First-Year Writing Seminar & Literature Core

The English Department's First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS) and Literature Core form a key part of BC's Core Curriculum. These courses are designed to complement each other by helping students to develop essential skills for a liberal arts education. Some 1,600 students take a First-Year Writing Seminar each year, and more than 2,000 enroll in the Literature Core.

First-Year Writing Seminar

The First-Year Writing seminar (FWS) encourages students to understand why people write: not just for grades or to complete requirements but because writing is an intellectual and personal tool for living. In our small, workshop-centered seminars, students use writing to discover new insights, orient themselves to broader conversations, deepen their understanding of ideas, and create changes in service of the common good.

Each seminar is a 15-person workshop designed to help you develop and practice skills in writing and research. Over the semester you will learn to write rhetorically, devising effective writing processes for a variety of purposes and audiences, including but not limited to, academic writing. Each workshop allows you to work creatively on a variety of writing tasks and to put yourself in conversation with other writers. You’ll meet regularly with your instructor to make revision plans, learn to give and receive productive feedback to other writers, and develop skills for revising essays before submitting them for evaluation. You may also work with classmates to present and "publish" your work within various classroom, campus, or internet settings.

One goal of FWS is to teach you a variety of strategies to practice in a range of writing situations which, in turn, will help you to understand and plan for subsequent writing challenges in your future academic, professional, and personal lives. Another goal of FWS is to give you the tools and the incentive to keep writing after the course has ended: in other courses, in your community, and for your own pleasure. Part of learning to write well, especially in academic settings, involves putting yourself into conversation with current arguments using the conventions and tropes of relevant discourses. In FWS you will also be introduced to library resources and will practice writing and documenting secondary research.

First-Year Writing Seminar Staff

Paula Mathieu

Paula Mathieu


Director

Paula Mathieu


Director

| S447 Stokes Hall

Martha Hincks

Martha Hincks


Associate Director

Martha Hincks


Associate Director

| S446 Stokes Hall

Dacia Gentilella

Dacia Gentilella


FWS Mentor & Learning Specialist

Dacia Gentilella


FWS Mentor & Learning Specialist

| 50 College Road

Brian Zimmerman

Brian Zimmerman


FWS Mentor

Brian Zimmerman


FWS Mentor

| S456 Stokes Hall

Literature Core

Literature Core is a partner course with the First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS), and together they form the English department’s contribution to the Core Curriculum.   

Literature Core is an intellectually rigorous, discussion-based course that introduces first- and second-year students to the college-level study of literature. Each section focuses on a different topic – such as family relations, social outcasts, or world building -- which allows you to find a section that fits your interests.  

Over the course of the semester, you will read a diverse selection of texts written in different time periods and multiple genres. You will learn how to interpret literary language at a sophisticated level and to appreciate literature as a window onto your own and other cultures.  The course is designed to foster a sense of social connection among students as you share your ideas and take intellectual risks within a small community of learners. 

You will engage with literature through various types of writing, including an analytical essay, personal reflection, and creative projects. This variety allows all students to find a way to engage with literature that fits their own interests and aptitudes.