Academic Writing Lesson #1

Writing Tip of the Day #1 – Active vs. Passive Voice  Active voice: Subject of the sentence conducts the action (simple subject-verb construction)  Ex: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.  The quick brown fox [subject] jumped [action] over the lazy dog [object].

 Passive voice: The subject of the sentence is acted upon.  Ex: The lazy dog was jumped over by the quick brown fox.  The lazy dog [object] is jumped [action] over by the quick brown fox [subject].

Is this sentence active or passive? The new book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was read by my brother in one day.

 Revised for active voice: “My brother read the new book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in one day.”  More often than not, use active voice so that the subject of your sentence does the action. It makes your sentences clearer and simpler to say.

Freewriting – Preliminary Essay  In 3 to 5 minutes, answer the following questions: 1. What has been your previous experiences with writing, either in high school or elsewhere? 2. Based on last night’s reading, how is academic writing different from those experiences? 3. All that being said, what would you like to learn from this class?  Don’t worry about grammar, structure, style, etc. Just get your thoughts on paper!

Communicating through Academic Writing  Academic writing is how scholars communicate with other scholars in their disciplines.  More specialized in that it communicates with other experts in a given field who already know the basics.  Reading and writing academic writing is not always easy for a normal audience.  To continue or begin conversations within a discipline involves making a claim or persuading an audience through argument.

What is an argument?

Arguments in academic essays must:  Define a situation that calls for a response  Demonstrate the timeliness of your argument (why it’s relevant or why it matters)  Appeals to readers that you want to persuade to see your point of view  Support their own claims  Expect and answer those who may disagree with you

More Than Just an Opinion  Is this sentence an opinion or an argument?  Mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor in the world.

 An argument would look more like this:  Mint chocolate chip ice cream should be the official ice cream flavor of the University of Washington.  Arguments are about ACTION. Persuade and move your readers to do something.

Habits of Mind  To form and understand arguments, develop ways to think critically.  Otherwise, writers could deceive others or themselves through faulty, illogical, or incorrect arguments.  According to Ernest Hemingway, writers must have “a built-in bullshit detector.”  Usually comes in the form of analysis.

Forming Academic Habits of Mind: 1. Make inquires 2. Seek and value complexity 3. View writing as a conversation

Making Inquiries 1. Observe events, ideas, or behaviors that puzzle you or challenge your opinions 2. Ask questions (Why are things the way they are?) 3. Come up with alternatives, or consider how things could be different

Practice  Watch the following political ads  Pick one to write about  On a sheet of paper or in your notes, note anything that puzzles or challenges you  Write down any questions you may have  Write down ways how this ad could persuade you to vote for that candidate

Ad Number 1

Ad Number 2

Keep in mind....  Avoid binary thinking, or believing that there are only two sides to any issue (right vs. wrong).  Remember that an issue can be debated or explored.  There are always more than two sides to any issue.  Have enough empathy to see another’s point of view and understand why they have that view.

Seeking and Valuing Complexity 1. Reflect on what you observe (What makes it interesting or important?) 2. Examine the issue at hand from multiple points of view (even those you don’t agree with) 3. Ask issue-based questions (learn to ask the right questions)

 Academic writing (and writing in general) is about joining a conversation.  Forming arguments in an academic setting involves addressing and solving problems that affect other people and yourself.

Joining That Conversation 1. Be receptive of others’ ideas 2. Listen with empathy 3. Engage with their ideas (form a dialogue) 4. Be flexible with your thinking about others’ ideas

How else is academic writing different from other genres (e.g. opinion editorials)?  In groups, skim through Tannen’s article that you’ve been assigned (pg. 42 through 47 of textbook)  Try to answer the following questions:  What is the argument?  How is it presented?  What kinds of examples are used to prove that argument?  What relationship does Tannen establish with her readers?  What assumptions does Tannen make about what her readers already know?  How would you describe Tannen’s persona (or image) within that article?

Deborah Tannen’s “For Argument’s Sake” (op-ed) What is the argument?  We do not always have to argue.  Questioning the nature of arguing.  The media is pushing everyone to argue. How is it presented? She presented by using anecdotes and other people's experiences. What relationship? She is very friendly, personal conversation. What assumptions? She assumes ask all like debates on TV and public arguments. Her persona: She's experienced in public eye.

Tannen’s “Agonism in the Academy” (college newspaper) What is the argument?  More discussion vs. refuting each other  Right now schools all encourage a mob mentality when arguing  You tend to learn and accept less about the other side's likely valid points  Aggressive win  Lose talent under this type of learning Relationship Tannen creates with the reader  He opens his audience's eyes to something they may not realize they were doing  Uses examples to explain results of certain situations  B/t teachers + students Assumptions Tannen makes  Readers already know the settings of classroom debates and how they go  All schools encourage the type of arguing that makes the other side seem less important

Tannen’s “Agonism in academic discourse” (academic article)  The argument: the author wants to show all of the different aspects of agonism.  Presented: by exposing the structure aspects of this ideology and its practices.  Examples used to prove argument: through journalism, politics, and law.  Relationship established with readers: the author is presented as more dominant and presents sophistication and great knowledge.  Assumptions author makes: She just assumes everything is familiar with and understands agonism.