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Writing and Cultural Studies Department

Core Writing Program

The Pace University Pleasantville core writing program is committed to teaching undergraduate writing and supporting all students as they develop the literacies necessary for success in the classroom and beyond. Through our three class writing sequence, students write to learn, not simply compose to show mastery. Classrooms are process oriented, collaborative spaces in which students are free to take risks, to play with form and genre, breaking from prescriptive approaches to writing that often leave writers feeling restricted and unfulfilled.

First-year writing courses serve as points of entry into the Pace community, as writing is a central component to the culture of learning that takes place at the University. ENG 110 and ENG 120 engage students in an exploration of literacy as it pertains to the self and the discourse communities in which they regularly interact. Students will also engage with writing as part of the Writing Across the Curriculum program, completing ENG 201, Writing in the Disciplines, an opportunity to explore the discourses associated with their fields of academic/professional study, and two Writing-Enhanced Courses (WEC).

The Pleasantville Writing Center undergirds the work of the writing program, offering students individualized writing consultations and providing outreach workshops designed to support writing across the campus. Through our comprehensive approach to writing instruction, students grow as critical readers and writers, skills that support the fluency necessary to navigate academic discourse, along with the multiple discourses that exist outside of the university.

Fall 2023 Pleasantville Writing Workshops

These 1 hour student-driven workshops will be facilitated by a professional staff member to meet the needs of the attendees. Tutors will be available for one-to-one conferences. Students are also encouraged to use the time and space to write alongside others working on similar projects.

We will be offering 3 sets of workshops, with online and in-person formats:

Narrative Writing

  • Thursday, September 28, 3:30 p.m.–4:20 p.m.
  • Wednesday, October 4, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 5, 3:30 p.m.–4:20 p.m.

Analytical Writing (with Mortola Library staff)

  • Wednesday, November 1, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m.
  • Thursday, November 2, 3:30 p.m.–4:20 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 8, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m.
  • Thursday, November 9, 3:30 p.m.–4:20 p.m.

Research Writing (with Mortola Library staff)

  • Monday, December 4, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 6, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 7, 3:30 p.m.–4:20 p.m.
  • Tuesday, December 12, 3:30 p.m.–4:20 p.m.

Make an appointment

In-person: Drop-in to Mortola Library 300F, no pre-registration required.

Online: You will need to be on the Pace Network in order to log in.

  • Login to TracCloud through the url: pace.trac.cloud
  • Select from the drop down menus under “Schedule An Appointment”
  • Schedule an Appointment for Help in “Choose a Subject” select whatever subject you are coming in for
  • Schedule an Appointment for this Service “Choose a Service” select Writing Support Services, then choose Writing Workshop, OK.
  • Click “Search…”
  • You will then be presented with all available appointment slots. Choose the slot you would like to book by clicking on it.
  • Review details and click “Confirm” to book your appointment.
  • You will receive a confirmation email with your appointment details.

NOTE: For online workshops, the passcode to your Zoom session will be included in your initial confirmation email. You will receive another email on the day of your workshop with the Zoom link.

For more information or assistance, please email the Learning Commons at LC_plv@pace.edu.

Writing and Cultural Studies Adjunct Faculty

Casey Ellis

University at Buffalo, MA in English
Manhattanville College, BA in English, concentration in British Literature

Professor Ellis has taught English at Pace University since September 2015, and also teaches English and developmental writing at Westchester Community College, Berkeley College, Empire State College, and Mildred Elley College. Professor Ellis is a former writing and verbal skills tutor for Huntington Learning Center and has taught courses for WCC's adult education Collegium program.

Jean Fitzgerald

Quinnipiac University, MS in Instructional Design
Long Island University, MS in Curriculum and Instruction
Pace University, BA in Literature and Communication

Professor Fitzgerald is Senior Adjunct Professor of English at Pace University and at Quinnipiac University. Professor Fitzgerald has expertise in detective fiction and has published scholarship in “Crime and Detective Fiction” and “From Mean Streets to the Imagined World: The Development of Detective Fiction.” She has contributed to “Children Detectives and Crime Stories” and Crime Writing in “The Human Journal.” She also served as a past Director of Pace’s Writing Center.

Zac Ginsburg

The New School, MFA in Creative Writing - Fiction
Wesleyan University, BA in English

In the summers, Professor Ginsburg teaches creative writing to middle and high school students through StoryStudio Chicago. Previously, he taught creative writing through Commonpoint Queens, WriteOn NYC, and 826NYC, and has worked as an eighth grade science teacher at Democracy Prep Endurance Middle School in Harlem. He is passionate about helping students find joy in writing and discover their own unique voices. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Wired, The Adroit Journal, Public Seminar, Midway Journal, The Corvus Review, and The Writing Disorder. His flash fiction story, “Dust,” was nominated for the Best Small Fictions Anthology.

