{"id":106,"date":"2014-08-25T03:19:35","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T03:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/collegesuccess1x1\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=106"},"modified":"2015-06-29T08:41:57","modified_gmt":"2015-06-29T08:41:57","slug":"whats-different-about-college-writing","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/chapter\/whats-different-about-college-writing\/","title":{"raw":"College Writing","rendered":"College Writing"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\r\n<h3>LEARNING OBJECTIVES<\/h3>\r\nBy the end of this section, you will be able to:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Define academic writing.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Identify different types of papers that are commonly assigned.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Describe what instructors expect from student writing.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">Academic writing<\/span><\/span> refers to writing produced in a college environment. Often this is writing that responds to other writing, the ideas or controversies you read about. To become a strong writer in college, you need to\u00a0have a clear sense of the kinds of writing you\u2019ll be doing.\r\n<h2>What Kinds of Papers Are Commonly Assigned in College Classes?<\/h2>\r\nThink about the topic \u201cgender roles\u201d, which refers to expectations about differences in how men and women act. You might study gender roles in an anthropology class, a film class, or a psychology class. The topic itself may overlap from one class to another, but you would not write about this subject in the same way in these different classes. For example, in an anthropology class, you might be asked to describe how men and women of a particular culture divide important duties. In a film class, you may be asked to analyze how a scene portrays gender roles enacted by the characters. In a psychology course, you might be asked to summarize the results of an experiment involving gender roles or compare and contrast the findings of two related research projects.\r\n\r\nEvery writing assignment in every course is unique in some ways, so don\u2019t think of writing as a fixed form you need to learn. On the other hand, there are certain writing approaches that do involve different kinds of writing. The approach is usually signaled by the words instructors use in their assignments.\r\n\r\nLook for terms like these in the assignment:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><strong>Summarize\u00a0<\/strong>To restate in your own words the main point or points of another\u2019s work.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Define\u00a0<\/strong>To describe, explore, or characterize a keyword, idea, or phenomenon.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Classify\u00a0<\/strong>To group individual items by their shared characteristics, separate from other groups of items.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Compare\/contrast\u00a0<\/strong>To explore significant likenesses and differences between two or more subjects.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Analyze\u00a0<\/strong>To break something, a phenomenon, or an idea into its parts and explain how those parts fit or work together.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Argue\u00a0<\/strong>To state a claim and support it with reasons and evidence.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><strong>Synthesize\u00a0<\/strong>To pull together varied pieces or ideas from two or more sources.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/560\/2015\/04\/21143052\/writing-work.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-817\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/560\/2015\/04\/21143052\/writing-work-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"Woman with laptop and table covered in paper and books\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" \/><\/a>Sometimes the keywords listed don\u2019t actually appear in the written assignment, but they are usually implied by the questions given in the assignment. \u201cWhat,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201chow\u201d are common question words that require a certain kind of response. Look back at the keywords listed and think about which approaches relate to \u201cwhat,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201chow\u201d questions.\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>\u201cWhat\u201d questions usually prompt the writing of summaries, definitions, classifications, and sometimes compare-and-contrast essays. For example, \u201cWhat does Jones see as the main elements of Huey Long\u2019s populist appeal?\u201d or \u201cWhat happened when you heated the chemical solution?\u201d<\/li>\r\n\t<li>\u201cWhy\u201d and \u201chow\u201d questions typically prompt analysis, argument, and synthesis essays. For example, \u201cHow\u00a0did Huey Long\u2019s brand of populism gain force so quickly?\u201d or \u201cWhy did the solution respond the way it did to heat?\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSuccessful academic writing starts with recognizing what you are required to do, so pay close\u00a0attention to the assignment. Sometimes the essential information about an assignment is conveyed through class discussions, however, so be sure to listen for the keywords that will help you understand what the instructor expects. If you feel the assignment does not give you a sense of direction, seek clarification. Ask questions that will lead to helpful answers. For example, here\u2019s a short and very vague assignment:\r\n\r\n<em>Discuss the perspectives on religion of Rousseau, Bentham, and Marx. Papers should be four to five pages in length.<\/em>\r\n\r\nFaced with an assignment like this, you could ask about the <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\"><strong>scope<\/strong> (or focus)<\/span><\/span> of the assignment:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Which of the assigned readings should I concentrate on?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Should I read other works by these authors that haven\u2019t been assigned in class?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Should I do research to see what scholars think about the way these philosophers view religion?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Do you want me to pay equal attention to each of the three philosophers?