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4. What is the purpose of first-year composition?
An expressivist would see the purpose of the first-year composition class as a forum for the development of voice/style in writing. Rather than focusing on texts, ideologies, or philosophies, an expressivist would have students concentrate on their writing instead. Priority is given to the writer's voice and view of the world. Essays or literature may be used in an expressivist classroom; however, their purpose would be to inspire students by helping them understand events within their own lives. Emphasis would be given to try to understand the author's intentions. Often regular textbooks are dispensed with in favor of student texts. What this means is that usually classes are given the option of creating a magazine or other student publication where their essays are showcased. The idea behind using student texts is that it further empowers writers by making them feel important and central to the class. Teachers frequently organize students into groups for prewriting activities such as brainstorming or mapping. Journals, peer editing, conferences, and free writing tend to play extremely important roles in the classroom as writers struggle to find inspiration in themselves which they can bring into their papers. Feedback from peers is essential to this process since the writer can test interpretations of his or her life on other students for the feeling of authenticity in the writing. If successful, the first-year writing program will instill a confidence in students which will help them to see themselves as writers.
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