Welcome Students!
The
First-Year writing curriculum is designed to guide you through the process of
becoming successful college writers. Over the course of your college career, most
of the classes you take will require you to provide some form of analytical
writing about various topics related to the curriculum; you will be asked to
research issues affecting the world around you and articulate possible
solutions to those problems; you will be asked to draw compelling connections
between assigned texts; you will be required to write academic research
reports; you may be assigned lab reports or project proposals. Regardless of
your major, you will need good writing skills to effectively communicate your
understanding of the subjects you are studying.
In
order to effectively articulate the intellectual reasoning expected of
university students, you will need to be familiar with the conventions of
composition that are characteristic of intellectual writing. Writing Intensive
First-Year Seminar will introduce you to the writing strategies that are the
core of successful academic writing:
- Developing
a clear, central thesis statement
- Developing
critical thinking and reading skills
- Understanding
the importance of audience awareness
- Organizing
and presenting a clear argument
- Peer
editing and revision
- Evaluating
and integrating research
- Using
MLA formatting for documentation
What to expect in WIFYS
If you make the most of your WIFYS
experience, the skills you develop will be of value to you throughout your
college career. The texts and assignments vary depending on the instructor, but
you should generally expect to encounter the following:
Class Discussions
and Small-Group Work
WIFYS is a seminar, which means
that you will be asked to participate in class discussions and work in small
groups. It is important that you make an effort to contribute your ideas and
respect the ideas of others.
Guided Writing
Assignments
As a writing-intensive course,
WIFYS requires you to complete a considerable amount of writing. Your
instructor will guide you through the stages of the writing process, from
organizing your ideas and developing a thesis statement to documenting your
sources and creating a works cited page. Over the course of the semester, you
will compose summaries, literary analysis, bibliographies and a variety of
other documents assigned by your instructor.
Research
Most of the writing you do in
college will be informed by the work of others. You will be introduced to the
research resources available to you on campus and learn how to choose
appropriate scholarly sources. Your instructor will also familiarize you with techniques
for conducting field research and interviews.
Critical Reading
You will discuss critical reading
strategies and apply them to assigned texts. Your
instructor may conduct plot quizzes to ensure that students are keeping up with
the readings.
Homework
The way to become proficient readers and writers is to spend time reading and writing. Therefore, you should expect to be given independent reading and writing assignments to be completed as homework before each class.
Peer-editing
Workshops
Careful revision and editing are critical to
the writing process. Your instructor will show you how to improve the mechanics
and structure of your writing during peer-editing workshops. Furthermore,
sharing your work with your peers and discussing your ideas will help to expand
your thoughts and strengthen your arguments.
Writing Resources
Writing
tutors are available to meet one-on-one with students who need additional help
strengthening their writing skills. You may make an appointment with a tutor at
the Learning Center,
or work with one of the writing tutors in the English Department Computer Lab
in DHC 002.
Visit
the Lehman Library Help Yourself Writing Resources site
to find helpful information about the writing process.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are expected to submit their own, original
writing. Using the words of ideas of another without properly crediting the
source is considered plagiarism and will result in failure of the course. If
you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask your professor or review the Student Handbook.