First-year Writing Seminars

Each year, the Princeton Writing Program offers over 125 Writing Seminars of 12 students each on topics ranging from big data and collective memory to climate change and sexual politics. Student voices are at the center of each Writing Seminar community, where they practice not only how to write, but how to become generous and rigorous readers of each other’s work. In this way writing is understood as critical thinking that can be radically deepened and clarified through an iterative process of feedback and revision.

First-year Writing Seminars are multidisciplinary and designed to emphasize transferable skills in critical inquiry, argument, and research methods. Every first-year student completes a Writing Seminar to fulfill the University writing requirement.

The practices, knowledge, and strategies to which students are introduced in their First-year Writing Seminars serve as a foundation for their ongoing development as sophomores, juniors, and seniors, guided by faculty across the university.

Additional seminars are sometimes offered in collaboration with departments for students beginning work in their concentrations to hone their research and writing skills in the discipline.