HISTORY OF THE UC ENTRY-LEVEL WRITING REQUIREMENT

More than a century ago, the University of California first defined the competence designated as the Entry-Level Writing Requirement (called, until 2004, the Subject A requirement). In the list of admissions requirements in the 1897-98 “Register,” Subject A (then called Oral and Written Expression) was defined as the ability to use English "correctly, clearly, and pertinently on all the lines upon which . . . thought is exercised."

From the University's earliest days, competence in the ELWR was understood to be the result of regular reading and writing assignments in all subjects, not just in English. In 1919, satisfaction of the ELWR was changed from an admissions requirement to a prerequisite for enrollment in many courses that require substantial writing, including courses in freshman composition.

University of California composition courses are designed to help students write effectively in other University courses and later in their professional lives. University writing demands the ability to read carefully, to analyze what is read, and to draw conclusions about those data for both general and expert audiences.

As a result, freshman composition courses at the University require students to read and understand extended and often difficult texts, sometimes literary but often not, and to write substantial essays -- usually longer than 1,000 words -- about issues raised in those texts. Freshman composition courses focus on helping students develop the command of argumentative strategies and the control of voice that will enable them to present their ideas cogently and persuasively.