ENGL 1131 FWS: Mastering College Reading and Writing
Course description
What does it mean to be a “good” reader or a “good” writer in college? In each section of this course, students receive extensive guidance from their instructors in the discovery and practice of helpful methods for fully exploring and appreciating what they read as well as guidance in planning, drafting, and writing essays about what is read and discussed in class. Each section of the course focuses on a particular topic drawn from a range of fields (e.g., literature, history, film, music). Reading assignments are limited in order to allow ample time for discussion and for personal attention to student writing.
In general, Cornell students are required to take two semesters of First-Year Writing Seminars. Also see your college requirements.
Summer 2025: Ithaca campus

Section ID: | ENGL 1131 101-SEM |
Number: | 1441 |
Topic: | Pre-Collegiate Writing Seminar: Educate to Liberate: A Survey of Radical Pedagogies |
Program: | Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program |
Session: | Summer 6-week |
Class dates: | June 23-August 1, 2025 |
Mode of instruction: | In person |
Days / times: | M-F 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM |
Location: | See the University Roster for class locations. NetID required. |
Final exam/project due: | Friday August 01, 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM (see Final exams) |
Credit: | 3 |
Grade: | Graded |
Instructor: | Martinez, Y. (ym463) |
Max. enroll: | 17 |
Restrictions: | Intended for students participating in the Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program |
To enroll: | See Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program for enrollment information. |
Summer 2025: Ithaca campus

Section ID: | ENGL 1131 102-SEM |
Number: | 1442 |
Topic: | Pre-Collegiate Writing Seminar: Writing Medicine: Stories of Illness and Healing |
Program: | Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program |
Session: | Summer 6-week |
Class dates: | June 23-August 1, 2025 |
Mode of instruction: | In person |
Days / times: | M-F 10 AM - 11:15 AM |
Location: | See the University Roster for class locations. NetID required. |
Final exam/project due: | Friday August 01, 10 AM - 11:15 AM (see Final exams) |
Credit: | 3 |
Grade: | Graded |
Instructor: | Adams, D. (da493) |
Max. enroll: | 17 |
Restrictions: | Intended for students participating in the Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program |
To enroll: | See Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program for enrollment information. |
Summer 2025: Ithaca campus

Section ID: | ENGL 1131 103-SEM |
Number: | 1443 |
Topic: | Pre-Collegiate Writing Seminar: The Language of Hatred in a Postracial World |
Program: | Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program |
Session: | Summer 6-week |
Class dates: | June 23-August 1, 2025 |
Mode of instruction: | In person |
Days / times: | M-F 10 AM - 11:15 AM |
Location: | See the University Roster for class locations. NetID required. |
Final exam/project due: | Friday August 01, 10 AM - 11:15 AM (see Final exams) |
Credit: | 3 |
Grade: | Graded |
Instructor: | Jefferis, S. (sbj3) |
Max. enroll: | 17 |
Restrictions: | Intended for students participating in the Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program |
To enroll: | See Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program for enrollment information. |
Summer 2025: Ithaca campus

Section ID: | ENGL 1131 104-SEM |
Number: | 1444 |
Topic: | Fairytales, Folktales, Witchcraft |
Session: | Summer 6-week |
Class dates: | June 23-August 1, 2025 |
Mode of instruction: | In person |
Days / times: | M-F 10 AM - 11:15 AM |
Location: | See the University Roster for class locations. NetID required. |
Final exam/project due: | Friday August 01, 10 AM - 11:15 AM (see Final exams) |
Credit: | 3 |
Grade: | Graded |
Instructor: | Mcquade, P. (pgm63) |
Max. enroll: | 17 |
Restrictions: | Precollege enrollment limited to: commuter students. |
Notes: | Snow White watched the wicked stepmother dance to death in red-hot iron slippers. Is this what we mean by 'happily ever after'? In this course, we will look at fairytale and folktale traditions and their lasting impact on cultures around the world, including Germany, Japan, and the African diaspora. Special attention will be given to the ways the figures from these stories, in particular the witch, form an important part of our immediate present. Materials include fairytales from the Brothers Grimm, writing from Angela Carter, Helen Oyeyemi, and Anne Sexton, and films such as The Song of the Sea and The Witch. |
To enroll: | Register now
This course is open to all registrants, including undergraduates and precollege students. |