Selecting a First-year Writing Course (DSP)

All directly admitted first year students at RIT are automatically placed in a section of FYW First Year Writing (150). While the majority of students will be placed into UWRT 150 Writing Seminar, others may be placed into ISTE 150, or Honors 150.*

UWRT 150 emphasizes academic literacy – reading, writing, critical thinking, and analysis, 

If you feel like you need more preparation for academic reading and writing, please go to the Writing Center in the Wallace Library where you can talk to a trained writing consultant about options and resources that will be right for you.

*some students in NTID and at some international campuses may place into CRW 100

Course Description

FYW Writing Seminar is a three-credit course limited to 19 students per section. The course is designed to develop first-year students’ proficiency in analytical and rhetorical reading and writing, and critical thinking. Students will read, understand, and interpret a variety of non-fiction texts representing different cultural perspectives and/or academic disciplines. These texts are designed to challenge students intellectually and to stimulate their writing for a variety of contexts and purposes. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will develop academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened throughout their academic careers. Particular attention will be given to the writing process, including an emphasis on teacher-student conferencing, critical self-assessment, class discussion, peer review, formal and informal writing, research, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic integrity for both current academic and future professional writing.

Find a Sample Syllabus HERE

Find a Sample Assignment HERE

Find two Sample Readings Nancy Sommers and Laura Saltz, "The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year" (2004) and Vershawn Ashanti Young, “Should Writers Use They Own English?” (2010)

Course Description 

Critical Reading and Writing is a one semester, three-credit course limited to 15 students per section. This course is designed to help students develop the literacy practices they will need to be successful in their First-Year Writing course. Students will read, understand, interpret, and synthesize a variety of texts. Assignments are designed to challenge students intellectually, culturally, and rhetorically. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will improve their writing by developing academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened in First-Year Writing. Particular attention will be given to critical reading, academic writing conventions, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic honesty in academic writing.

Find a Sample Syllabus HERE

Find a Sample Assignment HERE

Find Two Sample Readings HERE: Mike Bunn's "How to Read Like a Writer" (2011) and Sherman Alexie "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me" (1997). 

Take the survey HERE to reflect on your past and present reading, writing, and academic literacy knowledge and practices to assess where you are right now as a writer. This look back will help you to start thinking about the resources that will be right for you. 

You may schedule personal, weekly, one on one appointments in the Writing Center, and you may request a consultation with the writing program director at pjknge@rit.edu. They will meet with you to address your specific writing questions and discuss resource options.  If you have any other, more general questions about writing at RIT, please contact the University Writing Program team at rituwp@rit.edu.