Registration Policies for English Classes

These are courses for English Language Learners (ELL), offered by the UW English Language Programs Office. They can be reached at (206) 543-6242 or uwelp@pce.uw.edu. The English Department does not administer these courses, which are designed for non native speakers of English.

This course is offered as part of Early Fall Start; it's a "writing ready" course for incoming students. Students sign up through the Early Fall Start office.

ENGL 109-110 is a two-part English composition series offered for students in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) only.

Students seeking add codes should view notes next to the course in the Time Schedule to find out when and where to seek add codes, or contact the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMAD).

All registration for these courses is through MyUW. There are no add codes, no overloads, no exceptions. If you cannot register through MyUW, this is because the course is full or because registration is restricted to certain groups (Freshman Interest Groups/FIGs, English Language Learners/ELL Students, etc.). Check the Time Schedule notes for the section you're trying to sign up for to find out what those restrictions are.

Example:

If the section of ENGL 111, 121, 131, or 182 that you want to take is full, there is no way around it. Instructors will not have add codes. Overloads are not ever permitted. Keep watching enrollment to see if someone drops, and if you do see a spot open up, you can register through MyUW. Otherwise, plan to take a different section, or plan to take the course the following quarter.

If you are trying to sign up for an English composition class, but it seems that everything requires an add code or is already full, please visit our page on Strategies for Satisfying the English Composition Requirement.

If the class is not full but you are being given a message by MyUW about not meeting prerequisites, this probably means that you have already taken one class from the series ENGL 111, 121, 131, or 182 (either at the UW or through transfer equivalency) and earned a grade of at least 2.0. Students may take no more than one course from this group. The registration system will not allow you to sign up for a second course in this series if there is already one on your UW transcript or transfer record with a grade of 2.0 ("C") or better. If this applies to you, you'll want to choose another class from outside this group that fulfills the English Composition requirement (ENGL 197, 198, 199, C LIT 240, ENGL 297, 298, 299, ENGL 281, 282, 381, or 382).

If you have earned a 2.0 or above in one of these classes, you do not need to take another one. You have already satisfied the UW's English Composition Requirement.

ENGL 197, 198, 199, 297, 298, 299 are offered by the Interdisciplinary Writing Program (IWP). These courses are not "free standing" -- they are writing links that are paired with other courses across the curriculum and must be taken concurrently (10 cr). Examples are ART H 201 paired with ENGL 197, or HIST 111 paired with ENGL 198. Students must take both courses in the pair. Check the Time Schedule to see which courses in other departments are linked with ENGL 197, 198, 199, 297, 298, 299.

Examples:

All registration is through MyUW. No add codes are required for these courses. If an IWP course you want to take is full, check with the instructor to see if overloads are possible. This is best done by attending class on the first day.

ENGL 281: Students can register for ENGL 281 through MyUW without add codes. In general, there are no overloads, but students can check with the instructor on the first day of class. This course has no prerequisites, though prior completion of a 100-level English composition course is recommended.

ENGL 381, 481: These courses are often restricted to English majors only during Period 1 registration. Check the quarterly Time Schedule to find out when majors and non majors can register. Registration is normally through MyUW with no add code required. If an add code is required, check the Time Schedule to find out where to seek one. If the class is full, check with the instructor about overloads. This is generally best done on the first day of class. These courses have no prerequisites, but since they are advanced courses, significant prior writing experience is recommended.

ENGL 481 is often offered concurrently with EDUC 401 as part of the Community Literacy Program. This is a program for prospective K-12 teachers and includes a service learning component in the public schools.

ENGL 282, 382: These are courses on writing for the web. ENGL 282 has no prerequisites. Students can register without an add code through MyUW. If the course is full, check with the instructor. ENGL 382 requires the prerequisite ENGL 282, but if students have had some equivalent experiences, in the classroom or outside the classroom, the instructor is sometimes willing to waive the prerequisite. Write to the instructor for permission.

ENGL 471, the Theory & Practice of Teaching Writing, is a course designed for future middle- and high-school teachers, covering composition theory & pedagogy and including a service-learning component in the public schools. Check the Time Schedule for instructions. There is generally a URL printed with the course listing through which you can request an add code:

Composition: the UW requires 5 credits in an approved English composition course. Only a small number of courses are approved, and they include C LIT 240, ENGL 109 + 110, ENGL 111, 121, 131, 182, 197, 198, 199, 297, 298, 299, HONORS 205, HONORS 305, and a few specialized upper-division courses. You need to complete just one 5-credit course from this group in order to fulfill this requirement. English composition, or "C" credit, is a fixed general education designation for courses in this group: if a course counts for "C" credit, it does so every quarter.

