Through using the framework of sociocultural theory, this study examined the ways in which students were initiated into an academic discourse community at a public college through the required courses of first year composition (FYC). The purpose of the study was to see how instructors assisted students to become part of the academic discourse community through learning to write at the proficiency level required at the college, and it was motivated by the following research question: How do writing instructors of the entry-level writing requirement within FYC describe and implement the initiation of their students into the broader academic discourse community at a public college campus? The participants in this study were three entry-level writing instructors. By using a qualitative research design, the study used interviews and observations with classroom instructors as well as artifacts (e.g., worksheets) that yielded two main findings: first, unanticipated findings revealed that the graduate school initiation process the instructors went through could influence how they then set up the initiation process for their students; second, the instructors indicated a strong commitment supporting students in meeting expectations of academic writing and pursued this through sociocultural activities in the classroom. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]