Courses

8 Guiding Frameworks for First-Year Writing

The eight shared practices outlined below provide a foundation for the how and the what of our teaching and are informed by disciplinary research. These are core practices and content areas that work to center our students’ learning processes and experiences across all sections of FYW. 

  1. Equity and Access-focused Learning
  2. Writing-Centered & Process-Focused
  3. Scaffolded Curriculum Design and Low-stakes Practice
  4. Metacognition & Reflective Practice
  5. Rhetorical Awareness
  6. Multimodality
  7. Information Literacy
  8. First-year focused
     

WRIT 1301: University Writing

All sections work toward common course learning outcomes with a shared focus on writing processes, strategies, discussion, research and active learning. However, readings and particular assignments can vary across sections.

General Sections  

WRIT 1301 introduces writers to writing processes and rhetorical principles that provide a framework for successful written communication in college and beyond.  Writers study and write in a variety of genres and disciplines that include multimodal forms.  The course focuses on writing as a way of knowing; learning to develop ideas through critical thinking, including analysis and synthesis; and working to present ideas effectively for specific audiences and contexts.  Based on the assumption that writing is a social activity, the course uses a workshop format and requires active engagement in the writing process, including pre-writing, peer review, revision, and editing.  As part of this work, writers develop information literacy by honing the ability to locate, evaluate and effectively and ethically incorporate information into their own texts.

Multilingual Sections

These opt-in sections typically have 35% of seats reserved for multilingual and/or international students. The classroom community intentionally brings together a range of English speakers with an intercultural focus.These sections are taught by instructors who have interest and training in supporting interactive and inclusive classroom practices to support a culturally and linguistically diverse community of writers.

WRIT 1401: University Writing - Community Engaged Learning

WRIT 1401 is a community-engaged writing course that fulfills the first-year writing requirement. Students in WRIT 1401 work with a local community organization as they explore writing processes and practices and rhetorical principles that provide a framework for successful written communication in college and beyond. Students analyze how writing works in varying contexts/genres and how it presents complex arguments with an emphasis on exploring ways that writing works to support change in communities and to promote social justice. Students use and expand their writing process and revision to develop writing form/style and rhetorical content that contributes to conversations and provides new insight. Students develop information literacy and hone the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively and ethically incorporate information into their own texts.