The FS program represents a first opportunity to achieve the educational objectives specified in the Allegheny College mission statement:
Educated persons can read critically, analyze their own and others' thoughts in logical fashion, organize and synthesize ideas into coherent bodies of thought, and write and speak clearly and effectively.
Although students will typically have different instructors for their FS courses, the three courses—FS 101 Academic Discourse I, FS 102 Academic Discourse II, and FS 201 Communication in a Discipline—form a continuum that moves from general to discipline-specific communication. In conjunction with the Junior Seminar and Senior Project, the FS courses prepare students to communicate complex technical ideas and arguments effectively to a variety of audiences in written and spoken form. All FS courses emphasize attention to audience and the importance of understanding conventions of communication within a particular context. In addition, FS 101 serves as critical component of the college's advising program for the first two years, with the section instructor serving as a student's academic advisor.
Descriptions and curricular objectives for specific courses can be found in the College catalogue and the faculty resource site.
