Academic Writing?

1. Academic Writing? Review of Myths, Writing Situation, and Characteristics *From: L. Lennie Irvin, “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” (in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 1)

2. Myths About Writing… • The “Paint by Numbers” Myth Writing is recursive and non-linear: There is no formula! • Writers only start writing when they have everything figured out Don’t wait!—get some writing on the page and work with it; you’ll often figure out what you want to say/argue only after you’ve already written it. • Perfect first drafts There is no such thing as a “final” first draft…final drafts start with first drafts that writers work on by revising and editing.

3. Myths About Writing… • Some got it; I don’t—the genius fallacy Writing ability is not something that YOU have no control over. • Good grammar is good writing “Good writing is a matter of achieving your desired effect upon an intended audience” (5)…good writing also often means correct writing, but, just because you aren’t a grammar guru doesn’t mean you can’t be a great writer (remember: writing means revising and editing AND talking about your writing with others)

4. Myths About Writing… • The Five Paragraph Essay “the five paragraph essay is a format you should know, but one which you will outgrow” • Never use “I” Depends on the writing situation/context/genre (if you’re unsure, ask your teacher…and ask again for the teacher and/or assignment changes!)

5. Writing Situation… • Who is your audience? (Who are you writing to—probably your professor, perhaps your peers, perhaps an outside audience.) • What is the occasion or context? (Why are you writing, what is the purpose of the writing you will produce—writing assignments in college usually exist in order for you, the student, to demonstrate what you have learned.) • What is your message? (You are writing to send the message that you have learned or you do know X and Y.) • What is your purpose? (You will get a grade for what you write, so, like a test, your purpose is to show that you understood the assignment and have learned the class material/concepts relevant for the assignment.) • What documents/genres are used? (In college, it is common for assigned writing to be essay writing—whether its an essay exam or an outside of class researched or opinion essay. However, you might also be writing lab reports or in genres that your discipline uses to share knowledge and information in writing.)

6. Skills Needed for College-Level Writing…? • Research skills • Ability to read (and understand and summarize) complex texts • Understanding of key disciplinary concepts • Strategies for synthesizing (putting sources into conversation with one another) • Strategies for analyzing (“breaking a subject apart to study it closely”—analysis IS NOT summary) • Strategies for responding critically to new information (what do you think?) • ARGUMENTATION: Carefully arranged and supported presentation of a viewpoint • Presentation (intelligent/intentional organization) • Strong Evidence

7. Characteristics of Academic Writing…? A specific topic (not too broad) that is debatable (not self-evident, arguable, multiple points of view) that has/demonstrates: • Clear evidence in writing that the writer(s) have been persistent, open-minded, and disciplined in study • The dominance of reason over emotions or sensual perception • An imagined readers who is coolly rational, reading for information, and intending to formulate a reasoned response

8. Characteristics of Academic Essays…? In general, academic essays: • Have a point (expressed in a thesis statement/claim at the beginning of the essay, usually at the end of the introduction) • Are organized (you should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion) • Are supported with relevant, timely, and authoritative DOCUMENTED evidence/sources • Use transitional words and phrases to signal to readers when moving into a new assertion, etc. • Use a format (MLA, APA, Chicago) • Follow “standard usage”—there are no or limited errors in usage and limited or no grammatical problems

9. Blogs… • Selecting a theme • How to create pages and select page options • How to create a static front page and designate a page for “blogging” • How to create and organize a navigation menu