Writing 1: Approaches to University Writing
Winter 2026

Writing 1 welcomes students into the university, acclimates them to the academic community, and bolsters their writing, reading, and critical thinking skills. Students read, discuss, and write about university-level texts, analyzing underlying assumptions and points of view, drawing inferences, and offering interpretations. The course emphasizes the writing process (e.g. invention, drafting, revision, editing), rhetorical concerns (purpose, audience, tone, organization, development, coherence), digital literacy (finding, evaluating, and effectively incorporating sources), and mechanics (punctuation, grammar, usage). This introductory writing course, which satisfies the Entry Level Writing Requirement (https://writing.ucsb.edu/academics/undergrad/elwr) , develops the strategies and intellectual activities necessary to achieve proficiency in future writing classes and enables students to enter Writing 2 as well as courses across the curriculum.

Open to students who have not satisfied the Entry Level Writing Requirement (https://writing.ucsb.edu/academics/undergrad/elwr) .

Not open for credit to students who have completed English 1 or Writing 1E, or 1LK.

Student Learning Outcomes

After completing Writing 1, students should be able to:

• Apply strategies for actively engaging with university-level texts by analyzing underlying assumptions and points of view, drawing inferences, and offering interpretations
• Create academic compositions that demonstrate active engagement with the texts and ideas of others
• Enact a writing process that involves inventing, drafting, organizing, revising, editing, and proofreading
• Apply rhetorical considerations of audience, purpose, context, organization, and coherence to your writing
• Practice with conventions of standardized written English
• Understand academic writing as an inherently collaborative process; practice such collaboration through ongoing group work and incorporation of gathered sources
• Develop your own voice and style as an academic writer
• Understand and practice multimodal writing that integrates visual, spatial, and linguistic practices in a variety of mediums
• Apply metacognitive awareness of your writing process to facilitate your development as a writer

Attendance Policies:

• Attend each class, arriving on time and staying for the full period
• Miss no more than 3 class sessions
• On the 4th absence, your grade will drop by one grade increment (ex: an A becomes an A-)
• Students who miss 6 class periods or more cannot pass the course
• 4 late arrivals or early departures from class will be counted as an absence
• There is no differentiation between “excused” & “unexcused” absences
• However, if you are sick, please do not come to class. If you are sick for an extended period of time, I will work with you to see what alternate arrangements we can make.
• You are still responsible for all content missed during an absence
• Please contact me in advance if you know you will be absent, or as soon as you are able if you are unexpectedly prevented from coming to class. I will work with you as much as possible, as long as you are frequently and proactively communicating with me.

Individual Participation: Demonstrate active engagement, including

Group Work: A portion of most classes will be dedicated to group work. This will entail actively collaborating with other students in the class. Students are expected to contribute meaningfully to group discussions, actively engage in group activities, and treat other group members with respect.

In-Class Writing: Expect to engage in informal writing each class, including:

Conduct: Uphold a community of inclusion and respect, treat others as you would like to be treated, listen when others speak, keep an open mind.

Use of Technology: Please put your phone away during class and use your devices only for class-related activities. Misuse of your device will directly impact your participation grade in this class. More importantly, device-distraction will impede your ability to focus, absorb information, and contribute to class discussions.

Reading & Response Writing - 15%

Writing Projects - 50%

You will write two major Writing Projects (WPs), each worth 25% of your grade. Each WP will be broken into several "Project Builders" (smaller scaffolding assignments) designed to help you organize your time and prepare for the Final Submission. While each WP has specific criteria and Project Builders, your grade for each essay will include:

Working Draft: A full draft that is coherent and readable. You will receive credit for full completion and feedback through Peer mReview. Working Drafts must include citations and Works Cited entries for all quoted/paraphrased/consulted material.

Peer Review: A dedicated class period for peer-to-peer revision workshopping. Peer Review provides an opportunity to receive essay feedback, to view other students' writing, and to develop strategies for self-revision through learning to edit the work of others. It's important for you to be present on these dates. If you are absent on a Peer Review day, you will miss out on feedback and be assigned additional work to complete.

Note: Contributing to Peer Review is an integral component of this course. As such, students can make up points for only one missed Peer Review. If a student misses the second Peer Review session, no make up points will be available.

Final Submission: A full and complete submission that shows creativity, attention to detail, and revision. You will receive feedback mfrom me on this draft.

Google Doc Policy:

Any submission that is not constructed in and submitted as a Google Doc will not be graded (you may be asked to re-submit for late credit; if you cannot provide an original document with a version history, you will receive a zero on the assignment). 

Google doc will demonstrate a version history from beginning to end and will not include blocks of copy and pasted text (other than the occasional quote which has been cited). All assignments that require you to write from start to finish in a Google doc will be noted in the prompt.

