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Berkeley Berkeley Academic Guide: Academic Guide 2023-24

College writing programs.

College Writing Programs teach writing as a craft, and work with students at all levels of expertise, from those wishing to satisfy the University's composition requirements, through intermediate writers looking to expand their horizons, to seasoned scribes who want to hone their skills in our upper-division courses.

For information regarding the Entry-Level Writing requirement and the Analytical Writing and Placement Exam, see the Undergraduate Education section in this Guide.

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COLWRIT 1 Grammar and Vocabulary of Written English 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 This course is intended to serve as a course for students who are non-native speakers of English and who wish to work on their written English. The purpose of the course is to develop students' ability to edit their own writing and to identify high frequency non-idiomatic uses of English. Intensive, individualized practice will be provided for students from different language backgrounds. Grammar and Vocabulary of Written English: Read More [+]

Rules & Requirements

Prerequisites: Self-selected non-native speakers of English

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture/workshop per week.

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: College Writing Programs/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Alternative to final exam.

Grammar and Vocabulary of Written English: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT R1A Accelerated Reading and Composition 6 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 10 Week Session An intensive, accelerated course satisfying concurrently the requirements of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement and the first half of Reading and Composition. Readings will include imaginative, expository and argumentative texts representative of the range of those encountered in the undergraduate curriculum and will feature authors from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and perspectives. Instruction in writing a range of discourse forms and in the revision of papers. Accelerated Reading and Composition: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of seminar per week

Summer: 10 weeks - 9 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Six hours of seminar per week. Nine hours of seminar per week for 10 weeks.

Grading/Final exam status: Final exam not required.

Accelerated Reading and Composition: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT N2 Writing the Bridge: From High School to the University 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2009 10 Week Session, Summer 2008 10 Week Session This 3-unit course is intended to serve students enrolled in the Summer Bridge Program. In this course, students will explore their educational experience as they read essays, poetry, and fiction on issues of language, culture, and identity. In their journals and in their essays, students will examine ways in which these forces interact to create a student identity. Writing the Bridge: From High School to the University: Read More [+]

Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Six hours of lecture/discussion/workshop per week for six weeks.

Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.

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COLWRIT 3A Academic Writing - Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session This academic writing course teaches skills of critical reading, thinking, and writing to help students meaningfully engage ideas, problems, and issues in our world. This course develops students’ abilities to read written and cultural texts critically; to analyze those texts in ways that engage their own experiences and the perspectives of others; and to write about those texts for a range of readers and purposes as a means of participating in broader conversations. Assignments emphasize the analysis and synthesis of sources in the process of making and developing well-constructed arguments. Academic Writing - Online: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W3A after completing COLWRIT 3A . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W3A may be removed by taking COLWRIT 3A .

Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Five hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W3A

Academic Writing - Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3B Business English: Oral Communication - Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session The two goals of this course are to improve students’ ability to communicate effectively in a professional environment using business English and to become comfortable using the digital media currently being used to do business in the global economy. Course topics include cross-cultural communication, digital etiquette, web conferencing, business vocabulary, presentation skills, personal branding, and job interviewing. Business English: Oral Communication - Online: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W3B after completing COLWRIT 3B . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W3B may be removed by taking COLWRIT 3B .

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Five hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks. Ten hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W3B

Business English: Oral Communication - Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3D Legal English: Introduction to the U.S. Legal System - Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session This course aims to help students practice the English language specific to American law, gain an understanding of the legal context in which English is being used, and ground students in the discourse of law to the extent their professional goals or interests warrant. These goals are achieved through a focus on the U.S. legal system and specific types of law as illustrated through sample cases. The course will be useful to students currently working as legal professionals in their own countries; those who are planning to study or practice law in the United States; and anyone curious about how the law works in the U.S. and wanting to learn language related to it. Legal English: Introduction to the U.S. Legal System - Online: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W3D after completing COLWRIT 3D . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W3D may be removed by taking COLWRIT 3D .

Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam required.

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W3D

Legal English: Introduction to the U.S. Legal System - Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3E Legal English: Oral Communication-Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 This online course focuses on helping lawyers or law students improve their speaking and listening skills for the study or practice of U.S. law or for communication with U.S. lawyers. The course will focus on three different contexts for the listening and speaking challenges: academic speaking and listening in the law school classroom, informal speaking with other lawyers, and persuasive/formal speaking in the courtroom. The course will be useful to students currently working as legal professionals in their own countries and those who are planning to study or practice law in the United States. Legal English: Oral Communication-Online: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W3E after completing COLWRIT 3E . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W3E may be removed by taking COLWRIT 3E .

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W3E

Legal English: Oral Communication-Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3G Grammar and Vocabulary - Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session Students will practice and acquire the grammar and vocabulary necessary for university courses — lectures, textbooks, discussions, papers — and in the reading, writing, and discussions that academics and professionals engage in outside classes. Weekly themes will incorporate a variety of fields for a broader perspective on rich academic vocabulary. Grammar and Vocabulary - Online: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W3G after completing COLWRIT 3G . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W3G may be removed by taking COLWRIT 3G .

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W3G

Grammar and Vocabulary - Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3H ESL Listening and Speaking - Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session In this online course, non-native speaking students will improve listening comprehension and oral skills by focusing on refining English pronunciation to minimize miscommunication. By analyzing audio/video clips, students identify features of spoken American English for better understanding. Students also learn and practice strategies to help correctly produce American English stress, rhythm, intonation, plus individual vowel and consonant sounds. Students submit audio/video recordings that are analyzed and evaluated by the instructor to help each student speak with greater clarity. ESL Listening and Speaking - Online: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W3H after completing COLWRIT 3H . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W3H may be removed by taking COLWRIT 3H .

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W3H

ESL Listening and Speaking - Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3I Introduction to Technical Writing - Online 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 This online course focuses on the fundamentals of technical writing and helps students learn related technologies. Assignments will improve students' general writing skills through lessons on how to apply theories of written communication in work situations; select, organize, and present technical information for specific audiences and purposes; as well as write and revise various types of written correspondence. Introduction to Technical Writing - Online: Read More [+]

Instructors: Wald, Beck

Introduction to Technical Writing - Online: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3J Science, Technology, Innovation, and Culture 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022 Science and technology companies want to be innovative and inclusive, but these goals often elude them. In this fully online, asynchronous course, students explore and report what research has to say about the conditions that foster inclusivity and innovation, and the complex relationship that exists between them. Science, Technology, Innovation, and Culture: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 15 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Fifteen hours of session per week for three weeks.

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.

Science, Technology, Innovation, and Culture: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3K American Culture and Language: Music 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022 Music is both reflective of and a stimulus for social change -- a window into prevailing and emerging values. In this fully online, asynchronous course, students explore these roles and goals of music throughout American history by reading and viewing course texts, participating in online discussions and presentations, and researching specific themes of interest. American Culture and Language: Music: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Ten hours of session per week for three weeks.

American Culture and Language: Music: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3L American Culture and Consumerism 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022 This course challenges students to use their critical listening, public speaking, academic research, and analytical writing skills while focusing on sociological, economic, and cultural issues related to shopping and consumerism. Students will participate in online discussions, debates, and presentations and research. American Culture and Consumerism: Read More [+]

American Culture and Consumerism: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3M Social Media, Culture, and Controversies 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022 In this 2-unit, fully online, asynchronous course, students explore cutting-edge controversies in social media -- and how best to resolve them. As they do so, they have the opportunity to refine their academic English skills and hopefully become better digital citizens. Social Media, Culture, and Controversies: Read More [+]

Social Media, Culture, and Controversies: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3S American Culture through Film 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 In this course comprised of students from around the world, students will view, review, and respond to diverse films, each of which examines a theme related to American culture. Students will discuss that theme in relation to what it says about and how it questions idyllic notions of “America.” American Culture through Film: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of session per week 6 weeks - 5 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Five hours of session per week for 6 weeks. Ten hours of session per week for three weeks.

American Culture through Film: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3U American Culture through Literature 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2022 3 Week Session This course examines the multiple perspectives literature can highlight for the reader, and how those perspectives shed light on the diversity, unity, and tension within American culture. Students will examine how perspective play a role in rendering, representing and interpreting events and experiences related to our course theme via the short stories and non-fiction essays/memoirs. American Culture through Literature: Read More [+]

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).

American Culture through Literature: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3V American Culture, Sexuality, and Gender 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session Through a cross-cultural, linguistic study of gender and sexuality, students examine how gender and sexuality inform and are informed by areas of inequality, such as social class, ethnicity, race, geography, and age in the U.S. Students will also read about and share perspectives from other cultures to provide a more international perspective for the cohort. American Culture, Sexuality, and Gender: Read More [+]

American Culture, Sexuality, and Gender: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 3W American Culture through the Media 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2022 Based on course texts that include contemporary data, literature, and journalism from a range of digital and print resources, students discuss current topics in mass media and their impact on American culture and society. American Culture through the Media: Read More [+]

American Culture through the Media: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT R4A Reading and Composition 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 8 Week Session This writing seminar satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. The course is designed to offer students structured, sustained, and highly articulated practice in the recursive processes entailed in reading, critical analysis, and composing. Students will read five thematically related book-length texts, or the equivalent, drawn from a range of genres, in addition to various non-print sources. In response to these materials, they will craft several short pieces leading up to three longer essays--works of exposition and argumentation. Reading and Composition: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Enrollment is limited to students who have satisfied the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement

Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of seminar per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Seven and one-half hours of seminar/discussion per week for six weeks.Three hours of seminar/discussion per week.

Grading/Final exam status: Alternative to final exam.

Reading and Composition: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT R4B Reading, Composition, and Research 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session A lecture/seminar satisfying the second half of the Reading & Composition requirement, R4B offers structured and sustained practice in the processes used in reading, critical analysis, and writing. Students engage with thematically-related materials from a range of genres and media. In response, they craft short pieces leading to longer expository and/or argumentative essays. Students develop a research question, draft a research essay, gather, evaluate, and synthesize information from various sources. Elements of the research process--a proposal, an annotated bibliography, an abstract, a works cited list, etc.--are submitted with the final report in a research portfolio. Students write a minimum of 32 pages of prose. Reading, Composition, and Research: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and Composition. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English

Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement

Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar/discussion per week.

