ucla essay writing ii courses reddit

General Catalog

• Undergraduate Courses

Entry-Level | Writing I  | Writing II/GE |  Upper-Division Electives | Professional Writing Minor

Entry-Level Writing Requirement Courses

English composition 1: introduction to university discourse.

English Composition 1 serves as an essential orientation for students who can benefit from intensive work in reading and responding to university-level texts. (4 non-degree units)

English Composition 1A: Intermediate Composition for Multilingual Students

This course enrolls multilingual writers whose command of academic English can benefit from intensive work on grammar, syntax and vocabulary. (4 units)

English Composition 1B: High-Intermediate Composition for Multilingual Students

This course serves multilingual writers who can benefit from intensive work in reading and responding to university-level texts. (4 units)

English Composition 2: Approaches to University Writing

English Composition 2 engages students in building foundational skills needed for university-level reading and writing tasks. This workshop-style course emphasizes argument, coherence and sentence-level clarity through the revision process. Students continue to build their academic writing skills when they progress to English Composition 3 with a C or better. (5 units)

English Composition 2i: Approaches to University Writing

English Composition 2i enrolls multilingual writers and engages them in building foundational skills needed for university-level reading and writing tasks. This workshop-style course emphasizes argument, coherence and sentence-level clarity through the revision process.  Students attend to the grammar and vocabulary of academic English and practice self-editing strategies. They continue to build their academic writing skills when they progress to English Composition 3 with a C or better. (5 units)

Writing I Requirement Courses

English composition 3: english composition, rhetoric and language.

This seminar-style course prepares students to write successfully at the University and beyond. Robust class discussions and challenging reading and writing assignments promote critical thinking, reading, and communication skills to help students succeed at UCLA and be engaged as campus and global citizens. A compelling class theme enables students to develop a strong academic voice, attend to rhetorical concerns, and analyze texts, including expository and creative works that may be in print, digital, visual, or musical form. English Composition 3 meets the College of Letters and Science Writing I requirement with a C or better. (5 units)

English Composition 3D: English Composition, Rhetoric and Language

This seminar-style course prepares students to write successfully at the University and beyond while satisfying the Diversity requirement. Robust class discussions and challenging reading and writing assignments focus in particular on issues of diversity and difference. The course promotes critical thinking, reading, and communication skills to help students succeed at UCLA and be engaged as campus and global citizens. A compelling class theme enables students to develop a strong academic voice, attend to rhetorical concerns, and analyze texts, including expository and creative works that may be in print, digital, visual, or musical form. English Composition 3D meets the College of Letters and Science Diversity requirement and the Writing I requirement with a C or better. (5 units)

English Composition 3DS: English Composition, Rhetoric and Language - Service Learning

This seminar-style course with a service-learning component prepares students to write successfully at the University and beyond while engaging with the Los Angeles community while satisfying the Diversity requirement. Students investigate difference and diversity through writing and rhetoric. In addition, their on-site work enables them to critically examine the structures and institutions that promote asymmetrical power relations as well as the responses of diverse groups to these inequalities. Service learning experiences in the community, robust class discussions and challenging reading and writing assignments promote critical thinking, reading, and communication skills to help students succeed at UCLA and be engaged as campus and global citizens. A compelling class theme enables students to develop a strong academic voice, attend to rhetorical concerns, and analyze texts, including expository and creative works that may be in print, digital, visual, or musical form. English Composition 3DS meets the College of Letters and Science Diversity requirement and the Writing I requirement with a C or better. (5 units)

English Composition 3SL: English Composition, Rhetoric and Language - Service Learning

This seminar-style course with a service-learning component prepares students to write successfully at the University and beyond while engaging with the Los Angeles community. On-site experiences, robust class discussions and challenging reading and writing assignments promote critical thinking, reading, and communication skills to help students succeed at UCLA and be engaged as campus and global citizens. A compelling class theme enables students to develop a strong academic voice, attend to rhetorical concerns, and analyze texts, including expository and creative works that may be in print, digital, visual, or musical form. English Composition 3SL meets the College of Letters and Science Writing I requirement with a C or better. (5 units)

English Composition 3E: English Composition, Rhetoric, and Language for Engineers

This seminar-style course focuses on rhetorical techniques and skillful expository writing. It prominently features the analysis of varieties of academic prose, including technical writing, and the integration of multimodal elements. Minimum of 20 pages of revised text. Completion of English Composition 3E with grade of C or better satisfies the Writing I requirement. (5 units)

Writing II and GE Courses

English composition 5w: literature, culture, and critical inquiry.

