Class of 2019

Dear ’19,
I hope the pre-registration process went well. As we look toward Adjustment, please note the message below from the Psychology Department:

The Psychology Department has added several new courses for the fall (listed below). They are all in WesMaps. To ensure that they would not completely fill over the summer, the courses were indicated to be by permission-of-instructor (POI) but most simply require the stated prerequisites (typically PSYC 105) for admission, assuming seats are available. If you are interested in one of these courses, you should make an enrollment request as soon as it is possible to do so, and plan to attend the first class (or let the professor know if you cannot attend).

Introductory Research Methods:
PSYC 203-01 Quantitative Research Methods, MF 1:10-2:30
PSYC 203-02 Quantitative Research Methods, MF 2:40-4:00

Column 1 Breadth Course:
PSYC 221-01 Human Memory, TR 10:30-11:50
PSYC 221-02 Human Memory, TR 1:10-2:30

Column 2 Breadth Course:
PSYC 251-01 Psychopathology, MWF 9:00-9:50
PSYC 251-02 Psychopathology, MWF 10:00-10:50

Dear ’19,
I’ve received a number of questions regarding the placement tests and whether or not they’re mandatory.
Please look over the placement test information here:
https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu/departments/Reg/NewStudentSummerTasks/Public/PlacementTestInformation.pdf
This document explains the conditions under which the placement exams would be required. The placement exams are an essential part of preparing to select your courses in July, particularly if you’re considering whether or not to continue studying a language or if you’d like to pursue Music Theory, as the results enable you to gauge your skill level and therefore give you (and your advisor) a sense of which courses you should take. Please note that the deadline to take your placement exams is June 30.
Best,
Dean Wood

Dear Class of 2019,

As you have no doubt deduced, my name is Andrew Curran. I’m Dean of Arts and Humanities and the Director of Curricular Initiatives at Wesleyan. Welcome to Wesleyan !

I’m writing today to let you know about the First-Year Seminar Program (FYS), which has been designed with you in mind.

Here is the description of the program.

First-year seminars (FYS) will introduce students to a variety of topics ranging from Greek myth to neuroscience. Some of these classes treat a specific thinker (e.g., Kafka); others provide a sweeping introduction into an interdisciplinary area of study that may be new to first-year students (e.g., animal studies). All of these classes, however, will emphasize the importance of writing at the university level. Students in first year seminars will become familiar with the methods used to collect, interpret, analyze, and present evidence as part of a scholarly argument. Faculty teaching these classes will also highlight the type of writing associated with their respective disciplines, and help students develop, compose, organize, and revise their writing. All first-year seminars will have a series of written assignments, and will feature oral or written feedback on student writing; many will also employ peer-mentoring and writing tutors. FYSs are limited to 15 students.

No matter what your major or interests are, the ability to write well is absolutely key to your success here. From Dance to Physics, expressing yourself clearly, concisely, and eloquently is something best mastered early, as opposed to in your senior year.

I asked several students about what the FYS has done for them. Here is the best quote I got from a student:

“In the spring of my freshman year, I took an FYS on ‘Platonism, Pragmatism, and Existentialism.’ It was my first exposure to philosophy—and the first time I’d been expected to write weekly response papers. It was a great and ultimately satisfying experience to engage fully and critically with a text and not simply fall back on my ability to craft a sentence. The course forced me to write meaningfully—not simply well.”

And this same student told me to remind you of something else:

“the first year at Wesleyan should be a time for exploration, for learning to live away from home and adapting to a new environment. My FYS helped me transition into college writing and the world of university academics. In a year that included many large introductory courses, my FYS provided me with a unique opportunity to take a small course with a professor who gave me personalized attention and improved my writing. This later allowed me to dive into any subject, course, major, program with confidence.”

Great advice.

You will see that there are many different types of FYS classes. The list of available classes is here on WESMAPS. You can get a list of FYS classes through the search function.

At Wesleyan, as you know, you are not required to take any specific class, but I would urge you all to take one of these FYS classes. As the students I have talked to put it, a little work now will pay off for years to come.

All the best to you,

Dean Andrew Curran

P.S. If you have any questions about registering for these classes, please discuss them with your Faculty Advisor, whom you will meet in the fall. The important thing now is to claim your class !!!

Welcome students of the Class of 2019! A few words about the First Year Seminar Program for 2015-16.

The First Year Seminar (FYS) Program (http://www.wesleyan.edu/academics/fys/index.html) is a collection of fascinating courses covering a wide array of topics, each limited to 15 students and each designed to help you refine your academic writing. FYSes are available in both Fall and Spring semesters. You can see the course descriptions here (under Course Listing, First Year Seminars): https://iasext.wesleyan.edu/regprod/!wesmaps_page.html?fy_seminars=&term=1159.

The FYSes also feature a variety of grading modes. Some courses will employ “quality” grades (A-F) to assess student work (more on this below), while others will use the Cr/U designation. “Credit/Unsatisfactory” is Wesleyan’s version of “pass” and “no pass.” In some cases, instructors using the Cr/U designation will have a minimum expectation (say, a C+) that students must achieve in order to be granted “Credit”, that is, in order to pass the course. In lieu of a final grade, students receive a written evaluation, also available to the student’s advisor. The Cr/U evaluation can provide a valuable benchmark in a discussion about progress in and with one’s writing. Additionally, the Cr/U rubric may alleviate some anxiety about specific grades, allowing a productive learning environment to flourish. Some courses in the FYS program feature a third option, indicated as “student option.” This mixed mode means that students may elect, by an established deadline, to take the course for a grade or on a Cr/U basis. Once a grading mode is selected, it cannot be changed.