Reading, Composition, and Research: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5A English Language Studies: Broadway Musicals 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session Through the medium of Broadway musicals, this course will help students improve their vocabulary, reading, writing, listening comprehension, note-taking, and oral communication. Students will view musicals (video and live); learn about their plots, songs, and lyrics; examine the historical context represented in each piece; write reviews/critiques; and work on oral presentation skills. Course includes a fieldwork component. English Language Studies: Broadway Musicals: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9D

English Language Studies: Broadway Musicals: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5B Language, Culture, and Drama 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 This course explores the language, structure, and performance of plays. Students use film, television, journals, current events, controversial issues, and personal experience as source material to write and perform plays. Course activities include character, storyline, and dialogue exercises; and close reading and analysis of academic readings. Course goals: learn academic conventions for writing, improve critical /analytical reading skills, and hone oral skills for university success. Language, Culture, and Drama: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of session per week 6 weeks - 5-5 hours of session per week

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9Q

Language, Culture, and Drama: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5C Language, Culture, and Film 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2021 3 Week Session Students will have the opportunity to practice critical thinking, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and vocabulary skills by studying contemporary issues and learning about how the elements of film--script, cinematography, sound, lighting, and more--work together to help build a film's story and themes. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Language, Culture, and Film: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9L

Language, Culture, and Film: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5D Language, Culture, and Literature 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session Literature offers wonderful opportunities to understand societal and interpersonal conflicts, develop vocabulary, and refine analytical skills. Designed for non-native English speakers, this course engages students in close reading and discussions of conflicts in the literature. Students are expected to read, write, and speak about the texts and themes covered in class. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Language, Culture, and Literature: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9M

Language, Culture, and Literature: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5E Language, Culture, and Popular Music 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session This course provides an introductory study of popular music in the U.S. and how it has shaped American culture. Through this course, students will (a) increase their understanding of American cultural history by studying the significant trends and messages of its popular music and (b) develop and apply analytical and linguistic skills for close listening, analysis, synthesis , and oral presentation. A fieldwork component encourages student engagement with the local community and topic. Language, Culture, and Popular Music: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9X

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COLWRIT 5F Language, Culture, and International Human Rights 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session This course, designed to introduce current international human rights issues to non-native English speakers, helps students improve their critical listening, vocabulary, oral communication, and note-taking skills--the skills needed for participation in university courses and in the fields of international human rights, business, and law. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Language, Culture, and International Human Rights: Read More [+]

Language, Culture, and International Human Rights: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5G Language, Culture, and California History 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session Throughout its history, California has been a destination for entrepreneurs, immigrants and displaced people, and those interested in alternative lifestyles. This course introduces ESL students to the many groups that came to California and how their presence has shaped its history. Preparing ESL students for the academic language needed in college classrooms, this course requires that students research, write, and present on course texts and themes. Course includes a fieldwork component. Language, Culture, and California History: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9H

Language, Culture, and California History: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5H Language, Culture, and Sustainability 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session In this course, students analyze critical issues and conflicts that arise related to sustainability. Course goals include improving academic English reading and research skills through completing a research review and proposal; and oral skills through engagement with video, interviews, panel discussions, and presentations. Course includes a fieldwork component. Language, Culture, and Sustainability: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9Z

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COLWRIT 5I Language, Culture, and Television 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session Students will practice critical listening vocabulary, oral communication, and note-taking skills by studying American culture and social institutions as portrayed in television programs and advertisements. Assignments attempt to prepare students for seminar-style university classes. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Language, Culture, and Television: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: College Writing Program 9U

Language, Culture, and Television: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5J English Language Studies: Consumer Culture 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Focusing on conversation skills in and outside of academic settings, this course challenges students to use their English language critical listening, speaking, and note-taking skills while focusing on sociological and economic issues related to shopping and consumerism. Students will listen to lectures; learn new vocabulary; watch and critique video and film clips; examine articles in the media and journals; and participate in debates and presentations. Fieldwork component. English Language Studies: Consumer Culture: Read More [+]

English Language Studies: Consumer Culture: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5K Language, Culture, and the Media 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session This course examines how the various forms of media intersect with culture to reinforce or change how we see ourselves and the world. Students examine this intersection of culture and the media through print, radio, TV, movies, music, and the Internet. Through course assignments, students will develop the following language skills: critical listening and reading; small group , whole-class, and public speaking; response writing; and academic and colloquial vocabulary. Course includes a fieldwork component. Language, Culture, and the Media: Read More [+]

Language, Culture, and the Media: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5L Language, Culture, and the Environment 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Students will improve their English language listening, speaking, reading, writing, and note-taking skills while focusing on current issues and debates related to environmental issues. Students will discuss, analyze, and critique lectures, videos, and readings; write or tape responses and syntheses; and further research and present on an environmental topic or movement of specific interest. This course has a fieldwork component. Language, Culture, and the Environment: Read More [+]

Objectives & Outcomes

Course Objectives: Students will improve their ability to analyze written and aural texts and to craft effective presentations and essays.

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of session and 15 hours of fieldwork per week 6 weeks - 5 hours of session and 7.5 hours of fieldwork per week

Additional Format: Seven and one-half hours of fieldwork and five hours of session per week for 6 weeks. Fifteen hours of fieldwork and ten hours of session per week for three weeks.

Language, Culture, and the Environment: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5M English Language Studies: Traditional and Modern Medicine 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 The aim of this course is to develop students' communicative competence in English as a Second Language through course content about the integration of traditional approaches to health care in modern medicine in California (Chinese medicine, herbalism, yoga, and more). Skills are practiced and assessed through reading popular and scholarly articles; writing about research findings related to course content; and listening and speaking through lectures, discussion , and presentations. English Language Studies: Traditional and Modern Medicine: Read More [+]

Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of session and 7.5 hours of fieldwork per week

Additional Format: 7.5 hours of fieldwork per week for 6 weeks.

English Language Studies: Traditional and Modern Medicine: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5N Language, Culture, and Public Spaces 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 This course focuses on improving critical listening, vocabulary, oral communication and writing skills in English through exploring "placemaking"--an approach to the planning, design and management of public space that focuses on people. Course topics and texts draw from landscape architecture and urban planning to illustrate how people experience and use the public spaces in their community. Students will design and conduct research about public spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area as field work and will share their findings and critique the design of public spaces in class presentations and written assignments. Language, Culture, and Public Spaces: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Seven and one-half hours of fieldwork and five hours of session per week for 6 weeks.

Language, Culture, and Public Spaces: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5P Language, Culture, and Makerspace Creativity 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Designed for multilingual English students, this course explores the various forms of craft and technology in current use in individual and small entrepreneurial pursuits. We explore interdisciplinary forms of creative practices and processes through expert lectures, videos, small group projects, class discussions, and field trips to a variety of Makerspaces to meet artists, designers, cultural entrepreneurs, and other creative professionals. Through these activities , students will improve their English listening, reading, writing, vocabulary and speaking skills needed for campus/workplace communication and collaboration, project planning/execution, and problem-solving. Course involves a fieldwork component. Language, Culture, and Makerspace Creativity: Read More [+]

Language, Culture, and Makerspace Creativity: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 5S English Language Studies: Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Designed for non-native speakers of English, this course aims to help students improve their skills in the four chief communicative areas of English language – listening, speaking, reading, and writing – through a cross-cultural, linguistic study of gender and sexuality. Students will engage in the study of activism and how gender and sexuality inform and are informed by areas of inequality, such as social class, ethnicity, race, geography, and age, in the U.S. and internationally. Course includes a fieldwork component. English Language Studies: Gender and Sexuality Studies: Read More [+]

English Language Studies: Gender and Sexuality Studies: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6A Intensive English Practice: Academic Speaking 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session This course is designed to give students intensive practice in spoken English for academic purposes, preparing international students for the college experience. The course focuses on main areas of content: speaking in academic situations, giving oral presentations, and particpating in small-group and whole-class discussions. Intensive English Practice: Academic Speaking: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Ten hours of Session per week for 3 weeks.

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.

Intensive English Practice: Academic Speaking: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6B Intensive English Practice: Academic Vocabulary 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session This course aims to increase students' active command of the most common words used in academic contexts. Using material from a variety of disciplines, the course practices vocabulary through all four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with an emphasis on speaking and small-group discussion. In addition, students learn strategies for recording, remembering, and reviewing important vocabulary. Intensive English Practice: Academic Vocabulary: Read More [+]

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Intensive English Practice: Academic Vocabulary: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6C Intensive English Practice: Business Vocabulary 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2022, Summer 2022 3 Week Session, Summer 2021 3 Week Session This course aims to help English language learners improve their command of vocabulary used in a variety of general business contexts. Students will read short articles, watch videos, and discuss topics of general interest from the world of business. Strategies for identifying, recording, and remembering vocabulary will be discussed. Intensive English Practice: Business Vocabulary: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Business Vocabulary: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6E Intensive English Practice: Grammar and Editing 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 3 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 3 Week Session This course aims to help students immprove their grammatical accuracy in speaking and writing English. Through practice and feedback, this course introduces students to resources for grammar development, presents grammar rules, and focuses on developing editing strategies and on immproving sentence structure and variety. Intensive English Practice: Grammar and Editing: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Grammar and Editing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6F Intensive English Practice: Listening and Speaking 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2019 3 Week Session The aim of this course is to provide students with practice in intensive and extensive listening, as well as practice in speaking. Speaking activities will include pronunciation practice, short presentations, and impromptu speaking activities. In this course, students will learn how to use listening texts more effectively for self study in both listening and speaking by identifying, analyzing, and then producing features of the text. Intensive English Practice: Listening and Speaking: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Two hours of session per week. Five hours of session per week for 6 weeks. Ten hours of session per week for three weeks.

