English Composition
There are many differents composition courses that will fulfill your English Composition Requirement. All are 5-credit courses. Some are linked to other courses, and the papers you write in the English Composition course are the papers required by the companion course. Because the vast majority of college courses require writing, you should plan to complete this requirement during your freshman year.
Approved courses
| Course | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C LIT 240 | WRITING IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE | |
| CMS 240 | Writing In Cinema And Media Studies | |
| ENGL 109-110 | INTRODUCTORY COMPOSITION | ENGL 109-110 (previously 104-105) is a 10-credit equivalent of the 5-credit ENGL 131 open to EOP students only. You must complete both courses to receive credit. The sequence counts as only 5 credits toward the English composition or additional writing requirement; the other 5 credits count as elective credit. |
| ENGL 111 | COMPOSITION: LITERATURE | |
| ENGL 121 | COMPOSITION: SOCIAL ISSUES | Service-learning component is required |
| ENGL 131 | COMPOSITION: EXPOSITION | |
| ENGL 182 | MULTIMODAL COMPOSITION | Study and practice of strategies/skills for effective writing/argument in various situations, disciplines, genres; explicit focus on how multimodal elements of writing—words, images, sound, design, etc.—work together to produce meaning. Cannot be taken if student already received a 2.0 or higher in ENGL 111, 121, or 131. |
| ENGL 197 | INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING/HUMANITIES | linked with a VLPA class |
| ENGL 198 | INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING/SOCIAL SCIENCE | linked with an I&S class |
| ENGL 199 | INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING/NATURAL SCIENCE | linked with a NW class |
| ENGL 281 | INTERMEDIATE EXPOSITORY WRITING | |
| ENGL 282 | INTERMEDIATE MULTIMODAL COMPOSITION | |
| ENGL 288 | Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing | |
| ENGL 297 | INTERMEDIATE INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING - HUMANITIES | linked with a VLPA class |
| ENGL 298 | INTERMEDIATE INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING - SOCIAL SCIENCES | linked with an I&S class |
| ENGL 299 | INTERMEDIATE INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING - NATURAL SCIENCES | linked with a NW class |
| ENGL 381 | ADVANCED EXPOSITORY WRITING | |
| ENGL 382 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN MULTIMODAL COMPOSITION | |
| HONORS 205 | WHAT WE KNOW AND HOW WE KNOW IT | |
| HONORS 345 | INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING SEMINAR |
Grade required
Most colleges and schools require you to have at least a 2.00 in your English Composition course, including the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of the Environment, the Information School, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the School of Social Work. The course may not be taken with the satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) grading option. There are some exceptions for transfer students.
Placement
The UW does not have a placement test for English Composition. The 100-level composition courses listed above are all at the same level; ENGL 198, for example, is not a more advanced course than ENGL 131. The courses vary in topic and in approach to writing instruction. Consult the Course Descriptions or an adviser for more information.
No overlap
The course you use to satisfy the English Composition requirement does not also count toward the additional writing requirement. Nor do any of the courses listed above count toward the Areas of Knowledge requirement. Your English Composition course may count toward your major, but this is rare.
AP and IB
The UW grants general elective credit for AP and IB English
For transfer students
English Composition courses that transfer as at least 4.5 credits may be used to satisfy this requirement and should be marked "C" on your transfer evaluation. You can also combine two 3-credit English Composition courses. If you completed an English Composition course that didn't transfer as one of the courses listed below, and is not marked "C," consult an adviser.
If you took your English Composition course(s) pass/fail at another college before you were a UW student, you are allowed to count it toward the requirement. Also, if the course was available only on a non-graded basis, you are allowed to count it toward the requirement no matter when you completed it.
You can check the UW Equivalency Guide for Washington Community and Technical Colleges to determine which courses from Washington community colleges count toward the UW's English Composition requirement; they are marked in the lists with a "C."
For postbaccalaureate students
Postbaccalaureate students are not required to complete the English Composition requirement.
Registration restrictions
Students with composition (“C”) credit in English 111, 121, or 131 (i.e. students who receive a grade of 2.0 or higher in any of these courses) are prevented from enrolling in a second course in this series.
In exceptional cases, students will be able to petition the English department for permission to register for a second 111, 121, or 131 course. Students who have successfully completed ENGL 109/110 or any of the Interdisciplinary Writing Program courses (ENGL 197, 198, 199) will not be similarly restricted from enrolling in ENGL 111, 121, or 131.
Transfer students who have 10 or more credits of courses deemed equivalent to ENGL 111, 121, or 131 will not lose credit as a result of this policy.