Alexandra Tashman
Writing is perhaps the most essential skill college students must master today. Not everyone needs to grasp chemistry, understand economic fluctuations or even memorize names of famous battles. But every student needs to write, and write well.
Yet it appears this skill set is undervalued by both universities and college students. According to research by the Partnership for the Study of Writing in College, 42 percent of college seniors had to “argue a position using evidence and reasoning” in most or all of their written assignments.
This statistic is baffling. It implies that throughout a four-year undergraduate education, the majority of students either had to write assignments that did not require much critical thinking and research, or simply did not have to write analytical assignments at all.
While writing requirements here at UCLA do demand a higher level of engagement and proficiency from students than the statistic would suggest, our general education curriculum should include an upper-division writing requirement to ensure every Bruin leaves campus with a writing proficiency applicable to their future discipline.
UCLA’s writing requirements are fairly straightforward. In addition to the University of California entry requirement, students must also take courses in writing levels I and II, or have fulfilled criteria that allow them to place out of those classes.
More can be done to ensure that students graduate with a firm grasp on analytical writing ““ whether that skill is put to use writing graduate school personal statements, law briefings or articles for a scientific journal.
UCLA’s requirements have been consistently improving in comparison to other University of California campuses.
“A little over 10 years ago, UCLA had the weakest writing requirements of all the UCs,” said Bruce Beiderwell, director of the UCLA Writing Center and Writing Programs.
But now, our requirements are similar to those of UC Berkeley and UC Davis, and in some areas, are weaker than those at UC San Diego.
In other words, there is room for growth.
The Eleanor Roosevelt College at UC San Diego requires that students take one upper-division course that has a “significant writing component in English.”
The list of classes that fulfill this requirement fall mainly within the humanities and the social sciences. Students can also petition for a class not on the list to count toward the writing requirement by submitting one or more papers for review.
Another option for a more intensive writing curriculum could come in the form of a campus-wide upper-division writing course offered by every department and tailored to the student’s field.
One part of these courses should be instruction in practical writing styles applicable in situations after graduation such as research grants, proposals and academic journals.
“I think writing helps improve your ability to communicate, no matter what your career,” said Chloe Groome, a second-year physics student. “Not to generalize, but I’ve met many of my fellow South Campus majors who are basically writing-illiterate, which is a problem that needs to be addressed.”
Ideally, this requirement would be taken during a student’s third year, thereby allowing time to hone and craft this skill before writing cover letters for job applications or personal statements for graduate school.
At this stage in a student’s academic career, literary analysis ““ often the focal point of the current writing requirements ““ isn’t imperative, but comprehensive communication skills are.
Good writing is a multidisciplinary advantage. True, English students should and must write more than engineers, but writing skills are essential for strengthening argumentation and organization.
It takes a varied skill set to become a successful chemist or engineer, but strong writing can set you apart from your peers with polished grant proposals, job applications and work in academic journals.
There’s little question that adding new courses in a time of fiscal need is difficult, but writing instruction is an imperative part of student growth and development.
Email Tashman at atashman@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to opinion@media.ucla.edu or tweet us @DBOpinion.