If you are trying to sign up for an English composition class, but it seems that everything requires an add code or is already full, please visit our page on Strategies for Satisfying the English Composition Requirement.

"W" Writing Credit: the UW also requires 10 credits in Additional Writing ("W" courses). If you have already taken more than 5 credits in English composition, the excess credits will spill into the "W" Writing requirement automatically; however, you do NOT need to limit yourself to the short list of approved English composition courses in order to fulfill your "W" Writing requirement.

Hundreds of courses each quarter across the entire UW curriculum, from English to Music to Engineering to Math, carry "W" Writing credit that can be used to satisfy the Additional Writing ("W") Requirement. If you are looking for open "W" courses, use the Time Schedule's General Education Search page. Unlike the "C" English composition designation, which is permanently affixed to a small group of courses, the "W" Writing designation is not permanently attached to any particular course: some quarters, a course may be offered for "W" credit while in other quarters it may not be. This is because the "W" designation is dependent upon how each instructor decides to teach his or her section of the course, and how his or her writing assignments fall within in the UW's "W" Writing Criteria. For any given course, this can vary from quarter to quarter and even from section to section. Be sure to check the Time Schedule "Notes" section to make sure that a particular course has been designated as "W" credit:

Beginning verse (ENGL 283) and beginning short story (ENGL 284) are usually restricted to English majors only during Period 1 registration, opening up to non majors during Period 2 registration. Check the quarterly Time Schedule to find out when majors and non majors can register. No add codes are required; registration is through MyUW.

ENGL 283 and 284 are not open to students with senior standing (those whose earned and in-progress credits add up to 135 or more). There are no exceptions to this policy.

During Period 1 registration, add codes are sometimes available to English premajors (those who have completed, or are in the process of completing, English major prerequisites ENGL 301 and 297) a couple of weeks into pre-registration. Check the Time Schedule for the URL through which English premajors can make these requests.

If ENGL 283 and 284 are full, there are generally no overloads. No add codes are available, though students are welcome to attend the first day of class and ask the instructor for permission to enroll in the event that another student drops.

ENGL 285, Writers on Writing, is open to everyone and does not require an entry code during Periods 1 and 2 registration. You can add the class through MyUW if there is space available. If the class is full, plan to attend on the first day and ask the instructor about the possibility of adding the course. Note that this course is not applicable to the English major.

Students who wish to take either ENGL 383 (craft of verse) or ENGL 384 (craft of prose) must have first completed both ENGL 283 and ENGL 284.

Enrollment for these classes is through MyUW. These classes are usually restricted to English majors only during Period 1 registration. Other students who have fulfilled both prerequisites may register for available spaces once Period 2 registration begins.

There is sometimes a restriction for the first 10 days of Period 1 allowing Creative Writing Majors to have first priority. Check the Time Schedule for restrictions and instructions for requesting an add code.

If the class is full, check with the instructor on the first day of class. These classes are rarely overloaded.

The 400-level creative writing workshops in verse, short story, novel writing, playwriting, and screenwriting, along with the independent conference in creative writing, are restricted to students who have been competitively admitted to the Creative Writing Option in the English major.

Spaces are sometimes allotted in ENGL 487 (screenwriting) for students majoring in Drama or Cinema Studies. Check the Time Schedule for information, or check with your academic adviser in your major.

Creative writing students: see the 400-level Creative Writing workshop registration instruction page for instructions on registering for these courses.

Non English majors: most of these classes are open to any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior during Period 1 registration, and to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors during Period 2 registration*. Students can register for available spots through MyUW. No add codes are required until Period 3 registration (starting the first day of the quarter). If you find that a course is requiring an add code, check the Time Schedule to learn who qualifies for an add code and how to request one. *Seniors who are not English majors may contact Humanities Academic Services advisor during Period 2 registration for an add code if there is still space available.

If the class is full, keep watching enrollment through MyUW in the hope that a spot will open up for you. If not, plan to attend class on the first day and ask the instructor for an add code.

During Period 3 registration (starting the first day of the quarter), add codes are required. Plan to attend class on the first day and speak with the instructor.

English majors: many of these classes are not open to English majors during Period 1 registration. Thereafter, freshmen, sophomore, and junior English majors may register; senior English majors may not register for some of these classes. Check the Time Schedule for restrictions on particular classes.

