For over 20 years, LARC has served as UCI’s campuswide “writing center.” Students writing papers for lower- or upper-division classes at UCI can get expert assistance from LARC’s experienced, professional staff. We can clarify assignments, improve your focus, organization, and analysis, address reading or language issues, and answer questions about your writing project. There is no charge for LARC writing assistance.
In co-ordination with campus writing programs and faculty, LARC
offers two kinds of assistance, individual
conferences and course-specific workshops.
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES by
appointment: UCI students writing papers for lower- or
upper-division courses** can make an appointment to meet
personally with a LARC specialist. Your conference is an
opportunity to discuss your assignment, have a draft of your essay
reviewed, and develop strategies to improve your writing.
Be sure to bring your written instructions (“prompt” or assignment sheet) and your text, as well as a draft of your paper. Because of the heavy demand for writing conferences at key points in the quarter, you need to book your appointment well in advance. Finally, be sure to schedule your appointment two or three days before your paper is due (not at the last second!), to allow time for revision.
To make a writing appointment,
call LARC at (949) 824-6451, or come by the LARC office at 423 Social
Science Tower. Students who miss appointments without
notifying us risk having their appointment privileges
suspended. If you are unable to
meet your appointment please call and cancel at least 24 hours prior to
the
appointment so another student can use the time. If you miss more than two appointments in
one quarter you will be unable to
schedule appointments for the remainder of that quarter.
**Students enrolled in Writing 39 A,B,C or
Humanities Core MUST attend a writing workshop before requesting a
personal conference.
WORKSHOPS: For
students enrolled in Writing 39A,
39B, 39C
(click on for schedules) or the Humanities
Core Course, LARC offers drop-in workshops specifically
designed
for these courses. Workshops focus on the students’ current writing
assignments. LARC writing staff discuss essay topics, model
strategies for approaching the assignment, and respond to student
questions and concerns. Workshops are scheduled throughout the
week, and students can attend as many as they like. After
attending one workshop per assignment, Writing 39 and Core students can
make an appointment for an individual conference.
Workshop schedules appear in the LARC Calendar, available in the LARC office, 423 Social Science Tower (824-6451). Schedules also appear on the LARC Web site, http://www.larc.uci.edu. Students can “register” for workshops at our Website, or sign up at the workshop classroom.
ABOUT ACADEMIC ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGE ISSUES: During individual conferences, LARC counselors are prepared to help students with a variety of language issues, including academic english problems. We address language problems in the context of the paper as a whole, so that language matters are properly connected to the student’s reading of assigned texts and understanding of the concepts and aims of the topic. The intelligibility of the paper takes precedence over surface or “editorial” correctness.
Students (with or without “second-language” backgrounds) having serious language problems are urged to make full and sustained use of LARC workshops and conferences. More than one visit per paper may well be necessary.
If the LARC counselor finds that extra attention would be helpful, the student can be referred to LARC’s ESL specialist. See Academic English Assistance at LARC.
LARC’S POLICY ON “PROOFREADING”: LARC writing specialists assist students in all areas of the writing process, including language (“grammar” and sentence-level issues). However, in accord with University academic policy, we DO NOT “proofread” or “correct” student writing. LARC can help you improve your writing in many ways, including editorial revision, but responsibility for authorship of a paper must finally be the student’s.
LARC ELECTRONIC WRITING CENTER
LARC is committed to providing personal assistance in writing, but we
also encourage students to make use of valuable writing resources
available on-line. The LARC Electronic Writing
Center contains a library of on-line information about writing,
including advice on assignments, tools for assessing and improving your
writing, and a bibliography of internet resources helpful to
students and instructors.