Frequently Asked Questions about NNS-Designated CW R1A Sections
What kind of support does CWP offer to native speakers of languages other than English?
CWP offers four to six CW R1A courses per semester that are designated “NNS.” That means the course is reserved for non-native speakers of English.
These sections follow the same curriculum standards and carry the same units as all other sections. The only requirement for students in NNS-designated CW R1A sections is that they spoke – or speak—at least one language besides English at home. (A high percentage of CW R1A students meet this qualification.)
All NNS-designated sections are taught by NNS specialists who can provide additional support to multilingual student writers. Our NNS specialists have a background not only in teaching writing, but also in Second Language Writing or Applied Linguistics. This means that they will have studied English language use, language teaching, language testing, discourse analysis (fine-tuned attention to oral/written language), and linguistics (including syntax and grammar).
Who would most benefit from taking an NNS-designated section of CW R1A?
These courses can benefit international and recent-arrival immigrant students who want intensive support with improving vocabulary development, learning editing/proofreading strategies, and understanding the expectations of U.S. academic instructors.
These courses can also benefit certain long-term immigrants who have received much of their education in the United States. Specifically, an NNS-designated section can be beneficial to a student who speaks English fluently, but who has some difficulty writing or reading academic prose in English. Research in language learning has shown that some immigrant students may need more than ten years of instruction to achieve a level of proficiency in academic English appropriate for work at a university like UC Berkeley.
Are NNS-designated sections of CW R1A just as rigorous as any other section of CW R1A?
Yes, NNS-designated sections are just as rigorous as any other section of CW R1A.
These sections are designated “NNS” by the College Writing Programs and are not seen as not separate courses by the university; they are not reported differently from any other section of CW R1A on students’ transcripts, nor are they listed separately in any printed catalog.
There are only two differences between these NNS sections and any other section of CW R1A:
1) All of the students are bilingual and will bring this unique background into the classroom.
2) The instructor has experience helping students address writing challenges in English that may be unique to second language writers.
How can a student enroll in an NNS-designated CW R1A section?
Look for the following sentence at the end of the course descriptions on the online and printed versions of the schedule of classes: “Section X presumes proficiency in a language other than English.”
Alternatively, you can contact the College Writing Programs main office at (510) 642-5570 and ask for the NNS section numbers for any given semester.