Metacognitive Reflections (15%)

Throughout this course, you will write several "metacognitive reflections" (writing that requires you to think through your own learning style, strengths and goals as a writer, participation, etc.) These reflections essentially ask you to take an active part in your own learning, critically assessing your own successes and potential setbacks as a student. These reflections will include:

• First Day Reflection
• Participation Self-Assessments (mid-quarter & final)
• Peer Review Reflections (WP1 & WP2)
• Essay Reflections (WP1 & WP2)

Each student is required to meet with me at least once during the quarter (though you are welcome to meet with me more than that). In addition to my regular weekly Office Hours, there will be additional opportunities throughout the quarter to schedule a meeting before a major assignment due date. This conference is intended to be active and participatory; we will workshop a specific piece of your writing and I will address any questions you may have. This meeting is also meant to acclimate you to the practice of attending Office Hours and seeking support from professors (a practice that will be incredibly beneficial to you during your time at UCSB). Read more about the specific criteria for fulfilling this requirement here (https://ucsb.instructure.com/courses/32104/pages/conference-requirement) . Students who do not fulfill this requirement will have their final overall grade lowered by 3% (for example, a 92% will become an 89%).

By default, Canvas uses the below percentage ranges to calculate your letter grade. In this class, this is how your letter grade will be calculated. Most instructors at UCSB will likely use the same range. However, please be aware that it is up to the discretion of each instructor how they determine their letter grades, and some instructors may not follow the same scheme. 

Late Work & Extensions

• All assignments must be submitted by the due date & time to receive full credit. See individual assignment instructions for specific details on late work submissions. 
• Extensions will be granted at the sole discretion of the instructor, and only in rare circumstances. However, requests for an extension will be considered only if received at least 24 hours before an assignment due date.

Communicating with Me

• One of the best ways to succeed in this course is to communicate with me. This can be directly in class (through active participation), through email, or through scheduling an online or in-person appointment. If you are shy, or if participation is difficult for you, let me know; if you aren't understanding material, or know that there is no way you can complete an assignment on time, let me know! I want you to succeed and get as much out of this class as possible. However, the only way I can help you is if I understand what is going on. If you wait until the end of the quarter to tell me that you have been struggling, there is very little I will be able to do. However, if you proactively communicate if issues arise, I will do my best to work with you to find a solution.
• Email: Email is the best way to get a hold of me! I often teach back-to-back classes so may not have time to speak with you directly after class. While I will do my best to promptly respond to each email I receive, please allow 24 hours for a response. Also note that I typically will not respond to emails in the evening. If you have questions about an assignment, don't wait until the last minute to ask!
• Office Hours: If you are unavailable during my scheduled Office Hours, please send me an email at least 24 hours in advance of when you would like to meet and we will set something up (Zoom or in-person).
• If you request a meeting with me via Zoom, I ask that you keep your camera ON so that we may have an active conversation together.

Our schedule is tentative and subject to change. However, I will always let you know in advance if something changes. Particularly with readings and smaller assignments, I want to be responsive to the needs of the class.

Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately passes off another's words or ideas without acknowledging their source. In this class, use of AI-generated writing without a citation is considered plagiarism. If you plagiarize in this class, you will fail the assignment, potentially fail the course, and your case will be passed to the university for additional disciplinary action. Plagiarism is different from misuse of sources, occasions when a writer does not properly cite a source, misuses quotations, includes too much of an original source in a paraphrase or summary, or commits similar unintentional violations of academic protocol. If you misuse sources, we will work together on appropriately incorporating and/or citing the sources. Note that some audiences or instructors will consider misuse of sources to be plagiarism; for this reason, it is extremely important for you to accurately cite the source or information in any class (or writing situation).

Generative AI is a tool that you may choose to use in this course. Like all tools, AI can have beneficial and detrimental effects. You are responsible for the accuracy of all information that you gather from AI tools. Thoroughly cross-check sources to ensure accuracy.

Furthermore, any use of AI must be cited in your writing. For example, if AI generates a text summary for you or provides you with a definition, this must be noted in your writing (via in-text citation). However, you are expected to write original work in this course. Failure to cite

Read the Writing Program's official policy statement on AI here. (https://www.writing.ucsb.edu/resources/faculty/ai-policy)

My Office Hours/Email - I am here to help you succeed, not just as a writer, but as an individual. Reach out if you would like to review course material, have me look at your writing, or if you need support in any other way.

Campus Learning Assistance Services (https://clas.sa.ucsb.edu/) - CLAS offers drop-in hours, appointments, workshops, and online resources. Writing tutors can provide a new perspective on your writing and suggest areas of improvement.

Accommodations (https://dsp.sa.ucsb.edu/) - Providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities is a shared responsibility of the campus. Students with disabilities are responsible for ensuring that the Disabled Students Program (DSP) is aware of their disabilities and for providing DSP with appropriate documentation. The DSP staff works in an advisory capacity with a variety of campus departments to ensure that equal access is provided to all disabled students. Students with disabilities attending UCSB can be assured of receiving the same core support academic services offered throughout the University of California's System-wide chain of campuses.

General Writing Resources (https://ucsb.instructure.com/courses/32104/pages/writing-resources)

General UCSB Resources (https://ucsb.instructure.com/courses/32104/pages/ucsb-resources) (including advising, health & wellness, & food security)