General Writing Program Information and Background

The First-Year Writing Program at Eastern Michigan University (FYWP) is a mature writing program that, in the words of the current WPA Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner, has been around for a long time. Adler-Kassner began her administration of the program in 2000, and she reports the two previous WPAs were rhetoric/composition professionals, so the program has a long history of responsible delivery of composition following accepted practices in the field.

Program Facts
Courses:	English 120 (Elective) English 121 (Required of all Freshmen)
Number of Students:	Approximately 90% of all Freshmen take ENGL 121
Sections:	170 sections/year (capped at 25 students/section)
Faculty and Staff	Director: Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner Assist. Director: Dr. John Dunn 14 full-time lecturers 15-20 part-time adjuncts 18 graduate student assistants

Rather than a two-course sequence, the First-Year Writing Program has only one required Freshman Composition class, ENGL 121. The second course, ENGL 120, interestingly, is an elective class--EMU offers no Developmental or Basic Writing classes. As an elective, students receive credit toward graduation for this class. The nature of these two courses (one elective, one required) was in place when Adler-Kassner arrived in 2000. However, the re-naming of the program as "First Year Writing Program" emerged early in her time as WPA.

The First-Year Writing Program remains comfortably a part of the English Department. The harmonious arrangement is due to the unique set up of the EMU English Department which offers a wide range of undergraduate programs (10, from literature to public relations) and has 14 writing faculty members. This strong presence of other writing programs and writing faculty helps this freshman writing program reside comfortably within the English Department.

Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive University with approximately 26,000 students. It is the largest producer of educators in the country and one of the universities of choice for students wishing to enter the teaching profession. EMU relative to other local universities is less expensive, and it draws a large commuter population. Due to problems at the State-level, EMU has been under budget stress in recent years, resulting in staffing stress on the FYWP.