Welcome Faculty

The First-Year Writing program at Shippensburg is committed to preparing students to meet the demands of college writing. First-Year course work involves much more than reading and writing; classes are designed to give students a solid foundation in research, documentation and the conventional standards of mechanics required to perform at the university level. The writing skills students gain in FYW classes are essential to expressing complex ideas and proposing solutions to the questions that arise in all academic disciplines, as well as everyday life. Therefore, one of the primary goals of FYW is to prepare students to think and write analytically in a variety of rhetorical situations. As students develop a habit of thinking analytically, they become more intellectually engaged with their studies and the world around them.  

Because good writing is the result of skills and processes that develop with time and practice, it is best to approach First-Year Writing as an introduction to the conventions and strategies that guide the development of the writing process. Students will continue to build on the foundation of Writing Intensive First-Year Seminar as they refine their writing and critical-thinking skills throughout the course of their academic career.  
 

Recommended FYW Readers 

                They Say, I Say                         The Norton Field Guid to Writing 

Browse more FYW readers at the Norton Custom Portal  

  Expected Outcomes for First-Year Writing: 

 After completing FYW, students will:  

• Know how to develop a clear, central thesis supported by a critical argument
• Understand how to effectively and persuasively communicate ideas to a specific audience
• Gain experience with the process of revision and peer editing that moves beyond simply correcting mechanical errors to expand and refine their original thoughts and ideas
• Integrate research from personal interviews, library resources, assigned texts and their own experience into their writing
• Know how to use MLA formatting to properly document sources

 Writing Resources for Students

Students who are struggling with writing assignments are encouraged to make an appointment with a writing tutor at the Learning Center located in the Ezra Lehman Memorial Library or visit the writing tutors in the English Department Computer Lab, DHC 002.   

The Help Yourself-Writing Resources web site is a useful resource students can easily access for help with the writing process at any time.   

Writing Opportunities 

Faculty members are encouraged to sponsor their students' outstanding papers for publication in Write the Ship, our journal of academic writing. The editors are eager to consider work from all colleges, every department, and any class, from both 100-level and upper-level courses: feature writing, research writing, reports, reviews, creative nonfiction, etc.