Intensive English Practice: Listening and Speaking: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6G Intensive English Practice: Writing for Digital Media 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2019 3 Week Session In this interactive course, students will develop their reading, writing, and speaking skills by analyzing, discussing and crafting blog posts, digital stories, and other new media selections. Course assignments will focus on vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure, pronunciation, and overall writing structure and organization. Intensive English Practice: Writing for Digital Media: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Writing for Digital Media: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6H Intensive English Practice: Writing Creative Non-Fiction 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2020 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2016 3 Week Session This course provides students practice in drafting creative non-fiction--memoir, travel/place essays, and the personal essay. Students will focus on creating vivid details and description, using imagery and figurative language, and ordering information for impact. Through these exercises and essays, studnts will have the opportunity to improve their critical reading, vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills. Intensive English Practice: Writing Creative Non-Fiction: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 15 hours of session per week 6 weeks - 5 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Five hours of session per week for 6 weeks. Fifteen hours of session per week for three weeks.

Intensive English Practice: Writing Creative Non-Fiction: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6I Intensive English Practice: Conflict Resolution Skills 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session This intensive course helps students improve speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary/idioms skills while learning practical skills to resolve conflicts with people from different cultures. Students will act as mediators and disputants in mediation role-plays involving American culture topics based on business, law, culture, politics, and the environment. Course goal: achieve more natural fluency and listening comprehension in English for academic and professional purposes. Intensive English Practice: Conflict Resolution Skills: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Ten hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

Intensive English Practice: Conflict Resolution Skills: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6J Intensive English Practice: Academic Test Preparation 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2020 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session The goal of this course is to help students feel confident and well-prepared when taking the iBT TOEFL and IELTS exams. This course will focus specfically on the speaking and writing sections, given that the integrated writing and speaking tasks on these tests require responding to readings and short lectures/discussions—skills needed not only for standardized test-taking but also for exams and group work at the university level. Intensive English Practice: Academic Test Preparation: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Academic Test Preparation: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6K Intensive English Practice: Academic Reading and Writing 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session, Summer 2017 3 Week Session The goal of this class is to prepare students for the types of reading and writing in first-year composition courses at U.S. universities. The course addresses the reading process, including annotation, analysis and evaluation, and the writing process, including organization and planning as well as summarizing and paraphrasing.  Intensive English Practice: Academic Reading and Writing: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Students will improve their ability to analyze written texts and craft university-level academic essays.

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit under special circumstances: Repeatable for credit with a different instructor.

Intensive English Practice: Academic Reading and Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6L Intensive English Practice: Successful Job Search and Interviewing Skills 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session In this English as a Second language course, students will develop (a) communicative competence in in job research and networking and (b) the skills and vocabulary relevant to individual students’ desired work situations. Students will practice interviewing, self-promotion, and networking and will create their own resumes and cover letters. Intensive English Practice: Successful Job Search and Interviewing Skills: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Successful Job Search and Interviewing Skills: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6M Intensive English Practice: U.S. University Admissions and Expectations 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session Through this course, students will become familiar with (a) the different teaching and learning styles at U.S. universities, (b) professor expectations regarding class participation, assignments, and source use, (c) skills and strategies for becoming active, empowered learners; and (d) the ins and outs of the college application. In the process, students will practice and hone reading, writing, and speaking skills. Intensive English Practice: U.S. University Admissions and Expectations: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: U.S. University Admissions and Expectations: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6N Intensive English Practice: Art and Design 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session The aim of this course is to develop students’ communicative competence in English as a Second Language through an exploration of art and local museums. Through this course, students will become familiar with the language used to discuss the elements of art and the principles of design and will use this vocabulary to talk about art with evidence, to do close analyses of art as text, and to discuss art in its cultural and historical contexts. Intensive English Practice: Art and Design: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Art and Design: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6P Intensive English Practice: Pronunciation 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session This course for English language learners emphasizes the sound system, word and sentence stress, linking, and rhythm in American English pronunciation. Activities include textbook assignments, analysis of spoken texts, oral presentations, and in-depth practice with individual sound production. Intensive English Practice: Pronunciation: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Pronunciation: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6Q English for Alternative Dispute Resolution for Business, Law, and Other Professional Purposes 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2019 3 Week Session This course focuses on interactive Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) simulations (role plays in class and via videoconferencing) in which students must work together to analyze, prevent and resolve a variety of conflicts using a complex set of English skills (grammatical accuracy; speaking and listening; pronunciation; and new vocabulary and idioms) and cross-cultural and sociolinguistic skills (body language, formality and tone). The course is designed for high-intermediate through advanced-level ESL students with a professional or academic interest in ADR. Students who are interested in conflict resolution for general communication purposes are encouraged to consider Colwrit 6I. English for Alternative Dispute Resolution for Business, Law, and Other Professional Purposes: Read More [+]

English for Alternative Dispute Resolution for Business, Law, and Other Professional Purposes: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 6R Intensive English Practice: Speaking Through Performance 2 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 In this highly collaborative course, students will practice speaking skills and learn performance techniques through dramatic scripts and oral interpretation. Course goals include building speaking confidence, clarity, and fluency. Intensive English Practice: Speaking Through Performance: Read More [+]

Intensive English Practice: Speaking Through Performance: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7A American Language and Culture: The Media 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2020 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session This English as a Second Language course focuses on building English skills while exploring American culture through the media. Students will listen to lectures, watch and discuss film clips, and read current news magazines. In addition, students will actively participate in large and small group discussions and debates. The course requires students to focus on and create interesting, well-organized informative speeches, and convincing persuasive written and oral responses. American Language and Culture: The Media: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 2.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two and one-half hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks. Five hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

American Language and Culture: The Media: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7B American Language and Culture: The Beat Poets of 1950s San Francisco 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2016 3 Week Session This course is designed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. The starting point of the course is to examine the Beat Generation writers, specifically Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, looking at their relevance to the 50's and 60's and how their ideas led to and shaped the counterculture movements of the 60's and 70's. Through readings and video and audio clips, students will have the opportunity to explore the Beat Generation's impact in Berkeley and San Francisco. American Language and Culture: The Beat Poets of 1950s San Francisco: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 2.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two and one-half hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

American Language and Culture: The Beat Poets of 1950s San Francisco: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7C American Language and Culture: Business and Social Entrepreneurship 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 This course explores debates concerning the role of business in addressing social issues, while providing support for English reading, listening, note-taking, and speaking skills. Social entrepreneuship has gained popularity and sparked debate in the United States and throughout the world as individual entrepreneurs have found more efficient ways to provide medicine, social services, education, and environmentally sustainable consumer products. American Language and Culture: Business and Social Entrepreneurship: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 7.5 hours of session per week 6 weeks - 4 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Four hours of session per week for 6 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of session per week for three weeks.

American Language and Culture: Business and Social Entrepreneurship: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7D American Language and Culture: Food for Thought 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session Many sociocultural and economic factors affect the ways individuals and groups manage food. This English as a Second Language course focuses on current food movements and trends in the US--and the many ethical, cultural, and financial aspects that both underlie and result from them. Students will examine this topic through a wide variety of sources: readings, films, music, guest speakers, lectures, video clips , panel discussions, individual research, and personal experience. American Language and Culture: Food for Thought: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: Food for Thought: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7E American Language and Culture: The Environment 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2017 3 Week Session, Summer 2016 3 Week Session This English as a Second Language course challenges students to use their reading, listening/speaking, note-taking, and research skills while focusing on environmental issues. Students will listen to lectures, watch and critique video and film clips, conduct research, and examine conflicting beliefs based on articles in the media and journals. The course requires students to participate in discussions and debates while reflecting on personal views. American Language and Culture: The Environment: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: The Environment: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7G American Language and Culture: Community Building and Transformation 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session, Summer 2017 3 Week Session People around the globe are confronting limitations to freedom, health, and safety. In this class, we will study real examples of how people in different places across the U.S. and the globe are discovering and leveraging creativity and community as powerful tools to confront problems. Content goals: defining community and critically assessing local initiatives. Language goals: improving listening and speaking skills through videos, lectures, discussion, role plays, debates, and presentations. American Language and Culture: Community Building and Transformation: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: Community Building and Transformation: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7I American Language and Culture: California Dreams and Realities 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 3 Week Session Using a variety of sources, students are introduced to trends from California history that have had national and international influence. Students will listen to lectures and podcasts, watch videos and movie extracts, and read articles and listen to songs about the California experience to develop their vocabulary, listening, speaking, and reading skills. American Language and Culture: California Dreams and Realities: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: California Dreams and Realities: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7J American Language and Culture: California Culture 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2019 3 Week Session, Summer 2018 3 Week Session California remains a leader in cultural change. This class will focus on English listening and speaking skills while exploring the progressive style of California culture. Students will listen to short lectures and influential music, view and discuss featured video clips, read about California icons, and actively participate in discussions, group presentations, and fieldwork to increase fluency and learn about local culture. American Language and Culture: California Culture: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: California Culture: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7K American Language and Culture: Humor 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session, Summer 2020 3 Week Session Through this course, an introductory study of humor in the U.S. and its influence on American culture, students will increase their understanding of American cultural history and current popular culture by studying the significant trends and messages of its social and political humor while developing and applying analytical and linguistic skills for close listening, critical reading, and prese ntations. American Language and Culture: Humor: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: Humor: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7L American Language and Culture: The Berkeley Experience 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2015 3 Week Session This three-week ESL course gives students the chance to experience the culture of Berkeley and the Bay Area in and out of the classroom. Students will tour important campus venues, visit landmarks in Berkeley, and then cross the bay to visit other cities. Along the way, students will practice their language skills through readings, videos, and interactions with native speakers. In addition, students will participate in reflections , surveys/interviews, and a final project. American Language and Culture: The Berkeley Experience: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT 7L after completing COLWRIT 7L . A deficient grade in COLWRIT 7L may be removed by taking COLWRIT 7L .

