This dissertation investigated how expansive framing can foster an inclusive and empowering learning environment for minoritized students in first-year seminars that focus on composition. This paper is especially important for those who teach and support minoritized students who often face crises of faith about belonging at primarily white institutions. After a synthesis of the literature in writing pedagogy, learning sciences, and student development, I provided a model of belonging for assessing how writing programs influence belonging among minoritized student populations. The study mixed qualitative and quantitative methodologies by incorporating student surveys and faculty interviews. Results of paired-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression using data from student surveys (n=251) were presented. Faculty interviews (n=11) were thematically analyzed, and themes were drawn pertaining to familiarity with expansive framing and faculty responsibility in engendering student belonging. The key findings were (1) a significant difference in minoritized students' sense of classroom belonging between the beginning and the end of the 16-week semester and (2) how faculty described their practices, informed by expansive framing, that promote minoritized students' sense of belonging. The study provided practical recommendations for instructors and institutions seeking to cultivate a sense of belonging for minoritized students in first-year seminars with composition. Ultimately, I suggested teaching with expansive framing in mind, that is, to position students as co-authors of knowledge and to frame content as things that are deeply connected beyond the composition 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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]