2017 Student Writing Journal
The Student Writing Journal is a refereed online publication that recognizes quality academic writing from students in English 100 and 112. In addition to showcasing excellent writing, the journal aims to establish a venue through which Delaware County Community College students can extend classroom dialogue. Unfortunately, it is all too common to see academic writing that exists only within the limitations of the classroom. As board members of SWJ, we feel that student writing should be circulated beyond the classroom. By creating opportunities for your writing to be seen and engaged by broader audiences, can we contribute to a fuller, more ongoing academic conversation at the college and reaffirm the value of writing as a practice for its own sake—not just in service of other academic disciplines.
In each volume, our writers synthesize complex information, read and analyze points of view, and inquire and construct academic arguments to bring new academic insights to bear on exigent civic issues. A quick glance at our most recent volume reveals both the breadth and relevancy of issues that students are writing about. For example, this latest volume contains an argumentative piece on the challenges that illegal immigrants face in the United States as well as a text that draws on The Man in the High Castle to examine comparisons between Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency and the rise of authoritarian regimes in the 20th century. Other essays have taken shape as more personal narratives, such as one writer’s close look at the role that autism played in his social and academic life. While these are just a few of the thought-provoking texts that you’ll find on this site, they indicate the variety of voices that have contributed to our first two volumes.
We hope that these texts inspire many more contributions in the coming years.
SWJ Editorial Board
Solutions to Ending the Globalized Ivory Trade
By Alexa Pellegrini
A Message to X:
By Jesse Donovan
Hiraeth
By Megan Nestler
A Tale as Old as Time
By Julianna Beauvais
Life with Autism
By Shawn Rockenbach
Fascism and Donald Trump
By Matthew Reiter
A Child Care Center at Delaware County Community College By Sourou Mariette C. Zounon
The Illegal Antiquities Trade: Solutions for a Globalized World By Brendan McLaughlin
Challenges of Illegal Immigrants in America
By Juliana Boateng-Hagan