Summer: 3 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Five hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

American Language and Culture: The Berkeley Experience: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7M American Language and Culture: Storytelling 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2019 3 Week Session In this course, students will increase their understanding of American cultural history and current popular culture by studying the significant trends and messages of its myths, legends, and folktales; learn about how America’s minorities have used storytelling for political and social advancement; develop/apply analytical and linguistic skills for close listening, conversation and presentations; improve their communication skills with native speakers of English. American Language and Culture: Storytelling: Read More [+]

Instructor: Spars

American Language and Culture: Storytelling: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7N American Language and Culture: Questioning the American Dream 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2019 3 Week Session The aim of this course is to develop students’ communicative competence in English as a Second Language through an exploration of the history, diversity, and values related to the American Dream, and the realities that hinder access to that dream. Students will listen to short lectures, watch and discuss video clips, read popular and academic articles, conduct fieldwork, and participate in small group discussions and presentations. This is your opportunity to increase speaking and reading fluency and improve listening skills. American Language and Culture: Questioning the American Dream: Read More [+]

American Language and Culture: Questioning the American Dream: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 7Q American Language and Culture: Traditional and Modern Medicine 1 Unit

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 The aim of this course is to develop students' awareness of American culture and their communicative competence in English as a Second Language through course content about the integration of traditional approaches to health care in modern medicine in California (Chinese medicine, herbalism, yoga, and more). Skills are practiced and assessed through reading, writing, listening, and speaking assignments. American Language and Culture: Traditional and Modern Medicine: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 5 hours of session per week

Additional Format: Five hours of session per week for three weeks.

American Language and Culture: Traditional and Modern Medicine: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 8 English for Academic and Professional Purposes 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session A 60-hour course focusing on speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary and providing a level of instruction that meets students' specific needs. Classes are content-based, with a focus on contemporary high-interest topics. Students participate in oral presentations, group projects, discussions, and field trips. This course is appropriate for international and immigrant students interested in improving language skills. Online placement exam required. English for Academic and Professional Purposes: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Placement by examination

Credit Restrictions: There is currently a "Courses that will restrict credit" restriction for this course that says "Students will receive no credit for College Writing Program 8 after taking Subject A 8". We would like to remove this restriction in light of the fact that both the Subject A program and class have not been in existence for about 20 years.

Summer: 3 weeks - 20 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Ten hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks. Twenty hours of Lecture per week for 3 weeks.

English for Academic and Professional Purposes: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9A Academic Research for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session This course introduces the basic terminology, techniques, and strategies necessary for academic research in American universities. Students will refine topics; evaluate/use outside sources to support claims; practice citation, summary, and paraphrasing skills; and write multiple drafts. Each section will craft literature reviews and research on a specific theme; each student can approach the theme within the framework of his or her discipline or interest. Course includes a fieldwork component. Academic Research for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Five hours of Session per week for 6 weeks. Ten hours of Session per week for 3 weeks.

Academic Research for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9B Academic Vocabulary for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2015 Second 6 Week Session Academic writing and speaking require a wide understanding of vocabulary. In this course, students are introduced to numerous online and paper resources and learn strategies for improving vocabulary development, including effective ways to build vocabulary and recall new vocabulary through a series of readings, writings and other class activities. Course includes a fieldwork component. Academic Vocabulary for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Academic Vocabulary for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9C Academic Writing for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session In this class, students learn about the content, structure, and organization of academic essays. Through in- and out-of-class writing, students work on focusing topics, organizing arguments, and supporting claims with evidence and reasoning. Sentence structures, summarizing, paraphrasing, correct use of citations, and editing skills will also be addressed. Academic Writing for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Enrollment in CW 9C: ESP- Academic Writing is restricted to international students and other multilingual student writers

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of session per week

Academic Writing for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9E Business English for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2021 Second 6 Week Session In this course, students will have the opportunity to improve communication skills in order to do business in English. The following topics will be covered: negotiating; writing business letters, memos, and resumes; developing business vocabulary; improving business social skills; reading and discussing case studies; and exploring Internet business. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Business English for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Business English for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9F Business Speaking for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session This course focuses on oral language in business contexts, including meetings, negotiations, presentations, debates, interviews, and informal social settings. Students learn appropriate phrases and topics for business conversation and improve their abilities through practice both in and out of class. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Business Speaking for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Business Speaking for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9G Medical and Health Care English for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2013 Second 6 Week Session This course, designed for current or future medical professionals, focuses on mastery of medical idioms and vocabulary essential to work in health care fields. Students learn standard phrasal and vocabulary, critically read and respond to case studies and medical journals, and gain perspectives on medicine through the eyes of practitioners, patients, and families. Students also interact with working professionals and observe practices on site via fieldwork assignments. Medical and Health Care English for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Medical and Health Care English for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9I Conflict Resolution Communication Skills for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session This course is an introduction to conflict resolution for intermediate-advanced level ESL students. It includes interactive mediation role–plays requiring students to develop a complex set of English skills (grammatical accuracy; speaking and listening; pronunciation; and new vocabulary and idioms) and sociolinguistic skills (body language, formality, and tone). Course includes a fieldwork component to help students improve problem-solving and communication skills. Conflict Resolution Communication Skills for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Conflict Resolution Communication Skills for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9J Academic Language and Writing Style for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session Aimed at intermediate-advanced multilingual students, the goal of this course is to help students improve and expand their knowledge of sentence structure and variety to achieve an academic style. Using their own and professional writers' work, students will expand their repertoire of grammatical structures and improve the clarity and sophistication of their writing. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Academic Language and Writing Style for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Academic Language and Writing Style for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9M The U.S. Constitution: An Introduction 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2015 Second 6 Week Session Open to native and non-native speakers, this class introduces students to the U.S. Constitution’s language and legal substance, to its historical background, and to its political and cultural significance. Students examine debates over the document’s interpretation and the ongoing struggle to realize the ideals reflected in its Articles and Amendments. Special attention will be paid to key provisions of the Bill of Rights. Reading, class discussion, and journaling offer the opportunity to practice and strengthen English skills. Especially appropriate for international students entering an LL.M. program, the class welcomes anyone interested in learning about U.S. law, history, and society. The U.S. Constitution: An Introduction: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT 9M after completing COLWRIT 9M . A deficient grade in COLWRIT 9M may be removed by taking COLWRIT 9M .

The U.S. Constitution: An Introduction: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9N Introduction of the U.S. Legal System for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session Designed for non-native speakers of English, this course introduces the basics of U.S. federal and state court systems, judge and jury trials, case law method, and selected areas of law based on student interest. The course requires students to use new vocabulary and idioms; read and analyze judges' decisions; organize, write, and edit arguments about legal issues; give oral presentations; and participate in formal and informal discussions and role-plays. Course includes a fieldwork component. Introduction of the U.S. Legal System for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Introduction of the U.S. Legal System for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9O Legal Writing for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session This course helps international lawyers and law students understand how to communicate effectively in writing in an American legal context. In this course, students will learn a brief overview of the American legal system; strategies for reading legal cases; and strategies for legal writing, research, and analysis. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Legal Writing for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Legal Writing for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9P English for Specific Purposes: Conflict Resolution for Business, Law, and International Relations 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2015 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2014 10 Week Session, Summer 2014 Second 6 Week Session Introducing negotiation and mediation to intermediate-advanced academic or professional ESL students. The course focuses on strategies to prevent and resolve conflicts, including cross-cultural ones, in business, law, and international relations. Tasks include interactive negotiation and mediation simulations requiring students to develop a complex set of language (grammar, speaking/listening , pronunciation, vocabulary/idioms) and sociolinguistic skills (body language, formality, and tone). English for Specific Purposes: Conflict Resolution for Business, Law, and International Relations: Read More [+]

English for Specific Purposes: Conflict Resolution for Business, Law, and International Relations: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9R Academic and Public Speaking for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session In this course, ESL students learn and practice the rhetorical and oral skills needed to speak in various situations in the U.S. The course focuses on designing formal and informal presentations for varied purposes and audiences, constructing/defending arguments, and fielding critical questions. Also emphasized are communication skills needed for interacting in group and in one-on-one formats. Course includes a fieldwork component. Academic and Public Speaking for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Academic and Public Speaking for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9S Pronunciation for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session This course is designed to help students improve their ability to communicate effectively in social and academic settings by means of a detailed, systematic study of the sounds and patterns of spoken American English. Audio journals and in-class assignments provide in-depth practice with individual sound production as well as stress, rhythm, and intonation. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Pronunciation for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Pronunciation for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9V Science and Engineering English for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session This course is designed to help students improve English speaking and writing skills essential for functioning well in academic and professional science and engineering activities. A significant portion of the course is devoted to developing the style, vocabulary, and grammar used most frequently in technical communication. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment of interests and needs. Science and Engineering English for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Science and Engineering English for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9W Speech and Debate for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2015 Second 6 Week Session Aimed at intermediate-advanced multilingual students, this course presents the basics of speech and debate. Students will learn to construct basic arguments, work on speaking style, watch sample speeches and debates, write speeches, and participate in Parliamentary-style debates. In completing course assignments, students will have the opportunity to practice and improve all aspects of their oral skills in English. Course includes a fieldwork component. Multiple sections: placement based on Day 1 assessment. Speech and Debate for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Speech and Debate for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 9Y Creative Writing for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session In this course, we will focus on those elements that make for effective creative writing (poetry, fiction, and the personal essay): descriptive detail; imagery and figurative language; rhythm and structure/build; and authentic tone, dialogue and characterization. By completing analytical and practical exercises and by crafting multiple drafts, students will have the opportunity to improve their critical reading, vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills. Course includes a fieldwork component. Creative Writing for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Creative Writing for Multilingual Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 10A Introduction to Public Speaking 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session This is a strictly introductory course. It presumes no formal training of any kind on the part of the students. Emphasis will be on organization and delivery with goals of improving control over speaking habits and enunciation. Part of the intent of the course is to introduce students to the rudiments of the rhetorical theory which lies behind the practice of public speaking. Introduction to Public Speaking: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture/discussion per week. Eight hours of lecture/discussion per week for six weeks. Six hours of lecture/discussion per week for eight weeks.

Introduction to Public Speaking: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 10B Advanced Public Speaking 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 This is an advanced course that presumes introductory training in public speaking. Emphasis will be on real-world speaking situations. The course combines both theory and practice: it incorporates extensive speaking performance and individualized critiques from instructor and students, as well as analysis of advanced speaking models, and it explores theories, speech genres, and rhetorical processes beyond those in the introductory course. The intent of the course is to advance students' ability to deliver polished and informed public speeches adapted to a wide range of audiences and speaking situations. Advanced Public Speaking: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 10A or equivalent

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week.

