Class 2 - Jan. 7

How to succeed in this course:

• Come to every class this term and take the participation grade to heart
  • Post responses in Discussion board
  • Bring journal and write in it
  • Participate in class
• Try to adopt a mindset of learning and practicing the skills we cover in class
• Do your best. We don't need to be perfect writers, but we are expected to take the revision process seriously
• Consider the syllabus the first "close reading" for this class
  • Meaning you're slowing down, taking a pause, thinking about why certain words are chosen
  • The expectation is that we close read the readings given, take some time even though they are only a few pages long at most.

WE ARE ALL WRITERS

• Even before coming to university, we had to write especially in capacities we aren't even familiar with
• Get rid of the little voice in my head that says "I can't be a writer. I'll never be a writer."
• Everyone has something to say and we will be treated as such
• Think of writing as a process, not a productivity
  • We might have drafts, brainstorming, pictures, etc. involved in our writing
  • We will keep going back and revisit our work

What this course is not:

• Cramming for tests/midterms/exams
  • "just tell me what's on the final"
  • "just tell me what I have to know to ace the course"
• Slogging solely through the elements of grammar or punctuation or syntax
  • Just write, you can fix this stuff later
• Parroting back to the prof what you think the prof wants to hear
  • Don't write something just because you think the prof wants to hear it
  • Make sure it feels authentic to yourself
• Writing in a way that feels weird to you but you think the prof wants to hear it (they don't)

What this course is:

• A chance to explore ideas and thoughts in writing and then revisit that material to see where it can be strengthened and polished
• An opportunity to be exposed to - and practice - various academic projects, genres, styles, and models

A common challenge in academic writing:

The difference between:

1. What we have physically written down on the page

vs.

2. What we presume we've written or said / thought about in our heads
   • What we think we have written down

Academic writing has a public dimension - usually not for private or personal ends

Defining Genres and Purposes

For ideas, look at model texts

• Think of large genres and subgenres as road maps
  • At the same time, they are dynamic and fluid and is not a one fits all
• Get familiar with academic genres and figure out what they do
• Figure out what you want to say within the genre, tailor its features to readers you want to influence, organize your ideas strategically

Imagining Audiences

• Make sure to adjust the content for the readers they hope to influence
• Don't omit images, chart to help or clarify technical terms
• You're not writing for yourself, you're writing for the audience
• Always stop to ask: have I made this work better for my readers?

Understanding Style and Design

The world is our oyster!
Style can include:

• Structures of sentences
• Lengths of sentences
• Tone
• Punctuation
• Types of sentences
• Vocabulary
• Point of view
• Paragraphs

Can change these things up a bit ^

CLARITY is KEY