This dissertation examines how modernity sets conditions within higher education and how those conditions impact writing-related transfer. I draw on research into modernity and higher education; narratives of teaching writing; and a qualitative research project with student-athletes, student-non-athletes, and writing tutors to explore how modernity impacts the conditions of transfer for institutions, pedagogues, and students. Using athletics as a site from which transfer is often set as a goal and accomplished as an outcome, I look at the conditions of both within higher education as an extended comparison to see the ways in which athletics and writing instruction differ in their pursuit of transfer. Theories of modernity combined with research on the history and structures of higher education provide context for the settings and structures within which coaches, writing teachers, students must operate. After a reconceptualization of the conditions higher education sets for writing-related transfer, I utilize teaching and coaching narratives to explore how the different conditions, cultures, and ontologies of athletics and writing-related transfer impact their pedagogies. From there, I use the insights of students interviewed as part of a qualitative research project to see how they are impacted by the conditions of their writing and athletic contexts within universities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]