Advanced Public Speaking: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 11 Berkeley Changemaker: Public Speaking 1 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2023 Emphasizing the Berkeley Changemaker pillars of critical thinking and communication, this variable unit (1 or 2) practicum is designed to help students refine their academic speaking skills. Students will learn the techniques of effective public speaking, practice their skills, and develop confidence in oral communication. Online, asynchronous class sessions will be complemented by “live” opportunities that enable students to practice course content in front of an instructor and audience and receive feedback. Berkeley Changemaker: Public Speaking: Read More [+]

Student Learning Outcomes: Build confidence and expertise in oral communication, practicing skills in self-presentation, informative presentations, and persuasive speaking Deliver effective oral presentations Develop a better understanding of communication strategies, practices, and theories Improve skills in speaking and listening Understand cultural differences in communication

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 2 times. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0.5-1 hours of seminar and 1-2 hours of discussion per week

Summer: 3 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar and 4-8 hours of discussion per week 6 weeks - 1-2 hours of seminar and 2-4 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: One to two hours of discussion and one-half to one hours of seminar per week. Two to four hours of discussion and one to two hours of seminar per week for 6 weeks. Four to eight hours of discussion and two to four hours of seminar per week for three weeks.

Berkeley Changemaker: Public Speaking: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 20 Communicating in Class: Advanced Listening and Speaking for International Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013 This advanced oral communication course for multilingual international students offers opportunities to practice listening to lectures and taking notes, participating in discussions and taking on various roles, and devising strategies for success when presenting orally in different formats. The course focuses on authentic language use in the U.S. university classroom--in terms of the lecture students will view, projects students will complete, and in-class interactions students will participate in. Communicating in Class: Advanced Listening and Speaking for International Students: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Instructors: Baptiste, Crisp, Wald, Sokolik

Communicating in Class: Advanced Listening and Speaking for International Students: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 21 Advanced Listening and Speaking for International Students: Conflict Management for Academic Success at the University 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014 This advanced oral communications course is reserved for first-year international students who speak a first language other than English. Students learn and practice university level cross-cultural communication strategies to help them fully participate in academic life. Applying Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) theories and methods used in business and law, students develop strategies for resolving communication problems, misunderstandings , and conflicts that can arise in academic settings and beyond. CW 21 is designed to improve class participation skills, including understanding lectures and instructions; contributing to and leading group discussions; speaking up in class; and asking for and using feedback from professors. Advanced Listening and Speaking for International Students: Conflict Management for Academic Success at the University: Read More [+]

Advanced Listening and Speaking for International Students: Conflict Management for Academic Success at the University: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 25AC Reading in and about U.S. Education Institutions 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about the expectations of the American educational system, especially within a multicultural context. The goal is to deepen the understanding of the history and diversity of American educational institutions, while strengthening reading and seminar participation skills through critique and analysis of communication patterns. This course is intended for international students. Reading in and about U.S. Education Institutions: Read More [+]

Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week. Seven hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Instructor: Sokolik

Reading in and about U.S. Education Institutions: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 50AC Researching Water in the West: Its Presence, Its Absence, and Its Consequences for the Peoples of California 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 Examines the subject of water in California, drawing upon scholarly articles, essays, memoir, film, photographs, legislation. In collaboration with the Teaching Library, 50 explores techniques for conducting online archival research and using primary sources. Cosiders a variety of players in the story of water rights in California, including federal and state representatives, conservationists, Native Americans, and Japanese Americans. Researching Water in the West: Its Presence, Its Absence, and Its Consequences for the Peoples of California: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of first half of the reading and composition requirement

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 50AC after taking 150AC.

Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. Five and one-half hours of Lecture per week for 8 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Instructor: Steenland

Researching Water in the West: Its Presence, Its Absence, and Its Consequences for the Peoples of California: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 75AC Sacred Places and the American Western 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2019 This class will explore the central themes of the American Cultures curriculum through the concept of place, specifically the "West". The Western landscape gives the Western genre its name, but the concepts that inform the portrayal of that landscape are not interrogated by the genre. The class will unpack the theoretical framework behind that depiction. Each section of the class will be framed by texts that offer a theory of place that, when closely examined , will reveal previously invisible concepts of race and class. Sacred Places and the American Western: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves (Parts A and B) of the Reading & Composition Requirement

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week. Five and one-half hours of lecture per week for 8 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Sacred Places and the American Western: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022 Supervised seminar for group study of selected topics. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week

Additional Format: One to Four hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks.

Directed Group Study: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 99 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016 Independent study in topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses. Student must initiate topic and present a written proposal. Supervised Independent Study: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor, lower division standing

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of tutorial per week

Summer: 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of tutorial per week

Additional Format: One to Four hour of Tutorial per week for 15 weeks. One and one-half to Seven and one-half hours of Tutorial per week for 8 weeks.

Supervised Independent Study: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 105 Intermediate Writing: Finding Your Voice with Others 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016 Engaging with issues of authorial voice, the writing process, and technology, students hone the ability to read and write academic prose. A hybrid composition course, this course meets in the classroom and online. Students use Web 2.0 writing tools and think critically about how such tools affect writing processes. Further, this course offers students opportunities to collaborate on projects, as is often required for academic and workplace writing , and which Web 2.0 writing tools are designed to support. Intermediate Writing: Finding Your Voice with Others: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of Reading and Composition requirement

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of web-based lecture per week

Additional Format: One and one-half hours of Lecture and One and one-half hours of Web-based lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Online: This is an online course.

Intermediate Writing: Finding Your Voice with Others: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 106 Intermediate Composition: Argument in the Disciplines 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016 This course prepares students to write and analyze arguments in a range of academic disciplines, from the humanities and liberal arts, to the sciences and social sciences. The course emphasizes the rhetorical strategies, reasoning, and conventions that characterize persuasive arguments in each field. This course does not include instruction in the research process. Intermediate Composition: Argument in the Disciplines: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of the Reading and Composition Requirement (Parts A and B)

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. Seven hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Intermediate Composition: Argument in the Disciplines: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 107 Translation in Practice 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024 This course provides an English language setting for an immersive dive into translation studies, as well as evaluating and producing original translated texts. Students will reflect on processes and decisions in that work, which will culminate in a significant translation project designed around principles of discovery: challenging conventional notions of a translator’s visibility and creating opportunities for paratextual study, engagement, and impact. Our approach to the topic of translation will be interdisciplinary and worlded, and students are encouraged to bring their own interests, experiences, and creative agency to the classroom. Fluency reading and writing in at least one language other than English is required to take this class. Translation in Practice: Read More [+]

Student Learning Outcomes: This course aims to help students become more practiced translators and translation critics, producing stronger and more purposeful translations while gaining mastery over the terminology and philosophies that guide these practices. Students will apply discovery practices that contextualize their work as translators in social, political, historical, or cultural frameworks.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture and 2 hours of workshop per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 6 hours of workshop per week

Additional Format: One hour of lecture and two hours of workshop per week. Three hours of lecture and six hours of workshop per week for 6 weeks.

Translation in Practice: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 108 Advanced Composition: New Media 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2011 This advanced nonfiction writing course offers an opportunity to explore the definition of text in a digital era. It offers students an opportunity to read and write about how contemporary uses of social media influence how we think, act, interact, and learn. Advanced Composition: New Media: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of the Reading and Composition requirement up to and including 1B or consent of instructor

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. Eight hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Advanced Composition: New Media: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 109C Academic Writing for Multilingual Students 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 In this class, students learn about the content, structure, and organization of academic essays. Through in- and out-of-class writing, students work on focusing topics, organizing arguments, and supporting claims with evidence and reasoning. Sentence structures, summarizing, paraphrasing, correct use of citations, and editing skills will also be addressed. Academic Writing for Multilingual Students: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Enrollment in College Writing 109C: ESP- Academic Writing is restricted to international students and other multilingual student writers. Graduate students welcome

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week. Five hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks. Ten hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

COLWRIT 110 Advanced Composition: Challenging Writing 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 This writing workshop will offer students an opportunity to write essays and other nonfiction prose that speak both personally and politically to the issues and audiences they wish to address. The readings will focus on the rhetorical strategies of writers who have used the essay as a cultural form to challenge the norms of the time and place in which they live(d). Advanced Composition: Challenging Writing: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of reading and composition requirement (1A-1B) or consent of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Four hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Advanced Composition: Challenging Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 121 Issues in Teaching English Internationally 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2010 This course offers students an opportunity to consider relevant academic and professional issues related to the teaching of English internationally. Through readings, discussions, and assigned projects, students learn about principles of language policy and planning, linguistics, methodology, and assessment. These topics contribute to students' understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of effective English language teaching abroad, leading to responsible engagement in the international community of English language teachers and learners. Issues in Teaching English Internationally: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture, 2 hours of discussion, 0 hours of web-based discussion, and 0 hours of web-based lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 0 hours of lecture, 0 hours of discussion, 2.5 hours of web-based discussion, and 5 hours of web-based lecture per week

Additional Format: One hour of lecture and two hours of discussion and zero hour of web-based discussion and zero hour of web-based lecture per week. Zero hour of lecture and zero hour of discussion and two and one-half hours of web-based discussion and five hours of web-based lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Issues in Teaching English Internationally: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 130 Introduction to the Craft of Creative Writing 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2019 This course in creative writing focuses on three genres: the personal essay, the short story, and the one-act play. The course emphasizes an introduction to craft--how these types of writing are generated, what their elements are, and how the finished pieces work--which students will explore through careful study of models by published writers and through writing and revising their own short pieces. Introduction to the Craft of Creative Writing: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of Reading and Composition sequence (1A/1B)

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. Six hours of Lecture per week for 8 weeks. Eight hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Instructors: Larkin, Levine, Oakes

Introduction to the Craft of Creative Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 131 Introduction to the Craft of Creative Nonfiction 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2019, Fall 2018 This course in creative writing focuses on the craft of reading and writing creative nonfiction. The course provides an introduction to craft: how creative nonfiction is generated, what its elements are, and how finished pieces work. Students will explore these aspects of craft through careful study of models by published writers, and through writing and revising their own short pieces. Introduction to the Craft of Creative Nonfiction: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of the Reading and Composition Requirement or permission of instructor

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week. Eight hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Instructor: Oakes

Introduction to the Craft of Creative Nonfiction: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT N131 Creative Nonfiction: Cultural Critique 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 This course in creative writing focuses on the craft of reading and writing creative nonfiction. The course emphasizes an introduction to craft—how creative nonfiction is generated, what its elements are, and how finished pieces work—which students will explore through careful study of models by published writers, and through writing and revising their own short pieces. Creative Nonfiction: Cultural Critique: Read More [+]

Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Ten hours of seminar per week for three weeks.

