How can you both introduce students to a field of study and provide them with support as they transition into college writing? The perennial question of the FYS. In practical terms, there are only so many class-time hours in a semester-long course and only so many pages a student can write. So incorporating pre-writing assignments or peer review into the syllabus or discussing writing issues in class involves a trade-off. Getting this balance right is one of the most challenging things about teaching an FYS. Below you will see a variety of syllabi and calendars that show you the ways in which faculty have attempted to balance content with writing time.

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“Mughal India: Introduction to the Practice of Art History” assigns six graded writing assignments across the semester. Each paper helps students practice theories and methods discussed in each unit. Four assignments are short (roughly 2 pages) and two are longer (4-5 and 6-7 pages respectively).

“Great Books Unbound” is taught by three faculty within the COL department. The course considers “where, how, and why…we draw the boundaries of self and other” from antiquity to the present through the perspectives of three disciplines (philosophy, literature, and history). The course is mixes lecture and discussion across the week. Instructors use a check, check plus, check minus evaluative system for student writing.

Students in this course produce logic proofs, simple programs, and quite a bit of writing. The final project includes an option to write an essay, a short story, or work of a more technical nature: the proof of theorem or a program.

“Thinking Animals” gets students thinking about human-animal relations in order to consider identity and ethics as well as animal rights and protections. The course relies on a discussion board to guide discussion and practice close reading and writing skills. Students write 5 essays of increasing length throughout the semester.

“Good Books on Bad Wars” explores war through “theory, fiction, and non-fiction.” Students are asked to write two 6-page analytic essays in addition to a final analytic essay.

“Perspectives: Dance as Cultural Knowledge” explores how and why dance acts as a vital participant in cultural practices around the world. Among other activities and assignments, students write responses to films and articles and a research paper.

“American Crazy” looks at four narrative traditions used to “depict and explain the role of violence in American society.” The course assigns one long research essay (10-15 pages), three shorter response papers (3-4 pages), research paper proposals, a literature review, and an annotated bibliography along with specific participation tasks.

“August Wilson” examines the ten plays in Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle”. Students give an oral presentation, write two short papers, and do a research project.

Through a close reading and discussion of classic, canonical texts, this course explores central concepts and moral values in the development of Occidental culture and history. Students discuss their central themes and questions, analytically, and how the diverse genres of history, literature and philosophy become important in understanding Classical antiquity.

“Psychoanalysis Then and Now: From Freud to Psychosocial Studies” traces the history of psychoanalysis as a theory and practice. Students give presentations and practice with a wide range of writing purposes and audiences.

“Otherness and Belonging” introduces students to representations of otherness and belonging in multiple genres. The course requires student write four 3-7 page essays and guides them through the process with drafts, peer review, and revision expectations. The class also includes multiple low stakes, non-evaluated writing assignments.

“A Nation of Immigrants?” is an introductory literary and American Studies course that focuses on developing interdisciplinary literary analysis skills. Syllabus features scaffolded close reading assignments, regular peer review and reflection, and a final researched literary analysis paper.

“Why You Can’t Write” introduces students to critical composition studies. Students participate in group workshops for every writing assignment (three total), write a final paper and a final reflection, and do multiple in-class writing assignments and activities to develop their process.

“Are You a Feminist” is an introduction to cultural studies and intersectional feminist, gender, and sexuality studies. The class integrates regular low-stakes writing and reflection, along with three scaffolded close reading analysis papers. Lots of peer review and revision reflection!

Check out the Wesleyan Library Syllabus, too!

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Consider mentioning the Writing Workshop and Mentor program on your syllabus with the following blurb:

Working on your writing? Don’t go it alone! Instead, make a free one-on-one appointment with peer writing tutors at the Writing Workshop. Trained to help Wesleyan writers at any stage of the writing process, writing tutors are available for online appointments, Sunday – Friday at a range of times. Let us help you get your ideas out of your head and onto paper!  

Make an appointment by going to Wesportal→ Academics–>Writing Workshop Account. You’ll be asked to make an account before being brought to our online scheduler.

Want semester long support? Apply for a writing mentor who will work with you for an hour every week. Focus on specific writing tasks like organization and time management with the help of a trained peer all while earning a .25 credit!

Learn more at: https://www.wesleyan.edu/writing/writingworkshop/resourcesforstudents/index.html

or email Professor Lauren Silber at lsilber@wesleyan.edu or the Ford Fellow at writingworks@wesleyan.edu.