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First Year Writing Program

Mission Statement

The TAMIU First Year Writing Program (FYWP) is devoted to meeting the diverse needs of its student body. The program equips students with the necessary writing skills to achieve success as they progress through their academic study and into their future careers. Its emphasis on foundational skills in grammar, drafting and research, prepare students to view writing as a process. Through its curriculum and instructional approach, students will learn to reflect on their own writing as a skill that is transferable across the boundaries of disciplinary research, community identities, as well as national and international borders.

Student writing in journal

Philosophy

There are five key principles that form the basis for the First Year Writing Program

  1. The method that is most effective for student success is called the “process of writing” or the “writing process.”
  2. The principle behind “process” is that writing involves a series of tasks that can be learned by students. It is not an expression of one’s innate ability.
  3. To succeed as writers, students learn strategies for identifying the important elements of any writing situation: the writer, the reader, and the subject.
  4. ‘Academic writing’ is a form of writing that follows a set of standards that are set over time and helps students meet the expectations established at the university. There are also other forms of writing, such as that appropriate for online publication, which also support student success.
  5. There are different kinds of writing at a university, and each discipline (major) has its own features. The Writing Program aims to provide a transferable skill set that students will be able to apply in a wide range of disciplines.
The FYWP will make these five principles points apparent to students by employing a range of pedagogical approaches designed to foster student confidence, ability, and success. The FYWP sees its core classes as an essential foundation for all TAMIU students as they move forward in their academic careers and will emphasize a skill-based approach to writing. A graduate of the FYWP will not only be able to apply concrete strategies learned in ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302, but will also feel confident when approaching a wide range of writing genres and tasks assigned across the university curriculum.

Contact

Dr. Charlene Summers
Instructional Associate Professional and Director of the First-Year Writing Program
charlene.summers@tamiu.edu 
Academic Innovation Center 326
956.326.2616