009 MW 11:00AM - 12:20PM WSAC 101 Tricia Ornelas Ways of Seeing
010 TTh 11:00AM - 12:20PM EBU3B 1117 Jeff Gagnon Big Questions about STEM Ethics in the Real World
011 MW 2:00PM - 3:20PM WSAC 101 Tricia Ornelas Ways of Seeing
012 MW 3:30PM - 4:50PM WSAC 101 Tricia Ornelas Ways of Seeing
013 TTh 3:30PM - 4:50PM WSAC 101 Mathew Holloway TBA
014 TTh 5:00PM - 6:20PM WSAC 101 Mathew Holloway TBA
015 TTh 11:00AM - 12:20PM SSB 106 Jill Martiniuk Humanity, Technology and the Digital Self
016 TTh 12:30PM - 1:50PM SSB 106 Jill Martiniuk Humanity, Technology and the Digital Self
017 TTh 8:00AM - 9:20AM EBU3B 1113 Katelyn Meyer Communicating Climate Justice
018 TTh 9:30AM - 10:50AM EBU3B 1113 Sophia Zummo Communicating Climate Justice
019 TTh 11:00AM - 12:20PM EBU3B 1113 Sophia Zummo Communicating Climate Justice
020 TTh 12:30PM - 1:50PM EBU3B 1113 Bibi Renssen Communicating Climate Justice
021 TTh 2:00PM - 3:20PM EBU3B 1113 Bibi Renssen Communicating Climate Justice

** If viewing on a phone, please turn it horizontal.

Required Textbook

How Scholars Write by Aaron Ritzenberg and Sue Mendelsohn
The above textbook and all other course reading material can be purchased or found on the Canvas learning modules.

Registration Information and Prerequisites

We encourage students to complete 10B by Fall quarter of their second year at UCSD*. 

WCWP 10B is a 4-unit course, and can only be taken for a letter grade. Enrollment in WCWP 10B is open only to Warren College students who have already successfully completed WCWP 10A. As the PHIL/POLY series depends on completion of WCWP 10B, we recommend students complete WCWP 10B in a timely manner.

*If you are taking AWP, this timeline may look different for you. Please consult the Ideal Pathways Toward Fulfilling UC Writing Requirements for AWP students.