The Classic Journal, Issue 8.1

For a growing number of UGA undergraduates, working on an essay or a research article doesn't end with a final grade. Instead, they submit their projects to The Classic Journal and begin working toward publication. The Classic Journal is a cross-disciplinary journal of undergraduate writing and research that the Franklin College Writing Intensive Program publishes biannually. To date, The Classic Journal has published 14 issues and reviewed more than 189 student submissions. Since its launch, the journal has been staffed by 33 graduate students serving as managing editors, reviewers, and copy editors. They hail from a multitude of specializations, such as women studies, biology, microbiology, linguistics, genetics, art history, sociology, and mathematics. With The Classic, WIP extends writing support and instruction beyond the classroom and into an authentic scholarly publication experience.  

The journal accepts submissions from UGA undergraduates enrolled in courses across the disciplines with a major writing component. Students are encouraged to submit “Feature” essays, longform projects that exhibit excellence in writing and research throughout the arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as “Reviews” and “Alternatives,” critical-creative work that extends scholarship beyond standard academic writing conventions. Once students submit, their manuscripts make their way through at least two rounds of editorial review before they are copy-edited and prepared for digital publication. 

For The Classic Journal’s founder and editor-in-chief, Lindsey Harding, the journal is more than a labor of love. Harding values the ongoing collaboration with graduate students from across campus.

“What an incredible team, graduate students from so many different programs, different points in their career, but they are all so committed to supporting undergraduate writers and providing this extracurricular opportunity for students to develop their communication skills,” Hardin said. Harding celebrates the chance to help undergraduate students take their writing to the next level: “It is thrilling to share in the success of our students. They take a paper they submitted for class and continue to work on it through several rounds of feedback and revision. They work so hard throughout the process." 

For the university community, The Classic provides a rich, renewable resource. Professors can encourage students to continue working on their assigned essays and research projects after a course ends and engage in real-world, professional practice. In addition, faculty might consider partnering with the journal to produce a special issue featuring a particular class assignment. For Issue 3.1 published in Fall 2018, for instance, The Classic worked with anthropology professor Laurie Reitsema and her bioarchaeology course to feature essay collections highlighting critical real-world issues related to bioarchaeology. For Issue 5.1, which was published in Spring 2020, The Classic partnered with linguistics professor Vera Lee-Schoenfeld to publish five articles from students enrolled in her generative syntax class. At the same time, graduate students who serve as editors and reviewers for the journal also benefit as they gain additional experience supporting students as writers and learn what it is like to run an academic journal. 

In its latest issue, published on December 8, The Classic Issue 8.1 features articles from a range of disciplines: romance languages, genetics, biology, psychology, and more.

More than a space for academic writing, The Classic serves as a vital point of connection between coursework and public writing, undergraduate and graduate students, the university and the world. 

Michelle Manganiello (AB English, '21) is a former intern for the Writing Intensive Program.