University Of Washington W-Course Petition (Page 2 of 2) in pdf

University Of Washington W-Course Petition Page 2

W-Course Criteria

Requirement: 10-15 pages of graded, out-of-class, persuasive or expository writing, in

the form of a long paper with a required revision OR two or more short papers.

Guidelines

1. Papers may be graded by professors, instructors, TA’s, and/or readers.

2. The student should receive some feedback on writing; comments on papers should

not be restricted to content only.

3. Revisions do not count in the total number of pages of writing. Examples of typical

writing assignments in W courses:

one 10-15 page paper with a required revision

two similar 6-page papers

two short book reviews and one longer paper

4. Take-home exams do not count toward the 10-15 page total, unless the questions

require lengthy, essay-style answers; the student is given ample time for thoughtful

writing and revision; and exams are graded for writing (organization, clarity of

expression) as well as content.

5. Journals, annotated bibliographies, and creative writing do not count toward the 10-

15 page total.

Special arrangements

If a course does not meet W-course guidelines, the student may be able to make a

special arrangement with the professor to perform additional writing. The instructor will

then indicate on the grade report form submitted at the end of the quarter that the

student should receive a W for the course.

Questions?

Center for Undergraduate Advising, Diversity, and Student Success

141 Mary Gates Hall

206-543-2550

advice@uw.edu

May 2012

o:committeewcoursepetition.doc

University Of Washington W-Course Petition Page 2