Undergraduate ProgramsProfessional Writing Minor

Fall 2024 Courses

Please note that many of our Professional Writing instructors spend Fall quarter teaching lower-division writing courses to meet the needs of new UCLA students. We therefore offer fewer PWM courses in the Fall than in the Winter or Spring. PWM students should please plan accordingly.

 

For a tentative list of 2024-2025 course offerings, click here. Please note that the courses listed for Winter/Spring 2025 are not final and are subject to change. Please see below for detailed descriptions for Fall 2024.

Fall 2024- Professional Writing Core Courses

Professional Writing: Digital Writing and Web Literacy

English Composition 130A / Prof. Samuelson

Emphasis on writing for digital environments such as websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media. Common professional settings for these skills include journalism, political campaigns, Internet marketing, and corporate communication.

Professional Writing: Science and Technology

English Composition 130C/ Prof. Hartenberger

Emphasis on communicating complex technical concepts and scientific research findings in clear and accessible way to non-specialist audiences

 

Fall 2024- Professional Writing Electives in English or English Composition

First-Person Writing for Aspiring Professional Writers

Variable Topics in Professional Writing
English 110V / Prof. Allmendinger

This course will prepare students who want to submit first-person writings to journals and magazines that publish works by and for young adults.  Examples of such works include memoirs, humor, opinion pieces, and cultural criticism.  We will study the marketplace to discover which outlets appeal to students, how to submit to those publishers, how to write a cover letter, and how to develop relationships with editors.  Most importantly, we will spend the quarter writing and revising potential submissions, with the goal of submitting a piece to the students’ chosen venues by the end of the quarter.  Requirements include attendance and participation, as well as a final revised piece of writing.

The course requisite is ENGL 4W. Students in the Professional Writing minor who have completed alternate Writing II credit may contact the English undergraduate advising office to enroll.

Writing in the English Major: Analytical

English 110A / Prof. Stephan

In this course, designed specifically for English majors but now open to students from all majors, you will learn to build on your skills and abilities as a writer of literary and cultural analyses. You’ll find ways to ask richer literary questions, develop more nuanced analyses of complex texts, and shape your own voice as a writer. We’ll focus on literary arguments and begin with this basic question: what constitutes a good, rich, complex question in literary analysis? What makes a substantial topic that might lead to a top-notch persuasive argument? Because good writing (and thus good argumentation) is also a process, we will practice creation, revision, contemplation, and editing, as well as seeking and giving feedback. Throughout the course, we will workshop writing exercises with the goal of making ourselves and others more comfortable and more successful as writers of good academic prose.

This course counts as an elective for the Professional Writing minor. The course requisite is ENGL 4W. Students in the Professional Writing minor who have completed alternate Writing II credit may contact the English undergraduate advising office to enroll.

Westwind Journal

Undergraduate Practicum in English
English M192.1 / Prof. Wilson

This course is for the staff of Westwind, UCLA’s Journal for the Arts. If you are interested in joining the Westwind staff, please familiarize yourself with the journal at www.westwind.ucla.edu, and come to the first Fall meeting (time and day posted in the Schedule of Classes)!

 

Fall 2024- Professional Writing Extra-departmental Electives

Please consult the reference list of eligible extra-departmental electives here, then refer to the UCLA Schedule of Classes for availability.

 

Fall 2024- Professional Writing Capstone Requirement

The PWM capstone seminar, EngComp M185, is offered in the Spring quarter only.

Declared minors will be invited to a capstone information session in their junior or senior year (click here to view the most recent info session slides.)

Students who acquire an internship with professional writing duties in the junior or senior year may apply for ENGL 195CE capstone credit via the Center for Community Engagement. To learn about ENGL 195CE enrollment for the 24 – 25 academic year, consult the 195CE Quick Guide for AY 24.25.

Graduating in Fall 2024? Contact Sara Hosegera at shosegera@humnet.ucla.edu.