The Cr/U designation has a long history at Wesleyan and is used regularly in the university’s various Colleges (College of Letters, College of Social Sciences, College of Integrative Sciences, and so forth). As the instructors of these courses will attest, the Cr/U designation (wherever it is found) is not an invitation not to invest or commit fully to the course and its expectations. Rather, it puts grades (and anxiety about them) to the side for a moment to let learning thrive. As one instructor, who routinely offers FYS students a mixed grading mode, has observed: “the students who use the CR/U rubric do as well as, or even better than, the students who opt for a letter grade. In other words, the CR/U is not an inducement to doing less work or work of lower quality.”

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Cr/U designation is that it offers an opportunity for students to push themselves, to understand what investment in study means for them, and to see how valuable that investment can be, individually, on their own terms.

As you review the FYSes along with your other courses during course selection, you may want to consider the narrative descriptions of “quality grades” that many Wesleyan instructors adhere to. It is offered below.

Happy hunting and, once again, welcome!

Narrative descriptions of “quality” grades assigned to student writing

A/A-: Excellent in all or nearly all respects. The interest of the reader is engaged by the ideas and presentation. Effective organization and writing. Paper marked by originality of ideas.

B+: Clear argument, clear writing, good evidence, appropriate response to question.

B/B-: Technically competent, with perhaps a lapse here and there. The thesis is clear, properly limited, and reasonable, and the proposal is generally good but not distinguished. Use of evidence is sufficient.

C+/C: A competent piece of work, but not yet good. More or less adequately organized along obvious lines. Thesis may be unclear or over simple. Development is often skimpy. Use of evidence may be inadequate. Monotony of sentence structure is apparent and errors may be sprinkled throughout.

C-/D/D-: A piece of work that demonstrates some efforts on the author’s part but that is too marred by technical problems or flaws in thinking or development of ideas to be considered competent work.

E/F: Failing grade. Essay may not respond to assignment. Essay may be far too short. Grammar and style may be careless.

Dear Class of 2019,

I write as your class dean to welcome you to Wesleyan! You might be wondering what a class dean does. My most important function is to support your academic success at Wesleyan over the next four years. I monitor your progress towards graduation; work with faculty and staff members across the university to support student success in the classroom; facilitate access to academic and non-academic support services; and support students as they transition from high school through the undergraduate years to life post-Wesleyan. I will also be working closely with our class council to plan events for the class. In short, I am here both to celebrate your accomplishments and help you through any challenging moments that might arise. I am thrilled to be your class dean and I am looking forward to coming getting to know you, both as a class and as individuals.

In July you will be selecting four courses in order to arrive on campus with a schedule that you will discuss with your faculty advisor. Class deans and academic peer advisors (APAs) will be available to work with you throughout that month to answer any questions that you might have. We will be available via phone and email during business hours, and will host a list-serv beginning July 1 in order to answer academic questions. In addition, I will be posting information to our class blog and the APAs will post on their blog.

To better prepare you for your arrival, it is important that you respond on time to all the items on the Orientation News & Checklist. This checklist is located in your portfolio, which is a personalized tool that serves as a gateway for relevant information. The checklist references many important action items, such as the registration process itself, listing your housing preference, and the first-year matters reading. It is organized chronologically by deadlines. Some of the academic action items for June are discussed below.

As part of your registration, it is highly recommended that you select a first-year seminar, of which there are many offered in the fall and spring semesters. Three of these in the fall term are Learning and Living seminars, which are designed to facilitate an intellectual community by housing first-year students in the same residence halls as their first-year seminar classmates. Registration for this unique and immersive opportunity is in June.

Another checklist item is the online Academic Reflection Essay, which is intended to help you think about your academic experiences thus far as well as to consider what your intellectual pursuits might be at Wesleyan. Your essay will be available to your class dean and faculty advisor.

Another checklist item is the Academic Interest Questionnaire, which is designed to get you thinking about your academic areas of interest while also introducing yourself to your faculty advisor. This will help us to assign your advisor in the areas of study that you list (your advisor might also be one of your course instructors). Advising assignments will take place in August and you will meet with your faculty advisor when you arrive on campus to discuss your course selections and larger academic objectives. In consultation with your faculty advisor and with me, you can make changes to your schedule during the Drop/Add period, which will take place during the first two weeks of classes.

It is best to take your placement exams in June, not only because the material is fresh in your mind from high school, but also because the results of the exams will guide your course selections in July.

There is also a four-course registration website available to guide you in your course selections. This site features advising guidelines as well as advising videos done by long-time faculty advisors. Be sure to look this site over as you begin to plan your course schedule. The site will also link to the Faculty and Student Advising Handbook, which features information on building a program of study, academic resources, and the registration timeline. I will be writing to you with more information about this as we approach July.

Again, I’m very excited to serve as your class dean and to answer any questions that you might have at any point. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Welcome!

Best,

Dean Wood

Dear class of 2019,

I write to welcome you as your class dean! I look forward to meeting you when you arrive on campus and corresponding with you over the summer.

You might be wondering what a class dean actually does…

My most important function is to ensure your progress towards graduation. I have knowledge of resources on and off campus that will be helpful to your transition to college life and the Wesleyan community. With classmates, upper class students, staff and faculty from departments and offices on campus, we will coordinate and plan programs that are appropriate for first-year students. I will also be working closely with our class council to plan fun events for the class. In short, I am here both to celebrate your accomplishments and help you in moments of crisis.  I’m thrilled to be your class dean and I’m looking forward to coming to know all of you.

Best,

Dean Wood

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