First-Year Writing
The First-Year Writing Program prepares students for writing at the college level in all disciplines. Comprised of English 1, 2, 3, and 4, the curriculum teaches students to develop a clear thesis; a well-organized and developed argument; well-illustrated points; and thoughtful, lively prose. Small classes offer the opportunity for close, personal attention and an atmosphere of collaborative learning. For more information, please consult our Program Handbook.
Required Courses
Liberal Arts students must take English 1 and 2 or English 3 and 4 or equivalent. Engineering students must take English 1 or 3 or equivalent.
For English 2, students may choose among several seminar topics. Liberal arts students seeking to fulfill the second half of the writing requirement may take Philosophy 2: Introduction to Philosophy in place of English 2. These courses must be taken in chronological order. In particular, if a student wishes to count an English 2 alternative class towards the writing requirement, they must first take (or have exempted out of) English 1 (or English 3).
Amount of Writing
Each student is required to turn in about 25 pages of graded writing per semester, figuring at 250 words per page. Thus, we should all think in terms of students writing 6,250 words during the semester, divided into 5-6 papers. One of these will be a research paper.
Research Requirement
A research paper is a requirement of English 1, 2, 3, and 4. The First-Year Writing Program aims to provide the following critical research skills:
- Strategies for thinking critically about information-seeking, information resources, and reflecting on the research process
- Strategies for searching and retrieving information
- An understanding of how to evaluate information resources
Attendance Policy
Students are required to attend the first two class meetings of English 1, 2, 3 and 4 to retain their seat in the class as enrollment is limited. In case of an emergency, students must contact the instructor beforehand for permission to miss class. If they fail to do so, they and their advisor will be notified and their places will be filled from the waiting list.
The attendance policy for the rest of the semester can be found in the syllabus handed out in class.
General Policies
- Classes enrolling fewer than six students may be cancelled.
- By union law, instructors are not able to expand class size beyond the maximum enrollment for the course.
- English 1, 2, and 4 must be taken for a letter grade in order to fulfill the writing requirement. English 3 is pass-fail.
- English 1 (or 3) must be taken before English 2 (or 4) or an English 2 equivalent course.
- For additional information about the writing requirement, please see The Tufts Bulletin.
