LSA created the Upper-Level Writing Requirement (ULWR) based upon the assumption that the best way to master disciplinary knowledge is to express that knowledge in the form of clear and incisive writing. The goal of the ULWR is to teach students to:

• logically organize their thoughts into writing;
• use clear and concise language;
• analyze information masterfully;
• incorporate appropriate evidence into their analyses; and
• understand the central concepts, approaches, materials and written conventions in their chosen discipline.

Over the course of the semester, 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 a great deal of feedback on their writing from their ULWR instructor and are expected to revise much of their work throughout the term.

The Sweetland Writing Center approves LSA departmental curricular offerings that satisfy the ULWR. Students can find a list of approved ULWR courses for a particular semester by selecting the advanced search function in the online LSA Course Guide and then selecting "upper-level writing" under "Other Requirements/Groupings." A course approved to meet the requirement one semester is not necessarily approved to meet the requirement in subsequent semesters. Students should select one of these approved courses to satisfy this requirement any time after completing the First-Year Writing Requirement. Students who receive a course grade of C- or better in a Sweetland-approved course have satisfied the ULWR.

Special Arrangements

Students who:

• are completing an honors thesis and wish it to count toward their ULWR can fill out an Honors Thesis Intent Form and submit it to the Honors Office, 1330 Mason Hall.
• took and received a C- or better in a Sweetland-approved ULWR course during a previous term but are not listed as having completed their ULWR can fill out a Retroactive Grade Report and submit it to Teri Ford, 1139 Angell Hall.
• have a minimum of 100 completed credits and want to take a non-approved course to fulfill their ULWR can consult with an instructor, fill out an Individual Arrangement Petition, and submit it to Teri Ford, 1139 Angell Hall. Petitions are due one week before the drop/add deadline of the semester in which the student wishes to elect the course and must be approved by Sweetland Administators for the course to count toward the student's ULWR.