The US field of composition studies and the subfields of writing across the curriculum and writing in the disciplines have focused on the relationships between teaching, language and knowledge. The Dartmouth Institute for Writing and Rhetoric develops these relationships through courses in writing and speech, student support and faculty development. These introductory notes frame the two articles that follow, reflecting issues within this broader framework that are less studied in writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing in the disciplines (WiD) literature, but are central to collegial dialogue and intentional preparatory teaching. (Contains 1 note.)