First-Year College Writing
Welcome to First-Year Writing at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. We, along with the other teachers in this program, are eager to help you grow into a confident college-level writer. Our classes aim to teach you habits of mind, such as critical thinking, responsible research, and rhetorical flexibility, that you will need to succeed as a writer in a range of classes. You can expect your First-Year Writing instructor to be a source of feedback, encouragement, and challenge as we work with you to build your writing skills.
In the FAQ for students, you’ll find answers to many of the questions you might have about WRT 188 and other First-Year Writing classes. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the links below.
Happy writing!
Dr. Samantha Looker-Koenigs, Director of First-Year Writing
FAQ for Students
What is WRT 188?
Here at UW-Oshkosh, like at most U.S. universities, our general education program requires that you take an introductory writing class within your first year. WRT 188 is our main offering that most students take to complete that requirement. WRT 188 is a one-semester, three-credit class with a maximum of 24 students and a teacher who is an expert in English and writing. In the class, you can expect to write formal essays, complete informal writing assignments, read a variety of texts, engage in class discussion on a daily or near-daily basis, and learn how to do academic library research to find scholarly sources.
What is WRT 110?
WRT 110 meets the same requirements as WRT 188 but is reserved for students in the Honors program or students with high English placement scores. WRT 110 provides an intellectually stimulating environment for students who may already have some basics of college-level writing down but want to push themselves to excel in this area.
What is WRT 100, and why do I need to take it?
WRT 100 is intended as a “boost” for students whose English placement test scores indicate that they might benefit from a bit more guidance as they transition to college-level writing. If you have placed into WRT 100, you will need to pass it with a C or better before you take WRT 188. It will introduce you to the skills and habits you will need to succeed in WRT 188 through classroom discussion, meetings with your instructor and your classroom writing coaches, and plenty of writing practice. Students who successfully complete WRT 100 have noted that they enter WRT 188 feeling confident and prepared, and that they often have a leg up on their classmates!
What is WRT 99?
WRT 99 is a weekly Writing Center tutorial required of students whose placement scores indicate that they can likely succeed in WRT 188 without taking WRT 100 first but may need a little extra support to do so. Students who place into the WRT 188/WRT 99 combination register for the three-credit WRT 188 class alongside the one-credit WRT 99 tutorial. If you place into the WRT 188/WRT 99 combo, please note that your WRT 99 tutorials are a required class for you. You must pass both WRT 188 and WRT 99 in order to fulfill your first-year writing requirement; if you fail WRT 99, you will need to take both WRT 188 and WRT 99 over.
I have questions or concerns about my placement. What should I do?
We recommend talking to an academic adviser first, as they can help you understand your placement. The Wisconsin English Placement Test is specially created by professors to sort students into the classes where they are most likely to succeed, so we recommend trusting your placement. However, if you feel that your placement score isn’t accurate, you may retake the English Placement Test by contacting the Testing Center. If you are right on the border of the next highest placement and feel strongly that a boost up is warranted, you may contact the Director of First-Year Writing. We may decide, on a case-by-case basis, to interview students and read additional samples of their writing, and we may change a student’s placement based on this additional information.
I am a transfer student. Do I need to take a First-Year Writing class?
It depends! If you transferred in credits for a class that meets the first-year composition requirement, then no. If you did not take a writing class at your previous school, or if you only took a remedial writing class, then yes, you will need to take First-Year Writing here. If you took a writing class at your previous school that you think should count for First-Year Writing but it didn’t transfer, talk to the admissions office or the Director of First-Year Writing.
I’ve heard that WRT 188 classes have “themes.” What does that mean?
Our primary goal in WRT is to help you grow as a writer, but it is necessary that you write about something. To this end, we have designed our classes so that each class focuses on one topic all semester. This allows you to develop some expertise in the topic and to have a realistic academic writing experience, since professional academic writers write about things they have already been reading and talking about for awhile. Each instructor chooses a theme for his/her course that they have extensive knowledge and interest in, so you also have the benefit of an instructor who will be truly excited about what you’re writing about!
What resources are available to help me in my First-Year Writing class?
Many of our most successful First-Year Writing students are frequent users of campus resources! A few that may be especially helpful for your work in these classes include:
First-Year College Writing Program Goals
The mission of First-Year College Writing is to equip students with critical writing, reading, and thinking skills as a foundation for their liberal education and their meaningful participation in academic and public communities. We aim to achieve this mission through:
Written Communication
Students will learn strategies for effectively transmitting their ideas through the written word. They will learn to organize and connect their ideas clearly in writing. They will build their awareness of conventions of genre, style, mechanics, and grammar, remaining conscious of how these conventions may vary depending on context.
Writing Process Strategies
Students will receive guidance throughout their writing process. They will practice generating productive research questions and effective thesis statements. As they compose, revise, and edit their drafts, they will engage in critical reflections on their work and their own writing process.
Critical Thinking
Students will build strategies for understanding and interpreting written texts, as well as for critically evaluating these texts’ clarity, form, reliability, and rhetorical effectiveness. In the process, they will build awareness of how audience, genre, content, and purpose affect writing decisions. They will apply critical analysis to class readings and to their own and their peers’ in-progress writing.
Collaborative Work
Students will engage in productive discussions and collaborative activities that allow them to practice critical thinking and problem solving. Students may collaborate on a variety of tasks, such as discussions of class readings or potential paper topics, activities for learning documentation and writing skills, or reviews of one another’s paper plans or drafts.
Source Use and Information Literacy
Students will develop skills in retrieving, evaluating, and utilizing sources appropriately and ethically in college-level writing. They will practice incorporating effective and correctly documented summary, paraphrase, and quotation into their writing. They will build their ability to synthesize multiple viewpoints and enhance their understanding of how writers use citation practices to engage in academic conversation.