College of Liberal Arts

First-Year Writing Office
150 Wesbrook Hall
E-mail: fyw@umn.edu
Phone: (612) 624-6633

Heather Mendygral
Program Assistant
E-mail: mheath@umn.edu
Phone: 612-624-6633

Tom Reynolds
Director
E-mail: reyno004@umn.edu
Phone: 612-626-0065

Tim Gustafson
Associate Director
E-mail: tgus@umn.edu
Phone: 612-625-0731

First-Year Writing

Welcome to the University of Minnesota First-Year Writing Program. We look forward to working with you in our classes, our offices, and in the Center for Writing.

The primary purpose of first-year writing at the University of Minnesota is to provide incoming students with the fundamental skills and knowledge about writing demanded in university study. Students write in academic genres such as essays, summaries, and research papers and learn the appropriate conventions and styles that make those forms convincing. In a workshop environment, students practice and study writing as a recursive process of critical thinking, analytical reading, and significant research, all leading to graceful written communication. Drawing on students' diverse skills, backgrounds, and experiences, instructors lead students to discern and participate in important public and university-level conversations. First-year writing offers students a foundation for development and refinement of their writing abilities throughout their college career and beyond.

The University of Minnesota's First-Year Writing Requirement

As of Fall Semester, 2007, all University students will be required to pass WRIT 1301 or WRIT 1401. Some students will be required to pass WRIT 1201 before taking WRIT 1301, thus assuring a full year of writing instruction.

All students are expected to complete the First-Year Writing Requirement within their first two semesters of registration at the University. New entering freshmen who have not completed the requirement at the time of completion of 30 credits will have a hold placed on their records and will be required to see their advisor. The advisor will discuss the requirement with the student and provide an override for the student to register for the class in the next semester. For freshmen who matriculate with more than 30 credits, or for transfer students, the requirement must be completed before admission or within the first two terms of registration at the University.