Files
Abstract
This paper combines Jungian and transfer theories to propose a new curriculum designed to improve first-year composition (FYC). FYC aims to help students develop writing skills they can transfer across contexts, prompting many scholars to explore FYC curriculum through a pedagogical lens. Grounded in the work of transfer theorists David Perkins and Gavriel Salomon, the Teaching for Transfer (TFT) curriculum, introduced by Kathleen Blake Yancey et al. in 2014, has been widely adopted in FYC classrooms. Yet, questions about its accessibility and engagement persist, leading some scholars to advocate for scaling back the TFT curriculum and others to integrate new elements, like video games and service-learning projects. This paper takes a holistic approach to FYC curriculum by merging Yancey et al.'s TFT curriculum with Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson's twelve brand archetypes, which are grounded in the work of Carl Jung. When paired with core TFT components, including key terms, reflection, and analysis, the universality and symbolic nature of the archetypes make a strong case for increased accessibility, engagement, critical thinking, and knowledge transfer. Using a curricular design methodology, this paper addresses the practical application and efficacy of a rhetorical-archetypal approach to FYC curriculum, with the goal of providing a useful resource for FYC instructors across settings.