The Writing Program is committed to building a diverse, interdisciplinary, compassionate community that values how people, projects, and ideas circulate across and beyond our program and the university. We respect the time and energy that all members of our community contribute to the Program’s shared work. In all our interactions, we strive to recognize the whole person–inclusive of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, national origin, language background, and ability. We value both collaboration and each individual’s distinctive approach and contribution. We encourage a diversity of perspectives and opinions while striving to disrupt systems of inequity through transparent and antiracist policies. 

In our classrooms, we aim to equip students with strategies to participate in academic and non-academic discourse communities, acknowledging that the norms of academic writing, and even language itself, are not static or monolithic but constantly evolving. We recognize the communication strengths of all learners and the value of multiple Englishes, especially in ways that empower our multilingual students. We work to make our classrooms transformative spaces, where students challenge themselves intellectually and help each other grow as communicators and thinkers while retaining authority over their own work.

Recognizing that language can be both an instrument of oppression and a tool for freedom and justice, we value how writing and rhetoric help us learn how to listen, how to be heard, and how to change the conversation to create a culture of empathy, inquiry, and creativity.


See how we put some of these values into action:

Inclusive Teaching in Writing Classrooms (Banner and Link)

Access BU resources and events beyond the Writing Program:

BU Diversity & Inclusion   |  Faculty & Staff Networks   |   Diversity & Inclusion in CAS