University Writing Program

Students

WAC, or "W," courses provide students with an opportunity not only to receive course credit in the discipline of the class, but also - if they earn a grade of C or higher - to satisfy the third quarter English 1C breadth requirement.

Prerequisite: English 1B.

• A typical “W” course includes three to four mandatory, assignment-specific workshops per quarter, each requiring a completed "ticket in" assignment.
• Students in “W” courses can see a WAC tutor who is embedded in the class and so fully aware of course assignments and expectations.
• Students interested in enrolling in a “W” course should consult with their advisors to decide when the WAC course should be taken.

Faculty

The WAC Program:

• Covers the cost of approximately half of the discussion TAs in large "W" courses with the proviso that the participating departments keep the student/TA ratios at or below 50:1.
• Organizes mandatory WAC writing seminars that meet with all students enrolled in "W" courses.  These writing seminars meet three to four times a quarter to address the demands of specific "W"-course writing assignments.
• Requires mandatory TA training for all "W"-course discussion TAs, who must meet weekly with the WAC coordinator and the UWP director in course-specific groups.  Those weekly meetings focus on unpacking the writing assignments, giving productive feedback to students, organizing effective discussion sections, targeting the WAC workshops for maximum impact, and so on.  

Faculty with an interest in developing a writing-intensive course should contact:
WAC Coordinator and UWP Associate Director, Raymund Papica.