Title

"Mutt Genres" and the Goal of FYC: Can We Help Students Write the Genres of the University?

Authors

Authors

E. Wardle

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Coll. Compost. Commun.

Keywords

CURRICULUM; CLASSROOM; Literature

Abstract

The goal of teaching students to write for the university assumes that in first-year composition students can be taught ways of writing (genre and genre knowledge) that they can then transfer to the writing they do in other courses across the university. This goal and its underlying assumption are problematic for a number of reasons illustrated here through a study of a large midwestern composition program. The study validates theoretical critiques of general skills writing courses made by genre and activity theorists over the past decade. The difficulties of teaching varied academic genres in only one context suggest we might better serve first-year students by reframing the goals of FYC, such that the course does not promise to teach students to write in the university but rather teaches students about writing in the university.

Journal Title

College Composition and Communication

Volume

60

Issue/Number

4

Publication Date

1-1-2009

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

765

Last Page

789

WOS Identifier

WOS:000267495200009

ISSN

0010-096X

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