All first-year students at DePauw University enroll in a First-Year Seminar. These courses are taught by faculty across the curriculum and emphasize critical reading, discussion, and writing. FYS courses are a student's gateway to the writing program at DePauw. Each year, faculty are invited to nominate outstanding essays from their courses, and the Writing Curriculum Committee selects the best among these for inclusion in a printed anthology. Some are in-depth research projects, while others are personal responses and reflections, but all represent the broad range of topics addressed in the FYS program. Please note that class assignments may vary in expectations regarding citation.
Submissions from 2023
Understanding Piracy in the Period after the Signing of the Asiento, Ndubuokwu Chiamaka '27
Maturing through Chaos: Taylor Swift's Speak Now, Elise Crecelius '27
If Time Is Relative, Are Relatives Time?, Annabelle Esterline '27
Convince You I am Human, Saki Fukuda '27
Till Next Year, Rafael Ortiz '27
The Rise and Fall of Girolamo Savonarola, Neli Petric '27
A Harmonious Existence Beyond Amour-Propre, Chloe Pham '27
Our Light: Forster's 'Beloved Republic', Natalia Provenzano '27
Like a Moth to a Flame: Roger Fry’s Unwavering Desire to Become an Artist, Roee Sela '27
An All-Seeing Eye in The Crucible, My Tang '27
Peace and Quiet, Grace Thomas '27
Submissions from 2022
A Kaleidoscope of Home Through Macaroni Soup, Eliana Jolanda Alzate '26
Transmuting Grief: More Than One “Feat of Creation” in Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, Taylor Cripe '26
From Protestants to Protestors: Pierre Bayle’s Argument for Tolerance, Luca Gomez '26
The High Hat: Iconography in Miller’s Crossing, Anna Jager '26
Big House, More Power: The Role of Housing in Goodfellas, Krissy Kowalski '26
Vietglish - A Reluctant Acceptance of the Close-Minded Literate Society, Ngoc Hai Nguyen '26
Acknowledging Women's Efforts within the Whaling Industry, Elizabeth Ruff '26
Labor, Freedom, and Their Worth, Sanij Shrethsa '26
A Hidden Window: Love and Insecurity for Peter and Clive, Ian Smith '26
Natural Rights: Are They Protected or Restricted by Democracy?, Mac Smith '26
How to Effect Change Through Theatre, James Webb '26
Descartes’s Impact on Modern Education, Raj Yadav '26