Views on "academic writing"

Justine Mack

In the article “Teaching about Writing, Righting Misconceptions: (Re) Envisioning ‘First-Year Composition’ as ‘Introduction to Writing Studies” by Douglas Downs and Elizabeth Wardle they discuss how first year composition courses offered in college courses are teaching the wrong material. They claim they are focusing too much on trying to teach a universal writing style used in college because there isn’t one, rather than try to have first year students understand writing, rhetoric, language and literacy. There is no one common way to write throughout all college courses. Different majors expect different styles of papers and content. The authors also point out there is no research or evidence to back up that teaching one style of writing can transfer throughout a wide range of classes. Downs and Wardle conducted their own experiments teaching 2 different educated level classes of students. Their classes were focused on how to writing works and how to write a research paper “rather than on the nature of writing” (Downs, Wardle, 290). Although the two students in the study may have had some different outcomes most of what they learned remained the same. The students said they enjoyed learning and reading more written texts about writing. One student even said she never realized that every written research paper is part of an ongoing conversation that has previously been written about. Downs and Wardle claim their writing course does the opposite of teaching “academic writing” they teach about writing as an area of study and stresses the activity of writing than teaching the basics of writing. I wholeheartedly agree with Downs and Wardle’s first year writing course philosophy because like I said earlier, there is no such thing as “academic writing” that is one writing style that can transfer throughout several different college courses. I also think learning and teaching about the basics of writing is extremely tedious and boring and should be a skill first year college students already obtain. First year college students need direction on how to conduct proper research what writing is and how to excel at writing papers rather than perfect their grammar.

The biggest issue being addressed in the excerpt “U.S. Academic Writing” is whether there is any room for the writer’s identity in what we call “academic writing.” Academic writing in the United States is being defined as having identity in that it is based off of our home culture. Some tutors feel that there is a difference between identity and the academy because as a tutor you have to learn to speak in the language of the academy in order to be universally understood by those from all different backgrounds. Some people felt that identity is different than academic writing because when they were asked to write academically they lost their voice and opinions. Although another great point the article makes is when they claim that tutoring programs are “contact zones.” I enjoy this comparison because it is true when they say that because many writers come from different backgrounds that practice different writing styles and such that addressing those differences is where your identity really shows as a writer. And it’s within addressing our identities that we can build relationships with our tutees and also establish strong relationships without showing any sign of your identity. The later to that claim is supporting the fact that your identity should lie outside your academic work because you are still able to accomplish something without providing your own input. I believe there are few times in your writing career where your identity is not appropriate but for the most part I am a supporter of writing with your own style and you can still follow the assignment or what is asked of you without giving opinions but writing in the way you are most comfortable with.