Program Objectives
The First-Year Program at Manhattanville College is a graduation requirement for all undergraduate students entering the College with fewer than 30 approved transfer credits (those entering with 30 or more credits are exempt). Its primary goals are:
To provide students with foundational instruction in critical thinking in a First Year Seminar, which also serves as an introduction to the liberal arts curriculum.
To provide intensive foundational instruction in the mechanics of academic writing, with exercises and assignments relating to the Seminar topic.
To build close faculty/student relationships during the first year
Program Structure
The First-Year Program comprises both the Fall and Spring academic semesters. The 9 credit curriculum includes:
First-Year Seminar (3 credits; generally two 75 – minute meetings per week) or Castle Scholars First-Year Seminar (3 credits)
First-Year Seminars are topical or thematic, reflecting faculty interests and/or expertise. Seminar topics and themes are diverse and reflect the broad spectrum of the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. First-Year Seminars are not survey or introductory lecture courses in any particular discipline, but rather are seminar-style, participatory and topical. All seminars count towards the fulfillment of college-wide requirements. All First Year Seminars fulfill the Humanistic Reasoning Capability of the College’s General Education degree requirements and some may carry departmental credit.
First-Year Writing I & II (3 credits each; generally two 75 – minute meetings per week)
Each section of First-Year Writing provides thorough instruction in composition with the aim of enabling students to develop the writing skills necessary for college-level study. The course includes an intensive review of English grammar, as well as academic style and structure; students examine strategies for written analysis, persuasion, and argumentation. Instruction emphasizes revision, and students are encouraged to recognize the connection between critical thinking and academic writing.
An introduction to Information Literacy is embedded within the First-Year Writing sequence: this includes library tours, introduction to information resources, and approaches to scholarly research.
By the end of the year-long sequence of First-Year Seminar and Writing courses, students are able to:
Demonstrate the ability to write clearly and with grammatical accuracy in English;
Produce written work that has been improved by supervised revision for style and content through multiple drafts and/or sequential assignments;
Engage critically with primary and secondary sources, while following both ethical and formatting guidelines for quoting, paraphrasing and citing this material; and
Employ the vocabulary, concepts and compositional techniques appropriate to the academic discipline(s) reflected in the course content.
First-Year Program Grade Requirement
Separate course grades are awarded for First-Year Seminar and First-Year Writing I and II. Students must earn a minimum grade of C - in all FYP courses to complete the First-Year Program requirement at Manhattanville College. Failure to meet this requirement in any FYP course triggers automatic registration in a FYP 4000: College Skills 1 or FYP 4001: College Skills 2 course the following semester. Students are not permitted to repeat First-Year Seminar, First-Year Writing I, or First-Year Writing II.
First-Year Program Withdrawal Policy
Students normally may not withdraw from a First-Year Program course. Any request for withdrawal from an FYP course requires formal approval by the FYP Coordinator and Dean of the First-Year Experience. If granted, such a withdrawal does not constitute an exemption from completion of all FYP requirements.