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Upper-Level Writing Requirement


The goal of the Upper-Level Writing Requirement (ULWR) is to teach students to recognize and practice the range of writing activities and forms typical of academic and professional contexts.

Students should satisfy the First-Year Writing Requirement (FYWR) before electing one of the courses approved to satisfy the ULWR. A designated course completed with a minimum C– grade is required in order to satisfy the ULWR.

Overall ULWR learning goals for students are as follows:

  • build on skills and strategies developed in first-year writing courses;
  • produce complex, analytical evidence-based arguments that address specific audiences;
  • refine their ability to write effectively both within and beyond specific disciplines;
  • use feedback to improve their writing through revision; and
  • demonstrate familiarity with the genres and conventions characteristic of effective writing.

Over the course of the term, students will complete several writing assignments that are related to course content and intended to help students practice the rhetoric of their specific discipline. Possible assignments may include journals, research papers, critical analyses, and/or lab reports. Students will receive feedback on their writing from their ULWR instructor and are expected to revise much of their work throughout the term.

Upper-Level Writing Requirement courses offered for a particular term can be found in the LSA Course Guide by using the “Skills Req” drop-down menu and selecting “Upper-Level Writing (ULWR)”.  A course approved to meet the requirement one term is not necessarily approved to meet the requirement in subsequent terms.