Creative Nonfiction: Cultural Critique: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 132 Introduction to the Craft of Short Fiction 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2019, Fall 2016 This course in creative writing focuses on the craft of reading and writing short fiction. The course provides an introduction to craft: how short fiction is generated, what its elements are, and how finished pieces work. Students will explore these aspects of craft through careful study of models by published writers, and through writing and revising their own short pieces. Introduction to the Craft of Short Fiction: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of the Reading and Composition Requirement or consent of instructor

Instructor: Sloan

Introduction to the Craft of Short Fiction: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT N132 The Craft of Short Fiction 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 This two-unit course on the short story emphasizes an introduction to craft—how short stories are created, what their elements are, and how the finished pieces work—which you will explore through careful study of models by published writers and through writing and revising your own original pieces generated for this class. The Craft of Short Fiction: Read More [+]

The Craft of Short Fiction: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 133 Introduction to the Craft of Dramatic Writing 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Fall 2017 This course in creative writing focuses on the fundamentals of reading and writing dramatic scripts. Students learn dramatic writing as an art and as a set of skills. They learn the elements involved in the creation of scripts by analyzing published scripts, as well as by drafting their own scripts and critiquing their peers' work. Particular emphasis is given to the work of generating and revising drafts, in addition to the critique and appreciation of works written for the stage, and to a lesser degree, for the screen. This introduction to craft is applicable to stage scripts as well as screenplays. Introduction to the Craft of Dramatic Writing: Read More [+]

Instructor: Levine

Introduction to the Craft of Dramatic Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT N133 The Craft of Dramatic Writing 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 3 Week Session College Writing N133 is an introduction to the craft of dramatic writing through the study of works by professional playwrights and through composition and revision of your own playscripts. You will come to understand dramatic writing as an art and as a set of skills; you will receive an introduction to some of the elements involved in the creation of written scripts. Particular emphasis will be given to the work of generating and revising writing for the stage and, to a lesser degree, for the screen. The Craft of Dramatic Writing: Read More [+]

The Craft of Dramatic Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 134 The Craft of Poetry 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2022 3 Week Session This two-unit course on poetry & poetics emphasizes an introduction to craft—how poems are created, what their elements are, and how the finished pieces work—which you will explore through careful study of models by published writers, and through writing and revising your own original pieces generated for this class. The Craft of Poetry: Read More [+]

The Craft of Poetry: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 135 The Craft of Creative Writing -- Workshopping & Performance 1 Unit

Terms offered: Summer 2023, Summer 2023 3 Week Session, Summer 2022 In this one-unit workshop, we will focus on strengthening skills in workshopping, selecting and publicly performing your creative writing. Composing, editing, and revising your works will also be an important emphasis. As a class focused on craft across genres, we will read a variety of strategies by published story writers, essayists, poets and playwrights. We will study performances by established and emerging artists, and develop a sustainable in-person and online writing community that you can rely on long after the three-week summer intensive has ended. The Craft of Creative Writing -- Workshopping & Performance: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: This course requires simultaneous enrollment in COLWRIT N131 , N132 , N133 , or 134

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.

Summer: 3 weeks - 5 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Five hours of seminar per week for three weeks.

The Craft of Creative Writing -- Workshopping & Performance: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 140A Readings on Creative Writing 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2012 First 6 Week Session Before we write, we must read. This course will offer the opportunity for careful examination and discussion of masterworks--many of them recent--in creative writing, with special focus on the craft of the writing. Students will enroll in a section of the course corresponding to the genre they would like to study: creative nonfiction, short fiction, poetry, or one-act playwriting. 140A must be taken concurrently with a section of 140B in the same genre. Readings on Creative Writing: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of both parts of the Reading and Composition sequence for UC students; equivalent proficiency for non-UC students. Corequisite: enrollment in 140B: Seminar-Workshop in Creative Writing

Additional Format: Seven hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Readings on Creative Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 140B Seminar-Workshop in Creative Writing 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2012 First 6 Week Session This seminar will offer students the opportunity to craft several pieces of creative writing, and to consider the formal aspects of creative writing. Students' writing will be critiqued by the class and the instructor with special focus on the formal elements of each piece. Students will enroll in one of four sections of the course: creative nonfiction, short fiction, poetry, or one-act playwriting. 140B must be taken concurrently with a section of 140A in the same genre. Seminar-Workshop in Creative Writing: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of both parts of the Reading and Composition sequence for UC students; equivalent proficiency for non-UC students. Corequisite: enrollment in 140A: Readings in Creative Writing

Seminar-Workshop in Creative Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 141 Seminar-Workshop on Creative Writing: The Novel 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 First 6 Week Session This course offers opportunities to craft several works of creative writing in service of the production of a novel, and to consider formal aspects of the novel with reference to assigned readings. Students consider the general principles governing the form, and the wide latitude the writer has in addressing these principles. Students will develop skill at analyzing a work, presenting descriptive feedback, and identifying the possibilities for revision suggested by the draft itself. Seminar-Workshop on Creative Writing: The Novel: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of the Reading and Composition requirement

Seminar-Workshop on Creative Writing: The Novel: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 142 Grammar for English Language Instructors 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session This course covers the knowledge you need as a future instructor to explain English grammar to learners in your own classroom. You will gain an understanding of the structure of the English language, how other languages have influenced its development, and how to explain grammatical principles clearly so that learners from a variety of language backgrounds can understand. Grammar for English Language Instructors: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: A deeper understanding of the history of and influences on the English language An understanding of the specific vocabulary and structure of English grammar Practice and confidence in explaining grammatical constructions to others

Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 4.5 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Six hours of lecture and four and one-half hours of discussion per week for 6 weeks.

Grammar for English Language Instructors: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 143 Foundations of English Language Education 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session An introduction to the fundamental principles and practices of English language education in both local and global contexts. This course covers theory and methods behind teaching reading, writing, listening, and speaking to diverse populations of English language learners in a variety of academic contexts. Foundations of English Language Education: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of two-semester R&C requirement or the equivalent

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W143 after completing COLWRIT 143 . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W143 may be removed by taking COLWRIT 143 .

Summer: 6 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 6 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture and six hours of discussion per week for 6 weeks.

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W143

Foundations of English Language Education: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 144 Teaching English as a Second Language: Practicum 3 Units

Terms offered: Not yet offered This course will provide students with an understanding of theories and practices in teaching English to students from multilingual backgrounds. Course topics will include reflective practices, teacher decision making, learner-centered classrooms, and general knowledge about language learning and cognition. Field experience will include working with learners in the practicum-students' geographical areas, in collaboration with the practicum instructor and local instructors. Students will produce a portfolio of teaching plans, observation notes, and reflections. Teaching English as a Second Language: Practicum: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Any of the following at UC Berkeley: Education W142 or W140AC; College Writing W143 or W145, or their equivalents elsewhere. These may also be taken simultaneously with this practicum

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W144 after completing COLWRIT 144 . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W144 may be removed by taking COLWRIT 144 .

Summer: 6 weeks - 2 hours of lecture, 2 hours of discussion, and 3.5 hours of fieldwork per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture and two hours of discussion and three and one-half hours of fieldwork per week for 6 weeks.

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W144

Teaching English as a Second Language: Practicum: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 145 Creating Materials for English Language Education 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session An introduction to developing instructional materials and assessment methods in English language teaching in both local and global contexts. This course covers theory and methods behind choosing, adapting, and writing materials that are suitable for diverse populations of English language learners in a variety of academic contexts. Creating Materials for English Language Education: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W145 after completing COLWRIT 145 . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W145 may be removed by taking COLWRIT 145 .

Summer: 6 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 5.5 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture and five and one-half hours of discussion per week for 6 weeks.

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W145

Creating Materials for English Language Education: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 146 Teaching Online in a Global Context 3 Units

Terms offered: Not yet offered This course addresses the skills and knowledge needed as future instructors teaching English online in multiple contexts. Both the possibilities and limitations of online instruction will be addressed. The advantages, of course, include being able to reach a wider audience of learners than previously possible. However, we are still faced with limitations of technology, having to find new ways to engage students, and socio-economic differences in access to technology. Students will develop an online learning module. Teaching Online in a Global Context: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Build the ability to inspire learners, even from a distance Develop an awareness of the limitations of online instruction Develop an understanding of the ways in which technology can be leveraged to teach English Understand how socio-economic factors influence online access and learning

Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 6 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Six hours of lecture and six hours of discussion per week for 6 weeks.

Teaching Online in a Global Context: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 150AC Researching Water in the West: Its Presence, Its Absence, and Its Consequences for the Peoples of California 3 Units

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 150AC after taking 50AC.

COLWRIT 151 Introduction to Principles of Professional Communication 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2017 This course introduces students to key principles and rhetorical strategies of writing texts in non-academic settings. Although the course may address issues of oral communication, the primary focus will be on learning and practicing strategies to generate written documents in a business context. Introduction to Principles of Professional Communication: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Reading and Composition 1A-1B, junior or senior standing during the academic year. No prerequisites in the summer session

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT 151 after completing COLWRIT C151.

Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week. Six hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Instructor: Cole

Introduction to Principles of Professional Communication: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 152 Advanced Professional Communication 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013 In this course, students build upon introductory coursework in professional communication to develop and refine their proficiency in non-academic writing. Students, in teams of three to four, propose and generate authentic workplace documents for a local organization or business; the course culminates in formal presentations. Discussions and activities regarding workplace genres, rhetorical techniques and strategies, and context-specific discourse conventions throughout term. Advanced Professional Communication: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 151

Advanced Professional Communication: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 161 Writing in the Biological Sciences 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2022 Intended for both Biology majors and non-majors, College Writing 161 provides students with a rhetorical framework for understanding the conventions of writing within the Biological Science to help them write more effectively for readers in Biology, as well as for readers outside the field. Exploring ideas of audience, genre, style, and authorship, students will read a wide variety of texts, including critical texts from Rhetoric and Composition that analyze writing in Biology, as well as genres specific to Biology and genres intended for wider audiences (e.g., editorials, grant application letters, explanatory articles). Students will also write a variety of these genres. Writing in the Biological Sciences: Read More [+]

Student Learning Outcomes: This course aims to help students to not only produce better writing for Biology, but to develop a rhetorical awareness they can transfer to other disciplines and writing situations.

