Welcome to Colorado College's First-Year Program! We are delighted to have you join us in teaching either CC100 (Critical Inquiry Seminar) or CC120 (First-Year Writing Seminar). These courses are integral to our students' success and play a crucial role in their transition to college life.

Why the CC100 and CC120?

Most students enter college without a clear understanding of the nature of academic disciplines and how they shape the culture of learning on campus, nor how disciplines connect to a liberal arts education. The FYP is designed to address this need directly. By focusing on building student’s disciplinary literacy, we aim to enhance students' understanding of the college learning environment and foster strong relationships with faculty.

Learning Goals of the Program

The primary goals of CC100 and CC120 are to develop students’ disciplinary literacy. In CC100, students learn that disciplines approach problems from diverse perspectives, shaping the outcomes of inquiry and the classroom experience. CC120 focuses on how writing functions to create and communicate knowledge across different disciplines. By the end of these courses, students should have a solid foundation in understanding the culture of learning at Colorado College and be better prepared to navigate the curriculum successfully.

How It Works

The CC100 is an exploration of the nature of academic disciplines. Each course is built around a central topic or problem, which is investigated by the discipline or interdisciplines of the course. In these courses, students have the opportunity to experience how disciplines construct knowledge or understand, and reflect on how and why they function in a particular way.

All CC100s are grouped into larger “clusters” of 3-5 courses that approach a common theme from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Courses in a cluster are required to meet 1-2 times per block in “convergence experiences” where students interact with one another to understand how the various disciplines in the cluster approach the theme from different perspectives.

CC120s build on the outcomes of the CC100 to explore how writing functions to create and communicate academic knowledge. CC120s focus on the process of writing, bringing opportunities for reflection on the writing process, peer review, and collaborative writing into the course.

Requirements of all Courses

To ensure a cohesive and supportive experience for our first-year students, we ask that all faculty members teaching CC100 and CC120 adhere to the following requirements:

New FYP faculty should attend FYP faculty orientation in block 7 to familiarize themselves with the program, its core pedagogies, and its learning goals.
Both CC100 and CC120 faculty meet together with their students in New Student Orientation to welcome them, introduce their course, and discuss academic life at the College.
Allow a one-hour Academic Support Orientation led by academic support professionals in each section of your course.
For CC100 faculty, participate in 1-2 "convergence" experiences with your course cluster, where you engage with faculty and students from other disciplines within your theme.

We believe that by providing our students with a strong foundation in disciplinary literacy and writing skills, we can set them up for long-term success at Colorado College and beyond. Your role as a faculty member in this program is crucial, and we appreciate your commitment to our students' growth and development.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to working with you.

All the best,

The First-Year Program Team