The Project

Create your own manual to Warren Wilson College, a how-to (or survival) guide covering some of the college topics we consider in First-Year Seminar and, importantly, those other topics you think an incoming student needs to understand.

Background

Every culture has its secret knowledge. And part of joining a community like Warren Wilson College is finding your own way and coming to your own understanding of various aspects of college life at WWC. Still, Wilson seems to be a place that has an extensive trove of secrets. Your Warren Wilson How-To Manual aims to reveal and explain those things you wish you had known when you arrived—and it may well choose to leave some things secret, too.

In considering creating such a book, you'll recall that versions of such a guide exist in several forms:

Your book may take some hints from these, but I want you to create the singular book that you could give to a person like yourself. Even though you will all have some common topics that I'll ask you to cover, your angle on each of them will inevitably be different, and the other topics your cover will be your choice.

Project Specfics

Even though this project isn't due until the end of the semester, to be successful you need to be collecting information and considering topics throughout the fall. In particular, you'll rely on our several FY Common Sessions to give you an initial understanding of various parts of the College, although you'll likely suppplement what you learn those days with additional experiences you gather during the semester. Use your Notebook to collect this information as well as your ideas for additional topics.

Your manual must include something on each of these topics:

  • Community
  • Work
  • Service
  • Wellness
  • The Writing Center
  • The Library
  • Making Choices and Planning

Beyond that, you should also include at least 4 topics of your own choosing.

Also create and include:

  • An Introduction
  • A Table of Contents and/or and Index
  • An "About the Author" blurb

You are free to organize the book however you want and to allocate space however you choose (keeping in mind that your book has 28 pages).

My evaluation will be based on the thoroughness and detail of your presented material; the clarity of your organization; any ingenuity in your presentation; your awareness of audience.

Work-in-Progress Workshops: Bring your book—in whatever form of completion along with the raw materials of your Notebook to class on Monday, October 10th and Monday, November 21st for a sharing of strategies workshop on this project.

Showcase of complete books: Bring your completed book on the Monday, December 12th.