Prerequisites: Completion/Satisfaction of the University’s R&C Requirement and at least one course in a biological science. No prerequisites in the Summer Session

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week. Seven and one-half hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Writing in the Biological Sciences: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 171 Writing in the Social Sciences 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Intended for both social sciences majors and non-majors, College Writing 171 provides students with a rhetorical framework for understanding the conventions of writing within the social sciences. The goal is to write more effectively to reach readers both inside and outside the field. Exploring ideas of audience, genre, style, and authorship, students will read a wide variety of texts, including critical texts from rhetoric and composition that analyze writing in the social sciences, as well as genres specific to it, and genres intended for wider audiences (e.g., editorials, grant application letters, explanatory articles). Students will also write a variety of these genres. Writing in the Social Sciences: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Completion of required R&C (R1A/R1B) courses, or permission of the instructor. No prerequisites in the Summer Session

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar per week. Six hours of seminar per week for 6 weeks.

Writing in the Social Sciences: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 175 Players, Spectators & Fanatics: Writing on the Cultures of Sports 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020 This class will examine some of the very best sports journalism with a critical lens, looking at intersections of business, race, culture, disability, gender, performance, technology, politics, social justice, and above all else attention to inquiry through thoughtful writing. At the same time, students will write in a variety of creative nonfiction genres on multimedia platforms, including the writing of a sustained final project on a topic of their own choosing . Players, Spectators & Fanatics: Writing on the Cultures of Sports: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of the Reading and Composition Requirement, or permission of instructor

Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar per week. Seven and one-half hours of seminar per week for 6 weeks.

Players, Spectators & Fanatics: Writing on the Cultures of Sports: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 180 Travel Writing 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2013, Spring 2012 This course focuses on European travel writing in the modern period, bracketed on one end by imperial exploration and expansion and on the other by the experience of comtemporary tourism. Students will write academic essays reflecting on the political, historical, and cultural meanings of travel writing. Travel Writing: Read More [+]

Instructor: Lang

Travel Writing: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 181 Global London 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 This course focuses on the development of London: as a global city, as an amalgam of histories in the modern world as represented in its neighborhoods, museums, and monuments. It presents an understanding of how modern landscape both preserves the past and is remade. Global London: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Fulfillment of both halves of the Reading and Composition requirement. Simultaneous enrollment in Colwrit W181

Summer: 6 weeks - 12 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Twelve hours of lecture per week for 5 weeks.

Global London: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 192AC Advanced Composition: Community-Based Ethics 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013 Communities are challenged by issues of security, poverty, and environmental sustainability. These issues intersect with those of race, class, and culture in U.S. society. This course focuses on ethical decisions as they apply to issues of diversity, sustainable practices, economic impacts on neighborhoods and nations, and issues of security and identity. This course focuses on writing and research skills. Advanced Composition: Community-Based Ethics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the first semester of Reading and Composition

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. Seven and one-half hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.

Advanced Composition: Community-Based Ethics: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 195 Special Topics 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2018 This course covers various writing-related topics. Topics will change from semester to semester. See department website for current information. Special Topics: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 3 weeks - 5-20 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 2-7.5 hours of lecture per week 10 weeks - 1.5-6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: One to four hours of lecture per week. One and one-half to six hours of lecture per week for 10 weeks. Two to seven and one-half hours of lecture per week for 8 weeks. Two and one-half to ten hours of lecture per week for 6 weeks. Five to twenty hours of lecture per week for three weeks.

Special Topics: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2016 Supervised seminar for group study of selected topics. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

COLWRIT 199 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014 Independent study in topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses. Student must initiate topic and present a written proposal. Supervised Independent Study: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor, upper division standing

COLWRIT 200 Writing for Academic Publication 2 Units

Terms offered: Not yet offered This online course aims to help students develop an awareness of the Research Article (RA) genre, different approaches to RA development, and how to navigate the academic publishing process in general. The course is designed for international graduate students (MA and PhD), but may be useful to anyone seeking to develop their RA writing skills. Participants may begin the course at any stage of the research process, but the course will be especially useful to those who already have some data collected. Involvement of the student’s advisor is encouraged, but not mandatory. Writing for Academic Publication: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COLWRIT W200 after completing COLWRIT 200 . A deficient grade in COLWRIT W200 may be removed by taking COLWRIT 200 .

Summer: 10 weeks - 1.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: One and one-half hours of lecture per week for 10 weeks.

Subject/Course Level: College Writing Programs/Graduate

Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.

Instructors: Wald, Martinez

Formerly known as: College Writing Programs W200

Writing for Academic Publication: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 310 Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2006 10 Week Session, Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Summer 2002 10 Week Session This course will allow qualified graduate students an opportunity to teach ESL in both an intensive ESL program and a community-based adult ESL course. Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: One year of graduate study in a TESL/TEFL or related program. Appropriate course work in theory and methods of teaching ESL; instructor permission

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 6 units.

Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Six hours of lecture plus one and one-half hours of discussion, and a minimum of thirteen hours of classroom teaching/assisting per week for six weeks, supervised by one or more lead teachers.

Subject/Course Level: College Writing Programs/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers

Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language: Read Less [-]

COLWRIT 375 Introduction to Theories and Practices of Teaching College Composition 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020 The course will focus on teaching philosophies, course designs, instructional methods, and assessment issues in relation to teaching composition in a pluralistic setting. Introduction to Theories and Practices of Teaching College Composition: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Appointment as GSI or consent of instructor

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture/discussion per week.

Formerly known as: College Writing 300

Introduction to Theories and Practices of Teaching College Composition: Read Less [-]

Contact Information

119 Wheeler Hall #2500

Phone: 510-642-5570

[email protected]

Program Director

Maggie Sokolik

[email protected]

Program Manager

Daniel Pham

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• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Declaring and completing, declaring the creative writing minor.

Students must declare the minor no later than the term before their Expected Graduation Term (EGT) as posted on their My Academics page in CalCentral.

To be eligible to declare the minor, students must have completed or be enrolled in after the fourth week of the semester two approved creative writing courses or one approved creative writing course and one approved literature course for the minor.

To declare the minor, students must complete a Creative Writing Minor Declaration Form no later than the Friday of the RRR week of the semester before their EGT. If the term before their EGT is summer, the declaration form is due the last Friday of Summer Sessions. If the declaration application is approved, Creative Writing will be added as a minor program to the student’s My Academics page in CalCentral.

Completing the Creative Writing Minor

Declared students, who have or will be completing the minor by taking the five required courses and satisfying all minor requirements, must complete a  Completion of L&S Minor Form  during their Expected Graduation Term (EGT) as posted on their My Academics page in CalCentral. In most cases, major advisor(s) signatures on the forms are needed before the forms are submitted. Email the completed forms to Laura Demir at [email protected] no later than the Friday of the RRR week. If the completion of the minor is confirmed, the Creative Writing Minor will appear on the student’s final transcript. It will not appear on the diploma.

Announcements

• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Fall 2023
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2023-24
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.
• Completion of L&S Minor Form – Must complete during EGT.

Art of Writing

Berkeley language center, berkeley writing | college writing program, comparative literature, creative writing, east asian languages and cultures, school of journalism, slavic languages and literatures, south and southeast asian studies, spanish and portuguese, digital humanities, future histories lab, holloway reading series, lunch poems, poetry for the people, townsend center for the humanities, berkeley art museum and pacific film archive, reva and david logan gallery of documentary photography, the magnes collection of jewish art and life, university libraries, student clubs, asuc - arts and design groups, berkeley fiction review, berkeley poetry review, cal literature & arts magazine, comparative literature undergraduate journal, ground up journal, her campus at berkeley, maganda magazine, room one thousand, spoon university at berkeley, the folio: english academic journal, the heuristic squelch, undergraduate journal of classics at berkeley, words in action annual event.

Art of Writing at UC Berkeley celebrates writing as a teachable art that requires critical thinking and reading and that demands patience and careful revision. Intimate undergraduate seminars of 15 students, led by Berkeley faculty member and graduate student teams, are at the heart of the program. These seminars prepare students to communicate lucidly in a variety of styles in collaborative communities across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and professional schools. Topics include food writing, popular cultural criticism, and the built environment.

Founded in 1994, the Berkeley Language Center (BLC) is a department in the Division of Arts and Humanities of the College of Letters and Science. The BLC’s mission is to support the learning and teaching of heritage and foreign languages on the Berkeley campus and, where appropriate, in the University of California system.

We teach writing as a craft, and work with students at all levels of expertise, from those wishing to satisfy the University's composition requirements, through intermediate writers looking to expand their horizons, to seasoned scribes who want to hone their skills in our upper-division courses.

The literature of Greco-Roman antiquity never gets old.  In the Department of Classics, a world-renowned center of innovative research and inspiring teaching, students explore the masterpieces of classical literature, discovering how these texts continue to shape the ways we write, read, and think. Courses, in translation and in the original languages, incorporate mythology, epic, lyric, tragedy, the novel, the poetry of desire, sexualities, and much more.

A vibrant home for the study of literatures and cultures from a transnational and cross-cultural perspective. We offer innovative, interdisciplinary programs in literature, art, and global cultures, with courses in creative writing, literary translation, and a new artist residency.

The Creative Writing Minor Program at the University of California, Berkeley is offered by the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Undergraduate Division of the College of Letters and Science. The approved courses students take to satisfy the minor course requirements are offered by over thirty departments on campus. Interested undergraduate students in any major may earn an interdepartmental minor in Creative Writing by completing three approved upper-division creative writing courses and two approved upper-division literature courses from any department that offers them, satisfying the minor requirements, and declaring the minor.

East Asian Languages and Cultures is the core department for East Asian Humanities on campus, and home to the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Tibetan language programs, offering over one quarter of the total languages courses on campus.

The UC Berkeley Department of English has a long history of scholarly engagement, intellectual provocation, and literary creativity. They have been consistently ranked the top English program in the country.

