First Year Requirements

To address the collective concern about students’ writing abilities across the disciplines, the Writing Program has provided some resources and readings to help teach, assign, and grade student writing. These readings range in length and depth, so summaries are provided for quick access.


Educational Objectives of the C Requirement & Specific Goals of C1 & C2

  • Covers the expectations of the the C Requirement and what C1 and C2 cover in terms of goals as well as specific writing guidelines
  • C1 – students go from using formula-driven writing strategies to implementing rhetorical principles more fitting of academic and professional settings
  • C2 – Builds on the knowledge gained from C1 by adding the element of independent research
  • Good read for: instructors who want to see what the baseline requirement for writing at UCSC is

WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition

  • Identifies outcomes for first-year college writing courses in the US, which include rhetorical knowledge, critical read/thinking/composing, processes, and knowledge of conventions
  • Takeaways:
  • “Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn:
  • The reasons behind conventions of usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and citation systems in their fields or disciplines
  • Strategies for controlling conventions in their fields or disciplines
  • Factors that influence the ways work is designed, documented, and disseminated in their fields
  • Ways to make informed decisions about intellectual property issues connected to common genres and modalities in their fields”
  •  Good read for: instructors who want to know how to build on first year knowledge