Christina (Tina) Gonzalez

Sarah Lawrence College, MFA in Creative Writing, concentration in Poetry
New York University, BA in English and Literature, minor in Creative Writing
Certified Teaching Artist: Community Word Project

Professor Gonzalez is an adjunct English professor, teaching mostly at Pace University, where she serves on several committees. She also teaches at Kean University and Union County College. Professor Gonzalez’s pedagogical approach is focalized through the lens of social justice and integrates mindfulness and compassion to counteract oppressive forces, allowing students to find, trust and cultivate their voice of empowerment. Currently, she is writing a children’s book and animation series, promoting global kindness and inclusivity, as well as poetry and a graphic novel.

Terri Linton

Rutgers School of Law-Newark, JD
Sarah Lawrence College, MFA in Writing, concentration in Creative Nonfiction
Sarah Lawrence College, BA, concentration in Sociology

Professor Linton is an adjunct professor of English at Pace University and of Criminal Justice at Sacred Heart University’s Graduate School of Criminal Justice in Fairfield, Connecticut. She’s also an instructor at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. Prior to entering academia, Professor Linton worked in the criminal justice system on the state and federal levels. Her writing has appeared in the anthology Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor; Catapult Magazine; Mothermag; Ninth Letter; and other online sites. In 2021, Terri was selected as a 2021 Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund nonfiction grant awardee.

Erika Pichardo, PhD

Walden University, PhD in Criminal Justice, specialization in Law and Public Policy
St. John's University, MA in Criminology and Justice
College of Mount Saint Vincent, BA in Sociology and English

As an adjunct instructor, Professor Pichardo works with students on developing their writing skills and defining their research and data collection skills. Her research interests include criminal justice policy and administration, the intersection of gender and criminal justice, and drug abuse through a social labeling lens. Professor Pichardo is a proud member of Alpha Phi Sigma Phi Nu and the National Society of Leadership and Success. She is also a notary public in the state of New York.

Farrah Sarafa

Professor Sarafa has been working at Pace for nearly four years. A published, award winning poet and founder of Fractyll Culture Magazine, she thrives on teaching languages.

Shirli Sela-Levavi, PhD

Rutgers University, PhD in Comparative Literature
Tel Aviv University, MA in Literature
Tel Aviv University, BA in Psychology and Literature

Professor Sela-Levavi has published academic articles in English and Hebrew on the author SY Agnon, and articles on Israeli literature in Hebrew language magazines. She teaches literature and philosophy classes in Hebrew for Hebrew culture organizations through Zoom.

Steven Salvatore Shaw

The New School, MFA in Creative Writing, concentration in Writing for Children
Ithaca College, BA in Writing

Formerly a full-time Assistant Professor of Composition and Director of the Writing Center at The College of New Rochelle (CNR), Professor Shaw oversaw the Freshman Writing Program, ran the writing center, and taught creative writing. Professor Shaw is passionate about progressive activism on and off campus, advocating for young people, and co-founded the Pride Book Fest. Professor Shaw's debut novel Can't Take That Away published in March of 2021, followed by And They Lived... in 2022, and A Supercut Of Us in 2023.

Ruth Anne Thompson, PhD

Fordham University, PhD in The English Novel and the Oxford Movement
Fordham University, MA
College of New Rochelle, BA in English and Speech Communication

Professor Thompson is Professor Emerita, a former Associate Dean of Dyson College, Director of the CAP Program in Pleasantville, and past President of the international Children’s Literature Association. Professor Thompson has published research on 19th century American journalism, “St. Nicholas Magazine,” and the history and development of the mystery genre in “Crime Journal” and especially on children’s literature, focusing on the ways that children’s books, both words and illustrations, reflect and shape the norms and values of the dominant culture that produces them. This includes the biography, “Mary Mapes Dodge.”

Donna Zucker

Sarah Lawrence College, MFA in Nonfiction Writing
Syracuse University, BA in History

As a faculty member at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, Donna taught creative writing and journalism classes. She has 20 years of experience working as a senior writer, editor, and researcher at publishing houses including Time Inc., Condé Nast, and Scholastic. Her writing has been featured in magazines, books, newspapers and on the radio. In 2008, Donna founded her writing business, Storyguide, with a mission to help people around the globe tell their personal and professional stories.