The First-Year Writing Program is committed to providing the highest level of instruction for our students. We seek to develop students' critical thinking, reading and writing skills through engaging them in meaningful analysis of literary, cultural and other readings, understanding the social and discourse communities that shape writing, and writing as responsible, purposeful social action.

While we are committed to introducing our instructors to sound pedagogical theory and practice, we as a program do not subscribe to a particular ideology or pedagogical practice. Instead, we believe in and encourage the integration of diverse pedagogical approaches tailored to the particular needs of students in individual classes. While all instructors are committed to the same outcomes and goals for their particular courses and often share their teaching philosophies and pedagogical strategies, instructors have the guided freedom to choose pedagogical approaches that best suit their particular classes. We also strive to develop and nurture in our instructors a critical awareness of technology and encourage them to meaningfully incorporate technology into their teaching.