What is
Subject A?
The University of
California requires every undergraduate student to demonstrate
college-level proficiency in English composition. Satisfaction of the
Subject A requirement is prerequisite to all other undergraduate
courses in English and must be fulfilled before General Education
courses can count toward the General Education Writing Experience
Requirement.
How do I
fulfill the Subject A requirement? The requirement may be met in one of the following ways:
How do
out-of-state students fulfill the Subject A requirement?
Out-of-state
students will be able to take the Subject A Examination during
Orientation Week at UCD.
How do
students admitted late fulfill the Subject A requirement at UC Davis?
Students admitted
late will be able to take the Subject A Examination during
Orientation Week at UCD.
How many times
am I allowed to take the Subject A Examination?
Initially, only
once. If you took the Subject A Exam in May and failed, you may
not take the exam again; you must enroll in English 57
(Workload 57), the writing course offered by Sacramento City College
on the Davis campus. (If you were unable to take the May exam, you
must take the fall exam offered during Orientation Week.) If you do
not pass the Subject A exam given during Orientation week, then you
must enroll in English 57. Your final exam in English 57 will be the
Subject A Examination. If you do not pass the final exam, you may
take the Subject A exam offered at the beginning of the next quarter;
see the Class Schedule & Room Directory for date and time.
If you still do not pass the exam, you must enroll again in English
57 and pass the Subject A examination given as the final exam.
(Please note: If you receive an "A" or "A-" in your first quarter of
English 57 but fail the final exam, you may request a portfolio
review of your graded work. If you do not receive an A/A- in the
course or pass either exam, you must enroll in English 57 a second
time.)
What happens
if I fail the Subject A exam after taking English 57 twice?
You will be
eligible for a portfolio review—an evaluation of your graded
work in both quarters of English 57. You will receive specific
instructions in class on how to assemble your portfolio. Be sure
to save all your graded essays in English 57 in case you later need
to file a portfolio.
What happens
if I do not fulfill the Subject A requirement within the specified
time limit?
According to
University regulations, you will be disenrolled from the University.
What is
disenrollment?
If you are
disenrolled, the Registrar's Office will drop you from all classes in
which you were enrolled and refund any fees you have paid. You will
also be contacted by the Dean of your college and required to meet
with him/her to discuss your options for improving your writing
skills enough to return to the University. Typically, this involves
taking one or more community college writing courses as directed by
the Dean.
What if I am
disenrolled but I have satisfied the Subject A requirement?
Contact the
Subject A office (752-0450) immediately to correct your record.
What is
English 57 like?
English 57 is a
course in expository writing that will prepare you for the kinds of
analytical writing you'll encounter at the University. You will write
a number of essays and shorter assignments both in class and out of
class. The in-class assignments typically include Subject A-like
exams to help you prepare for the Subject A final exam. As you might
expect, doing well in English 57 will increase your chance of passing
the Subject A exam or receiving a favorable portfolio review; it will
also enable you to do well in writing assignments for other
University courses. Please note that English 57 carries no units
toward graduation or grade-point average but does provide 4.5
workload units, which are applicable toward minimum progress and
verification of full-time status.
Why have I
been placed into Linguistics 21, 22, or 23 and not English 57?
Because English
is not your first language, assessment of your Subject A Exam
indicates that coursework in Linguistics will be crucial to your
success in University writing. The Linguistics courses (Linguistics
21, 22, or 23), limited to 18 students per section, are taught by
highly experienced writing instructors who specialize in working with
non-native speakers of English. When you pass Linguistics 23, you are
eligible to take the Subject A exam at the beginning of the next
quarter.
Who may need
to take the Linguistics course/s?
Non-native
speakers of English who have resided in the U.S. for fewer than four
years or have scores of 480 or below on the SAT I--Verbal or on the
SAT II—Writing will have their Subject A exam evaluated for
placement in Linguistics or English 57.
How soon must
I satisfy the Subject A requirement?
If you do
not need coursework in Linguistics, you must fulfill the
Subject A requirement within your first three quarters at the
University (Academic Senate Regulation 636). If you are placed into
Linguistics 21, 22, or 23, you have one additional quarter to
complete each course in the sequence. Thus, depending on your
Linguistics placement, you must satisfy the Subject A requirement
within your first 4-6 quarters of enrollment.
If English is
not your first language:
If English is your first language:
|
Linguistics 21 |
6 quarters total |
|
English 57 |
quarter 1 |
|
Linguistics 22 |
5 quarters total |
|
English 57 |
quarter 2 |
|
Linguistics 23 |
4 quarters total |
|
English 57 |
quarter 3 |
|
English 57 (Subject A) 3 quarters total |
|
3 quarters total to pass the Subject A exam |
||
Should I try
to enroll in English 57 in the fall quarter or wait until later in
the year?
Because basic
writing skills are so critical to your success at the University, and
because you cannot receive General Education "writing experience"
credit before satisfying the Subject A requirement, you should plan
to enroll in English 57 through RSVP as soon as possible. When you
enroll in the class or receive a place on the waiting list, be
sure to attend the first day of class or you will lose your
space!
Can I satisfy
the Subject A requirement by taking a community college course during
the summer?
Yes, but only if
you do so before your first year at UCD, i.e., prior to taking
course work. After you have enrolled, you may fulfill the
requirement only at Davis or another UC campus (Senate Regulation
636) unless you are dismissed or disenrolled for failure to complete
the requirement in the specified time.
What’s
next after satisfying the Subject A requirement?
If you satisfy
the requirement, you must obtain an original transcript (for transfer
credit) from the institution (other than UC Davis) where you
completed the course work and present it to the UCD Admissions
Office. Also notify the Subject A office (752-0450).
If I have
further questions about Linguistics 21, 22, or 23, Subject A, or
English 57, whom do I contact?
For questions
about Linguistics courses, call Elaine Brown in the Non-Native
Speakers of English office at 752-0524. For questions about English
57 or Subject A, call Sally Gunter in the Subject A office at
752-0450.