This course focuses on analysis of literary works within a cultural context to engage students in critical thinking and writing about issues important to academic inquiry and responsible citizenship. Instructors select themes that connect literary texts to larger areas of inquiry. This course encourages students to use writing as a vehicle to explore, as well as demonstrate knowledge of, subject matter. Students who complete this course with a grade of C or better will satisfy the Writing II requirement and earn GE credit under the Literary and Cultural Analysis subset of the Arts and Humanities rubric. (5 units)

English Composition 6W: Language, Culture, and Discourse

This course focuses on the structure and use of English and how it reflects social structure and cultural values. The reading and writing assignments that involve linguistic and socio-linguistic analysis encourage students to use writing as a vehicle to explore, as well as demonstrate knowledge of, subject matter. Students who complete this course with a grade of C or better will satisfy the Writing II requirement and earn GE credit under the Philosophical and Linguistic Analysis rubric. (5 units)

English Composition 100W: Interdisciplinary Academic Writing

English Composition 100W uses a broadly defined theme to help students explore how issues/problems can be explored and presented from varied disciplinary perspectives at the University. Students typically write a research paper on an issue raised in the readings and discussion using an approach that relates to their own discipline. Transfer students often find this course helpful as they transition from community college to UCLA. This course earns Writing II credit. (5 units)

English Composition 100WD: Interdisciplinary Academic Writing

English Composition 100WD is a course in academic writing suitable for both lower- and upper-division students that helps them develop academic papers with range of complexity and length. It focuses on conventions of academic prose and genres across disciplines. Written assignments include common forms of academic writing such as argument, research paper, and/or critical essay. Students will investigate difference and diversity through writing and rhetoric. They will critically examine structures and institutions that promote asymmetrical power relations, as well as responses of diverse groups to these inequalities. Students will perform original argumentation that engages with difference and response to complexities of diverse societies. This course earns Writing II credit. (5 units)

Upper-Division Electives

Esl 103: pronunciation for multilingual students.

This course provides an in-depth understanding of the sound system of English applied to the improvement of a student’s own pronunciation. Individualized feedback is provided through frequent recording assignments and on-line pronunciation resources. (4 units)

ESL 104: Public Speaking for Multilingual Students

This course focuses on making presentations in academic and professional settings and is designed for students who are preparing for graduate school, job interviews, and/or a career. (4 units)

ESL 105: Advanced Grammar and Style for Multilingual Students

This course is designed for students who have completed their ESL writing requirement, but would like to strengthen their ability to self-edit their writing for syntactic accuracy and stylistic variety. (4 units)

ESL 107: Academic Reading and Vocabulary for Multilingual Students

This course provides instruction in and practice of academic reading skills using academic texts. The focus is on improving reading rate and comprehension, expanding academic vocabulary, and developing critical reading skills. (4 units)

English Composition 175: Apprenticeship in Composition Tutoring

This course provides composition Peer Learning Facilitators (PLFs) who work in the Undergraduate Writing Center or on other campus writing initiatives with ongoing mentoring in composition and peer learning methodologies. The course includes an overview of the language, writing and literacy needs of diverse college-aged writers, including developing writers, multilingual writers, and non-native English speaking writers. It provides an opportunity to reflect critically on practical and theoretical frameworks for best-practice tutoring. (2 units, S/U grading)

Professional Writing Minor Courses

English composition 130a: professional writing: digital writing and web literacy.

