About the Journal

First-Year Writing “equips students to grow as writers in the Wheaton College classroom and beyond. The course is designed to prepare students to write effectively in a variety of social contexts and to improve student learning and performance in many other facets of their undergraduate education.” At the end of the course, students present their work to one another at a student conference, and instructors award prizes for the best papers. The winners are chosen through a two-step process: instructors nominate students’ papers from their classes and then a panel of judges selects the best papers from the nominations. 

The Jameson Critical Essay Contest awards prizes for academic essays that engage their subjects from a distinctly Christian perspective. 

The E. Beatrice Batson Shakespeare Essay Contest is sponsored by the E. Beatrice Batson Shakespeare Society to recognize outstanding research papers about Shakespeare and Christianity written by Wheaton College undergraduates.