W3 Requirement
Writing 3 (W3) courses (typically 3000- and 4000-level) build upon your earlier work in WRI 1000 and W2 courses by providing instruction in the technical and stylistic requirements of writing appropriate to a particular discipline.
Students entering SPU with freshman or sophomore standing are required to complete a minimum of 5 credits in W3 courses prior to graduation.
W3 Course Standards
To be a W3 course, courses must:
- identify itself as a W3 on the course syllabus
- Include one or more outcomes on the syllabus related to writing
- include revision as a substantial component of the course, as reflected by the course calendar
- meet the following disciplinary-specific page requirements. Note: an assignment here can be a wide range of tasks: a research proposal, a literature review, an annotated bibliography, a research paper, a cover letter, a memo, a resume, a technical report, a specs sheet, a short story, an artist’s statement, a grant application, etc.
ARTS (Art, Music)
5-credit course: at least 4 assignments totaling together at least 8 revised pages (2,000 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
3-credit course: at least 3 assignments totaling together at least 6 revised pages (1,500 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
STEM: (Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering & Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Food & Nutritional Sciences, Mechanical & General Engineering, Data Science, Physics, Physiology, Math, Health Sciences, Nursing)
5-credit course: at least 3 assignments totaling together at least 12 revised pages (3,000 words; figures included) with extensive revision throughout the quarter
2- and 3-credit courses: at least 2 assignments totaling together at least 8 revised pages (2,000 words; figures included) with extensive revision throughout the quarter
1-credit course: at least 2 assignments totaling together at least revised 6 pages (1,500 words; figures included) with extensive revision throughout the quarter
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology; Family & Consumer Sciences; Education; Psychology; Business, Government, & Economics)
Research-based, 5-credit course: at least 2 assignments totaling together at least revised 12 pages (3,000 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
Research-based, 3-credit course: at least 2 assignments totaling together at least revised 6 pages (1,500 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
Applied/Technical, 5-credit course: at least 2 assignments totaling together at least revised 6 pages (1,500 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
HUMANITIES (Communication; English; History; Language, Cultures, & Linguistics; Philosophy; Theology)
5-credit course: at least 3 assignments totaling together at least revised 12 pages (3,000 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
3-credit course: at least 2 assignments totaling together at least revised 8 pages (2,000 words), with extensive revision throughout the quarter
Applying for the W3 Attribute for your Class
If you are applying to add a W3 attribute to your class, you will need to answer the following questions in Courseleaf:
- How does this course build on the course outcomes for WRI 1000 and W2 courses of rhetorical knowledge, critical inquiry, process, and conventions?
- How does this course fit within your major’s overall offerings pertaining to writing instruction?
- What kinds of writing will students do in this course?
- How do these assignments fulfill the W3 standards as established by your disciplinary cluster?
- Please submit a syllabus that explicitly identifies this course as W3, includes at least one course outcome related to writing within the discipline, lists the main writing assignments of the course, and shows where students will revise their writing.