ENGL 301 is the prerequisite lecture for the English major and it must be taken concurrently with one of the paired sections of ENGL 297. These courses are open to all students unless they are part of a FIG or a TrIG*; add codes are not required. Students should register through MyUW for the ENGL 301 lecture, an ENGL 301 quiz section, and one of the appropriately-linked sections of ENGL 297 (see the Time Schedule notes to find out which sections of ENGL 297 are linked to ENGL 301). If the class is full, keep watching enrollment in the hope that another student will drop, or plan to attend class on the first day and ask the instructor for permission to add.

*If the section you are interested in is part of a FIG (Freshman Interest Group) or a TrIG (Transfer Interest Group), then in general you cannot take this section unless you sign up for the FIG or TrIG. FIGs and TrIGs are offered in autumn quarter only. Contact Humanities Academic Services advisor for more information.

Many 300-level English courses are restricted to ENGL majors Period 1 registration. Most courses which are restricted to ENGL majors only become available to non-majors beginning in Period 2 (about five weeks into the pre-registration process). Upper-division courses, even those with space available, are closed except by instructor permission in Period 3 (which begins on the first day of school). Add codes may be available from the instructor during Period 3 (beginning on the first day of classes for the quarter).

A note about levels: if English is not your major, plan to speak with an Humanities Academic Services advisor or the instructor to ask if you are sufficiently prepared for a 300- or 400-level course. Some 300- and 400-level classes are accessible to non English majors, while other courses may prove extremely challenging to students who do not have a background in literature or theory.

These courses require a prerequisite of either ENGL 370 or LING 200. Sometimes the instructor is willing to make exceptions for students who have other preparation or backgrounds. Check with the instructor for permission to add if you do not have the prerequisite completed. If you have completed the prerequisite, you may register through MyUW without an add code.

Many 400-level English courses are restricted to ENGL majors Period 1 registration. Most courses which are restricted to ENGL majors only become available to non-majors beginning in Period 2 (about five weeks into the pre-registration process). Upper-division courses, even those with space available, are closed except by instructor permission in Period 3 (which begins on the first day of school). Add codes may be available from the instructor during Period 3 (beginning on the first day of classes for the quarter).

A note about levels: if English is not your major, plan to speak with a Humanities Academic Services advisor or the instructor to ask if you are sufficiently prepared for a 300- or 400-level course. Some 300- and 400-level classes are accessible to non English majors, while other courses may prove extremely challenging to students who do not have a background in literature or theory .

ENGL 471, the Theory & Practice of Teaching Writing, is a course designed for future middle- and high-school teachers, covering composition theory & pedagogy and including a service-learning component in the public schools. Check the Time Schedule for instructions. There is generally a URL printed with the course listing through which you can request an add code:

These classes are restricted to students in the English Honors Program only. Contact the honors coordinator for add codes if you are an English Honors student.

Information about finding internships and signing up for credit is available on our Internship pages.

Students wishing to enroll in an independent writing conference must make individual arrangements with English Department faculty to complete an independent study in expository writing. Faculty must be professors or acting instructors: TAs cannot supervise independent projects. These are designed for advanced students with specific proposals in mind and with faculty mentorship already lined up: they are not a substitute for regularly-offered English composition and writing classes. If you have obtained permission from an English Department professor to complete an independent writing project under his/her supervision, contact the Humanities Academic Services Center.

Students who have already been admitted to the Creative Writing Option in the English major may approach Creative Writing Program faculty to arrange an independent study. Faculty must be professors or acting instructors: TAs cannot supervise independent projects. You should have a specific project in mind: these independent studies are not a substitute for regularly-offered creative writing classes in your major. Creative Writing students may count no more than 5 credits in ENGL 493 toward their majors. If you have obtained permission from a Creative Writing Program faculty member to complete an independent project under his/her supervision, contact the Creative Writing Office: (206) 543-9865.

Note: If you are considering an independent study, you should have a specific, advanced academic project in mind, and it should be one that cannot be completed in a regularly-offered English course. Independent studies (also referred to as undergraduate research experiences) are for advanced students only; they are not substitutes for regular classes.

To set up an independent study, approach the faculty member with whom you'd like to work and ask for permission to study independently with him/her. It is best to approach faculty who know you; they are more likely to agree to work with you, being familiar with your work and your academic capacities. Only regular faculty can supervise independent projects; TAs are not eligible.

It is also important to approach a faculty member whose own academic interests relate to your project (e.g., if you're interested in researching and writing about a particular Shakespeare play, approach someone who teaches Shakespeare or who specializes in Elizabethan literature). For a list of English faculty with their academic interests, click here.

For more information, visit our Undergraduate Research page.