Emphasis on writing for digital environments such as websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media. Common professional settings for these skills include journalism, political campaigns, Internet marketing, and corporate communication. (5 units)

English Composition 130B: Professional Writing: Business and Entrepreneurship

Emphasis on developing written, oral, and visual communication skills for entrepreneurial settings. Common tasks include pitching an idea, seeking funding for a startup, and promoting a product or service. (5 units)

English Composition 130C: Professional Writing: Science and Technology

Emphasis on communicating complex technical concepts and scientific research findings in a clear and accessible way to non-specialist audiences. (5 units)

English Composition 130D: Professional Writing: Non-Profits and Public Engagement

Development of the ability to write persuasively and effectively in the nonprofit and public sectors. Writing genres include mission and vision statements, grant proposals, public service announcements, and outreach campaigns. (5 units)

English Composition 130E: Professional Writing: Arts and Entertainment

Emphasis on the ability to write about creative material and performances in fields such as film, TV, theater, music, art/design, podcasts, and video games. Writing genres include critical reviews, recaps, promotional materials, treatments, and profiles. (5 units)

English Composition 131A: Specialized Writing: Law and Politics

This course will increase students’ capacity to think analytically and write compelling legal documents. It will emphasize students’ capacity to read legal texts, organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills to write (and argue) persuasively in a legal context. Writing genres may include law office memos, case studies, contracts, appellate briefs, advocacy letters, and pleadings. (4 units)

English Composition 131C: Specialized Writing: Medicine and Public Health

Advanced writing course designed to help students develop stylistic, formal, and argumentative sophistication in various rhetorical contexts, including different sections that emphasize rhetorical values of major professions and research areas. (4 units)

English Composition 132: Variable Topics in Rhetoric and Writing

Study of specific topics in relationship between rhetoric/writing and social or political history. (5 units)

English Composition 133: Topics in Writing for Multimedia Environments

Special topics course in professional writing exploring current developments, issues or debates within the art, entertainment, social media, or video game industries. (5 units)

English Composition 134: Topics in Science Writing

Special topics course in professional writing exploring current issues, developments or debates within a specific field of science or technology. (5 units)

English Composition 136: Practical Writing and Editing

Focus on developing grammatical precision and rhetorical range in professional writing combined with experience proofreading and editing one’s own writing as well as that of others. (5 units)

English Composition 137: Writing for Public Speaking

Emphasis on careful preparation, rehearsal, and delivery of professional presentations including the design of effective visuals in a variety of multimodal forms. Student performances recorded for extensive self, peer, and instructor feedback. (5 units)

English Composition M138: Topics in Creative Writing: Creative Non-Fiction

Introductory workshop in writing creative non-fiction. May not be used to satisfy workshop requirements for English creative writing concentration. (5 units)

English Composition 195: Community or Corporate Internships in English Composition

Internship in supervised setting in community agency or business. Students meet on regular basis with instructor and provide periodic reports of their experience. (4 units)

English Composition 199: Directed Research or Senior Project in English Composition

English Composition 199 is a tutorial course in which supervised individual research or investigation is performed under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Throughout the quarter, students will work toward the completion of a required culminating paper or project. (2-4 units)

• Archived Spotlight Posts
• Student Testimonials
• Open Positions
• Program Leadership
• Undergraduate Writing Center
• Undergraduate Writing Requirements
• Professional Writing Minor
• Undergraduate Course Learning Objectives
• Undergraduate Writing Awards
• Non-UCLA International Students
• Enrollment for Spring 2024 in English Comp 3/3D for Cluster Students
• English Language Requirements & Resources for International Graduate Students
• TA Training
• Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy
• Graduate Writing Center
• Academic Year ESL
• Summer ESL Program
• UCLA’s Informed Placement Process (IPP)
• English as a Second Language Placement Exam (ESLPE)
• TOP Exam Schedule & Registration
• Campus Partners
• Community-Engaged Writing Courses
• Writing Summer Institute for High School Students
• Get Involved

Undergraduate Programs Professional Writing Minor

Requirements.

• Course Descriptions
• How to Apply
• Spring 2024 Courses

Requirements for the Professional Writing Minor

Students seeking to declare the minor in Professional Writing must: (1) be in good academic standing (overall grade-point average of C or better); (2) have satisfied the Writing II requirement; and (3) submit a brief essay of application. Students will be asked to submit a copy of their transcripts for verification, to respond in an essay of 500 words to questions about why they want to enroll in this minor and what they hope to gain from it professionally, and to submit one writing sample that they feel represents their best work in college so far (a paper of 1000 words or less, written for a class that is NOT a freshman composition class).

Prerequisite: One Writing II course or its equivalent.

