All first-year students are required to fulfill Dartmouth's first-year writing requirement. Through the first-year writing courses, the College offers entering students a valuable opportunity to develop the thinking, research, writing, and presentation abilities that characterize intellectual work in the academy and in educated public discourse.
Most first-year students take Writing 5 (or Writing 2-3) followed by a First-year Seminar to fulfill the first-year writing requirement. As of Fall 2012, completion of Humanities 1-2 is another way to satisfy the first-year writing requirement usually fulfilled by taking Writing 5 and a First-year Seminar. Humanities 1 and 2: Dialogues with the Classics is an interdisciplinary, two-term, two-credit course sequence taught for first-year students in fall and winter terms. Students interested in applying to take Humanities 1-2 must contact the Humanities 1-2 program during the summer prior to registering for fall term. For details, see: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hums1-2/
Writing 5 focuses on the writing process, emphasizing careful analysis, thoughtful questions, and strategies for effective argument. Students taking Writing 5 are assigned to take the course either in the fall or winter; this assignment cannot be changed. Information about when a student is scheduled to take Writing 5 appears on the student's placement record in the information that is visible to the student and the student's advisor just before first-year students register for fall term.
During the normal course registration process for the upcoming term, students who are scheduled to take Writing 5 review the sections of Writing 5 offered and elect/request the section they prefer, along with their other course elections. Whether they get into the section they elected/requested is determined during the registration processing period. Students who did not get into their first choice during initial course election choose another Writing 5 class from among those with space available during the course changes period prior to the start of classes. Students enrolled in Writing 5 may use the online registration system to switch into a different section of Writing 5, as long as there is space available, during the course changes period or during the drop/add period in the first week of classes.
The details on the schedule for course election, course changes period, and add-drop period for a given term can be found on the registrar's website at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~reg/registration/coursinf.html
Writing 5 class size is limited to 16 to allow for individualized attention. Enrollment above the limit is never allowed in a Writing 5 course. Open slots are first-come, first-served. No waiting lists are maintained.
See Writing 5 Course Descriptions for more information on the topics offered. The descriptions page will display the descriptions for the upcoming term shortly before registration opens to first-year students for that term.
Writing 5 does not serve in partial satisfaction of the General Education requirements such as distributive requirements or the world culture requirement.
Writing 2-3 is a two-term, two-credit course that provides more intensive guidance through the reading, writing, and research processes, including individual support from teaching assistants and a culminating research project. Students likely to benefit from more support in these areas are asked to complete an online placement process during the summer.
Writing 2-3 is limited to 15 students per section and is taught only in fall and winter terms. Writing 2-3 is taken in place of Writing 5. Students must complete both terms of Writing 2-3 and a First-Year Seminar to fulfill the first-year writing requirement. See this page for more information about the online placement process for Writing 2-3, including a comparison between Writing 2-3 and Writing 5.
Writing 2-3 does not serve in partial satisfaction of the General Education requirements such as distributive requirements or the world culture requirement.
First-year Seminars offer every first-year student an opportunity to participate in a course structured around intensive writing, independent research, small group discussion, and reading across the disciplines. A First-year Seminar is taken in the term immediately following completion of Writing 5 or Writing 2-3.
During the normal course registration process for the upcoming term, students who are scheduled to take a First-year Seminar review the First-year Seminars offered and elect/request the seminar they prefer, along with their other course elections. Whether they get into the seminar they elected/requested is determined during the registration processing period. Students who did not get into their first choice during initial course election choose another First-year Seminar from among those with space available during the course changes period prior to the start of classes. Students enrolled in a First-year Seminar may use the online registration system to switch into a different seminar, as long as there is space available, during the course changes period or during the drop/add period in the first week of classes.
Enrollment in a First-year Seminar is limited to 16 students. Enrollment above the limit is never allowed in a First-year Seminar course. Open slots are first-come, first-served. No waiting lists are maintained.
See First-year Seminar Course Descriptions for more information on the topics offered. The descriptions page will display the descriptions for the upcoming term shortly before registration opens to first-year students for that term.
Important Scheduling Guidelines Regarding First-year Seminars:
A First-year Seminar may serve in satisfaction of specific General Education requirements, provided that the individual seminar has been approved for this purpose, and for the specific year and term, by the Committee on Instruction.
Humanities 1 and 2: Dialogues with the Classics is an interdisciplinary, two-term, two-credit course sequence taught for first-year students in fall and winter terms. As of Fall 2012, completion of both terms of Humanities 1-2 is another way to satisfy the first-year writing requirement usually fulfilled by taking Writing 5 and a First-year Seminar. Students interested in applying to take Humanities 1-2 must contact the Humanities 1-2 program during the summer prior to registering for fall term. For details, see: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hums1-2/
Transfer students may request approval of transfer credit for Writing 5, upper-level Writing courses, or Speech courses based on courses taken at other colleges or universities before matriculation at Dartmouth. The deadline for all requests for credit is the end of the first term of study.
