All students majoring in disciplines in the College of Arts and Humanities are required to satisfy the requirements for Discipline Specific Writing (DSW) to graduate.
DSW Requirements
- The student must take at least two 3000/4000-level W courses (courses approved as writing intensive courses and marked in the semester bulletin with a W) for a total of 6 hours. At least 3 hours must be in the major. Some academic programs may restrict the disciplines in which the other 3 hours may be taken.
- ENGL 1101 and 1102 (or the equivalent of) are prerequisite to all W courses.
- All W courses must require (a) at least one Writing-to-Communicate assignment that includes an iterative (draft-revision) process, and (b) a minimum of 4,000 words across all writing assignments, not including revisions. Some W courses may also include one or more Writing-to-Learn assignments.
The Certificate Option
Students can declare to double the basic DSW requirements, carrying 12 W hours and receive
- a Discipline Specific Writing certificate, and
- transcript notation of this accomplishment.