Six Upper Division Courses:

One Professional Writing Core course:

• ENGCOMP 130A: Professional Writing: Digital Writing and Web Literacy
• ENGCOMP 130B: Professional Writing: Business and Entrepreneurship
• ENGCOMP 130C: Professional Writing: Science and Technology
• ENGCOMP 130D: Professional Writing: Non-Profits and Public Engagement
• ENGCOMP 130E: Professional Writing: Arts and Entertainment

Two Professional Writing electives from the English Department or Writing Programs:

• ENGL 110A: Writing in English Major: Analytical
• ENGL 110C: Writing in English Major: Public Readers, Public Writers
• ENGL 110E: Writing in the English Major: Advanced Essay
• ENGL 110P: Writing in the English Major: Pre-Professional Portfolio
• ENGL 110V: Writing in English Major: Variable Topics in Professional Writing
• ENGL M138/ENGCOMP M138: Topics in Creative Writing: Creative Non-Fiction**
• ENGL M191P: Careers in the Humanities
• ENGCOMP 131A: Specialized Writing: Law and Politics
• ENGCOMP 131C: Specialized Writing: Medicine and Public Health
• ENGCOMP 131D: Specialized Writing: Media and Communications
• ENGCOMP 132D: Topics in Rhetoric and Writing: Variable Topics
• ENGCOMP 133: Topics in Writing for Multimedia Environments
• ENGCOMP 134: Topics in Science Writing
• ENGCOMP 136: Practical Writing and Editing
• ENGCOMP 137: Writing for Public Speaking

**ENGL/ENG COMP M138 must be on an approved non-fiction topic.

One approved elective from other departments across campus (see table here ).

One additional upper-division course from any of the above 3 categories (Core, English/English Composition elective, or campus elective).

One writing capstone course, cumulative portfolio course, or internship course**:

• ENGL 195CE: Community and Corporate Internships in English
• ENGL 197: Individual Studies in English
• ENGL 199: Directed Research or Senior Project in English
• ENGL/ENGCOMP M185: Professional Writing Capstone

**To learn more about capstone options, please attend one of our capstone info sessions for declared minors. You can review the PWM Fall 22 Capstone Info Session here.

Alternative courses for any of the above categories may be considered for credit by petition.

Transfer students may petition for credit for courses completed at other prior college-level institutions.

Propose a Writing II Course

Process for proposing a writing ii course.

Departments interested in submitting a course for Writing II credit should:

• Read the Writing II Committee’s  Guidelines and Recommendations for Writing II Courses
• how writing assignments will be used to introduce students to your discipline’s principal concerns, various genres, and modes of discourse;
• the different kinds of writing assignments to be completed in the course of the quarter (or year if a cluster); their length; and opportunities that students will have to revise their written work;
• the percentage of the final grade that is linked to the course’s writing assignments.
• Prepare a  Writing II Course Proposal Information Sheet  and attach this to your course syllabus with a PDF of the Course Inventory Management System (CIMS) submission.
• Instructors interested in creating a Writing II course or modifying an existing course into a Writing II course should work with Writing Programs to develop their syllabus prior to submitting their proposal. Please contact Maja Manojlovic  for support developing or revising your syllabus.

The Review Process

• The review process includes collaboration between instructors and the Writing II Committee, so please note that approval of Writing II courses may take up to two quarters .
• The Writing II Committee review process is separate from the Registrar’s Office Schedule of Classes Production Deadlines. Please consider the varying timeframes when planning the quarter of your course offering.

Submitting a proposal

• Address your course proposal materials to the Chair of the Writing II Committee. Proposals may be submitted electronically to Jen Hirashiki ( [email protected] ). Once your proposal is received, it will be distributed to the members of the Writing II Committee for review.

Collegium of Undergraduate Teaching Fellowships

• The Writing II committee recognizes that graduate students may seek experience teaching writing courses. While CUTF courses are eligible for Writing II credit approval, please note two matters of timing. First, the Writing II approval process can take upwards of two to three quarters and is not guaranteed. Second, instructors of Writing II courses must complete English Composition 495E (or English Composition 495M and N in the Clusters training program) prior to teaching the approved course, and then enroll in English Composition 495F simultaneously with the approved course.

PROPOSAL DEADLINES