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International Writers’ Workshop

International Writers’ Workshop. Week 1 - Introduction to Academic Writing in English Erica Cirillo -McCarthy Assistant Director of Graduate and ADEP Writing. Today’s Workshop:. Workshop Format Academic writing in the US – rhetorical traditions Discuss cultural differences

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International Writers’ Workshop

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  1. International Writers’ Workshop Week 1 - Introduction to Academic Writing in English Erica Cirillo-McCarthy Assistant Director of Graduate and ADEP Writing

  2. Today’s Workshop: • Workshop Format • Academic writing in the US – rhetorical traditions • Discuss cultural differences • Writing Process: Invention, Drafting, Revision, Editing • Free writing/ Discussion

  3. US-Specific Rhetorical Traditions • Based upon Aristotelian rhetoric • Emphasis on the credibility of the WRITER • Emphasis on the PURPOSE of the writing • Emphasis on AUDIENCE awareness • Everything in the TEXT functions under the conditions of the specific CONTEXT of the writing

  4. WRITER • The writer must be credible/ trustworthy. Otherwise, the audience will not be persuaded. • The writer exhibits effective and clear use of evidence and cites according to discipline-specific style guide • The writer adheres to specific style guidelines, APA, Chicago, or MLA • The writer adheres to discipline-specific conventions, such as introducing a source, the different sections expected in a writing project, and the writing moves made in each section

  5. AUDIENCE • Understand who makes up your audience – your audience dictates the approach you take in tone and voice (ex. A letter you write to your best friend and a letter you write to your advisor will be different in tone and voice) • Speak to the audience at their level • Ask yourself: What does the audience need to know? When do they need to know it? • Do not make cultural assumptions about your audience • Be direct with your argument, use of sources, and logic • Be respectful but firm with your ideas and arguments

  6. TEXT • The document you use to communicate with your audience • What you think your text says and does may be different from what your audience perceives • The text is always written with the audience in mind

  7. CONTEXT • Why are you writing this text? • What is the purpose? • What are the historical issues that have led up to your topic and focus? • What experiences and knowledge do you bring to your topic? • What experiences and knowledge does the audience bring to your text?

  8. QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION • What is emphasized in your cultures’ writing? • What strategies do you employ to align your writing to US-specific rhetorical traditions? • What are some of the challenges you face in expressing your ideas in US-specific writing conventions?

  9. Understanding the Writing Process • Invention • Drafting • Revision • Editing

  10. Invention • Invention can take the form of any type of activity that helps you, the writer, create, connect, imagine your ideas, concepts, arguments: • Visual (sketches, concept maps, webbing, process maps, hierarchy maps, flowcharts) • Freewriting, brainstorming, listing, outlining, • Invention as inquiry, talking with others, thinking aloud and recording, writing a narrative • A combination of strategies

  11. Drafting • Low stakes, putting ideas and thoughts down • Could be electronic or long hand – write your draft in English, not your home language • Do not worry about word choice, grammar, sentence structure at this point • Find the right time that works for you • Find the right place for you to spread out and not be distracted • Disconnect the internet or find a program that does that • The more you get down on paper, the more confident you become • Take your freewriting or selected quotes and begin there

  12. Revision • Now is the time to stop and carefully look for: • Idea development • Use of evidence • Synthesis of ideas and sources • Logical Flow (Does one idea flow into the next? Are the relationships between ideas clear to the reader?) • Word choice (Define your terms)

  13. Editing • Come up with a plan that works for you • print it out and read it aloud • Have someone else read it aloud so you “hear” your writing for clarity and flow Consideration of audience • Eliminate redundancy, in word choice, in ideas, in sentence structure • Parallel structure • Get to know your patterns of error and look for those • Finesse the formatting, in text citation, and references page • Go through and make sure all of your sources have a bibliographic entry and that you don’t have a bibliographic entry that you haven’t cited (use the “find” function in Word) • Look for your writing ticks—over usage of certain transitions or phrases

  14. Let’s Set Some Goals! • Let’s take some time to write down our personal writing goals • Then we can go around the room and find out each person’s goal • Take these goals and put them on your fridge, your computer, your bathroom mirror • Stick to these goals

  15. Thank you! • Set an appointment with a Writing Center tutor to talk about your goals and writing obstacles • Find strategies you can use to overcome writing obstacles • Work with like-minded, supportive people in writing groups • Work closely with your advisor and always advocate for yourself • Just keep writing and coming to the workshops

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