For its undergraduate majors and minors and its graduate students the Berkeley French Department provides thorough coverage in the traditional, historically based divisions of French literature and culture, as well as in francophone literatures. It blends this coverage with the study of a wide array of related fields and topics – from literary history and theory to philosophy, to social and cultural theory, to historical and contemporary linguistics, to the study of gender and sexuality, historiography, visual arts and film, music, popular culture, and politics.

The German Department at Berkeley has a dozen faculty members, several lecturers, and more than thirty graduate students in German literature and Germanic linguistics. They offer a full-fledged lower- and upper-division German language program, and teach courses in German literature on subjects ranging from the Middle Ages to the present. In addition, they study larger issues such as national identity, modernity, historicity, subjectivity, translation, gender, and multiculturalism from a comparative perspective that is informed by contemporary theory and cultural studies.

The Department of Italian Studies includes some of the most distinguished scholars and representatives of Italy, its language, literature, history, and culture. The Department is widely acknowledged to be one of the leaders and innovators in our field in North America and internationally. Students can choose to participate in a Major, Minor or PhD program with the department. 

The Department of Rhetoric is a leading center for interdisciplinary research and teaching in the humanities and social sciences, committed to the study of rhetorical traditions from the classical to the contemporary eras.

The Graduate School of Journalism teaches the skills required to produce stories in the public interest, through photojournalism, documentary film, audio storytelling and multimedia. Alums have won virtually every major industry award and steer the country's top news organizations.

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures studies and teaches the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Russian and other Slavic peoples and their immediate neighbors in East and Central Europe (Hungary and Romania) as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia (hence the terms “Eurasia” and “Eurasian”).

The Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies offers training in 14 languages, and undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the histories, religions, cultures and textual traditions of a third of the world’s population. Their faculty specializes in all periods from the classical to the modern, in the fields of literature, history, and religious studies, and conducts research in India, Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers an abundance of opportunities to learn and achieve mastery of the languages and cultures we study, which include Catalan, Nahuatl, Portuguese, Romance Studies and Spanish.

Digital Humanities at Berkeley is a partnership between the Office of the Dean of Arts and Humanities and Research IT in the Office of the CIO. It is supported by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

Future Histories Lab is a UC Berkeley program that aims to reveal hidden histories and help us imagine and build better futures. We work with community organizations to research issues of interest to them and present the research publicly–through websites, exhibitions, installations, and other means.

The Holloway Series has established a tradition of poetry on campus to celebrate the works of renowned and rising contemporary poets, and provides an opportunity for poets from the UC Berkeley campus community to read alongside a featured poet.

The Lunch Poems series is under the direction of Professor Robert Hass. Support for this series is provided by Dr. and Mrs. Tom Colby, the Library, The Morrison Library Fund, the dean's office of the College of Letters and Sciences, the English Department, and the Townsend Center for the Humanities. These events are also partially supported by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.

Poetry for the People (P4P) at UC Berkeley is an arts/activism program, founded by the late June Jordan in 1991. P4P continues to pursue Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of a beloved community for all. P4P has an academic focus on the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry, and the program also engages in bridging the gap between the university and the larger community, working with teens and young adults, schools, and community organizations, and activist projects in the greater Bay Area.

The Townsend Center for the Humanities fosters innovative work in the arts, humanities, and interpretive social sciences. The Center sponsors rich public programming, offers fellowship and grant support, and leads interdisciplinary academic initiatives.

The UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) is the visual arts center of UC Berkeley presenting more than 20 art exhibitions and 450 films annually. BAMPFA's mission is to inspire the imagination and ignite critical dialogue through art and film.

Located in Bancroft Library, the Reva and David Logan Gallery for Documentary Photography presents an exceptional and rare collection of photography books and features exhibitions. 

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life is one of the world's preeminent Jewish collections in a university setting, and provides highly innovative and accessible resources about the Jews in the Global Diaspora and the American West to both researchers and visitors.

The UC Berkeley Library connects students and scholars to the world of information and ideas. With a daily commitment to excellence and innovation, the libraries select and create, organize and protect, provide and teach access to resources that are relevant to our campus programs and pursuits. The Library consists of twenty-three libraries and special collections. 

The Associated Students of the University of California is the official representative organization of students at UC Berkeley. Founded in 1887, it is one of the largest and most autonomous students' associations in the nation.  ASUC is  passionate about student voice and student self-governance on the UC Berkeley campus and throughout our communities.

BFC is a literary magazine dedicated to publishing experimental and artistic short fiction.

Berkeley Poetry Review (BPR) is the University of California, Berkeley’s longest running poetry journal, having been published annually since 1974. It has earned the distinction of being one of the premier student-managed journals in the country.

The Cal Literature & Arts Magazine (CLAM) is a bi-annual journal of poetry, prose and artwork composed of submissions from the UC Berkeley undergraduate & graduate student bodies in addition to expository articles on local art and culture written by CLAM staff. The CLAM staff and editors meet weekly to review submissions, and plan events and fundraisers.

Established in 2001, CalSLAM hosts poetry workshops, open mics, and slam competitions open to the campus and greater Bay Area community. Our mission is to create a safe space for students and community members to explore and share themselves, their experiences and their world through words.   

Through a collaborative staff effort, Chévere aims to celebrate the latinx presence in political, social, and artistic spheres of the UC Berkeley campus.

The UCB Comparative Literature Undergraduate Journal will showcase the best undergraduate work in comparative literature across the nation as well as highlight more contemplative writing by students regarding multicultural issues, culture shock, or transnational experiences such as studying abroad.

The DeCal Program (or just DeCal) is an aggregate of student-run courses at the University of California, Berkeley – here, students create and facilitate their own classes on a variety of subjects, many of which are not addressed in the traditional curriculum.  

Ground Up is the student journal of the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning at University of California at Berkeley and an examination of a critical theme arising from the tension between contemporary landscape architecture, ecology and pressing cultural issues.

Her Campus is the #1 new-media brand for the empowered college woman. Written entirely by the world's top college journalists – with 7,000+ contributors and counting – HerCampus.com features national Style, Beauty, Health, Love, Life, Career, Entertainment, News, DIY, LGBTQ+, High School, and After College content supplemented by local content from 300+ campus chapters nationwide and in eight countries.

{m}aganda is the longest running Filipino-American literary arts publication in the nation. They come from a heritage of Filipino / Fil-Am artists and cover a variety of topics. 

Twice a year Qui Parle publishes provocative articles covering a range of outstanding theoretical and critical work in the humanities and social sciences. Founded in 1986 by an editorial board at the University of California at Berkeley, and published by the University of Nebraska Press, the journal aims not only to foster dialogue across the disciplines but also to introduce hitherto under-examined analytic modes and underrepresented critical voices.

Room One Thousand is dedicated to interdisciplinary research and discourse around the topic of architecture. they are based in the College of Environmental Design at Berkeley.

Spoon University at Berkeley is an on-campus e-publication that will create weekly food articles online and host several food-related events throughout the semester. Our publication will give students a way to share, learn, & teach each other about food.

“The Folio” is a student-run academic journal of the English Undergraduate Association. It publishes short undergraduate student-written literary analysis essays.

The shame of UC Berkeley for over 20 years, The Heuristic Squelch attempts to carry on the grand tradition of The Pelican before it in bringing laughter and cheer to our esteemed university.

The Berkeley Undergraduate Journal of Classics is committed to the progress and proliferation of scholarship in the field of Classics and to providing a common medium through which undergraduates from all relevant disciplines can actively engage in one another’s work. In order to establish a channel for interdepartmental exchange and collaboration, we seek to publish exceptional papers and translations from a wide range of fields pertaining to Classics and the world of the ancient Mediterranean.

Words in Action is a multilingual student performance taking place every year at the end of April. It is open to all UC Berkeley students taking a foreign language, at any level. Students participating in the event will work in the language of their choice with a language instructor. You will learn to perform in front of a live audience and experience the thrill of doing it in a foreign language. You will greatly improve your speaking skills and have fun at the same time in a highly collaborative environment. The event will include ONE 10-15 minute performance per language. 

Arts+Design Initiative Fund

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Writing Studies at University of California - Berkeley

Here, you'll find out more about the major, including such details as the number of graduates, what degree levels are offered, ethnicity of students, average salaries, and more. Also, learn how UC Berkeley ranks among other schools offering degrees in writing.

Go directly to any of the following sections:

• Available Degrees
• Student Debt
• Student Demographics
• Related Majors

Featured Writing Studies Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

BA in Creative Writing & English

Develop your creativity and gain practical skills with a creative writing degree program –featuring 100% online classes – through a bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

Writing Studies Degrees Available at UC Berkeley

• Bachelor’s Degree in Writing
• Doctorate Degree in Writing

UC Berkeley Writing Rankings

In College Factual's most recent rankings for the best schools for writing majors , UC Berkeley came in at #6. This puts it in the top 5% of the country in this field of study. It is also ranked #1 in California .

Popularity of Writing at UC Berkeley

During the 2020-2021 academic year, University of California - Berkeley handed out 56 bachelor's degrees in writing studies. This is a decrease of 5% over the previous year when 59 degrees were handed out.

How Much Do Writing Graduates from UC Berkeley Make?

Salary of writing graduates with a bachelor's degree.

Writing majors who earn their bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley go on to jobs where they make a median salary of $41,090 a year. This is higher than $27,021, which is the national median for all writing bachelor's degree recipients.

How Much Student Debt Do Writing Graduates from UC Berkeley Have?

Student debt of writing graduates with a bachelor's degree.

While getting their bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, writing students borrow a median amount of $14,037 in student loans. This is not too bad considering that the median debt load of all writing bachelor's degree recipients across the country is $25,999.

UC Berkeley Writing Students

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the writing majors at University of California - Berkeley.

UC Berkeley Writing Studies Bachelor’s Program

Of the 56 students who earned a bachelor's degree in Writing Studies from UC Berkeley in 2020-2021, 39% were men and 61% were women.

The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from University of California - Berkeley with a bachelor's in writing.

Most Popular Majors Related to Writing

View All Writing Studies Related Majors >

• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By LAgirl5252 under License

More about our data sources and methodologies .

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