Interns
Writing Ambassadors (UWP 197TC) is a variable unit course that is offered each quarter and is open to any UCD undergraduate. You do not need to be an English major or expert writer to be part of Writing Ambassadors, but you should be confident in your writing and literacy skills. The units you earn while getting valuable experience in K-12 schools can be used to apply to credential programs and graduate schools. You determine the number of units per quarter based on the number of hours you intern in a classroom or classrooms each quarter: 21 hours for 1-2 units, 35 hours for 3 units, or 70 hours for 4 units. Writing Ambassadors usually can be repeated up to 10 units.
In addition to interning in a school, subject area, and grade level of your choice, you come to our Wednesday 4-6 pm workshop every week to discuss what you are doing in your classrooms, learn general tips for teaching, and develop specific strategies for using reading and writing techniques to help students learn any subject. We also have multiple guest speakers who visit our class every quarter, including K-12 classroom teachers, writing specialists, tutoring specialists, and professors from the UCD and Sac State School of Education. You will maintain a running discussion about your classroom experiences on our course Canvas site and write a reflective paper at the end of the course.
If you are interested in applying to Writing Ambassadors, please complete the application located at the bottom left corner. You should get a notification email immediately saying that you submitted your application. Please allow at least one week for the coordinator to receive and decide on your application. Once admitted, you'll receive additional, specific information about how to find a teacher, deadlines, etc.
Important information for registering:
Because this is a variable unit course, it may not show up when searching online for courses in the Open Courses list. Rest assured that you will be able to sign up on SISWEB using the CRN provided in your acceptance email.
You choose how many units you'd like to sign up for (see hours requirement above). For example, students taking 1-2 units usually spread the 21 hours out over 7 weeks.
UWP 197tc is a course for upper-division students; if you are a lower-division student interested in taking the class, please discuss that in your application.
The course DOES count for the Education minor; it does NOT count toward the upper-division composition requirement; it does NOT count toward GE credit. It can also count toward the UWP Professional Writing Minor Internship requirement with an extra writing component.
You choose and contact a K-12 teacher who you'd like to work with. The coordinator can assist in this process if necessary, but generally students arrange their own internships. Most interns recommend interning for 2 hours at a time, if possible. Go ahead and arrange your UCD class schedule when you need to. You'll be able to find a teacher/class that can accommodate your days/hours for interning.