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nYou can also ask about the <strong>approach<\/strong> the instructor would like you to take. You can use the keywords the instructor may not have used in the assignment:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Should I just summarize the positions of these three thinkers, or should I compare and contrast their views?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Do you want me to argue a specific point about the way these philosophers approach religion?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Would it be okay if I classified the ways these philosophers think about religion?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\r\n<h3>Key Takeaways<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Writing is crucial to college success because it is the single most important means of evaluation.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Writers in college must pay close attention to the terms of an assignment.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>If an assignment is not clear, seek clarification from the instructor.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\r\n<h3>Exercises<\/h3>\r\n1. What kind(s) of writing have you practiced most in your recent past?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n2. Describe academic writing. Give an example of an academic writing assignment.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3. Explain how the word \u201cwhat\u201d asks for a different kind of paper than the word \u201cwhy.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3>LEARNING OBJECTIVES<\/h3>\n<p>By the end of this section, you will be able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Define academic writing.<\/li>\n<li>Identify different types of papers that are commonly assigned.<\/li>\n<li>Describe what instructors expect from student writing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\">Academic writing<\/span><\/span> refers to writing produced in a college environment. Often this is writing that responds to other writing, the ideas or controversies you read about. To become a strong writer in college, you need to\u00a0have a clear sense of the kinds of writing you\u2019ll be doing.<\/p>\n<h2>What Kinds of Papers Are Commonly Assigned in College Classes?<\/h2>\n<p>Think about the topic \u201cgender roles\u201d, which refers to expectations about differences in how men and women act. You might study gender roles in an anthropology class, a film class, or a psychology class. The topic itself may overlap from one class to another, but you would not write about this subject in the same way in these different classes. For example, in an anthropology class, you might be asked to describe how men and women of a particular culture divide important duties. In a film class, you may be asked to analyze how a scene portrays gender roles enacted by the characters. In a psychology course, you might be asked to summarize the results of an experiment involving gender roles or compare and contrast the findings of two related research projects.<\/p>\n<p>Every writing assignment in every course is unique in some ways, so don\u2019t think of writing as a fixed form you need to learn. On the other hand, there are certain writing approaches that do involve different kinds of writing. The approach is usually signaled by the words instructors use in their assignments.<\/p>\n<p>Look for terms like these in the assignment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Summarize\u00a0<\/strong>To restate in your own words the main point or points of another\u2019s work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Define\u00a0<\/strong>To describe, explore, or characterize a keyword, idea, or phenomenon.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Classify\u00a0<\/strong>To group individual items by their shared characteristics, separate from other groups of items.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compare\/contrast\u00a0<\/strong>To explore significant likenesses and differences between two or more subjects.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Analyze\u00a0<\/strong>To break something, a phenomenon, or an idea into its parts and explain how those parts fit or work together.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Argue\u00a0<\/strong>To state a claim and support it with reasons and evidence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Synthesize\u00a0<\/strong>To pull together varied pieces or ideas from two or more sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/560\/2015\/04\/21143052\/writing-work.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-817\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/560\/2015\/04\/21143052\/writing-work-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"Woman with laptop and table covered in paper and books\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" \/><\/a>Sometimes the keywords listed don\u2019t actually appear in the written assignment, but they are usually implied by the questions given in the assignment. \u201cWhat,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201chow\u201d are common question words that require a certain kind of response. Look back at the keywords listed and think about which approaches relate to \u201cwhat,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d and \u201chow\u201d questions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cWhat\u201d questions usually prompt the writing of summaries, definitions, classifications, and sometimes compare-and-contrast essays. For example, \u201cWhat does Jones see as the main elements of Huey Long\u2019s populist appeal?\u201d or \u201cWhat happened when you heated the chemical solution?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhy\u201d and \u201chow\u201d questions typically prompt analysis, argument, and synthesis essays. For example, \u201cHow\u00a0did Huey Long\u2019s brand of populism gain force so quickly?\u201d or \u201cWhy did the solution respond the way it did to heat?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Successful academic writing starts with recognizing what you are required to do, so pay close\u00a0attention to the assignment. Sometimes the essential information about an assignment is conveyed through class discussions, however, so be sure to listen for the keywords that will help you understand what the instructor expects. If you feel the assignment does not give you a sense of direction, seek clarification. Ask questions that will lead to helpful answers. For example, here\u2019s a short and very vague assignment:<\/p>\n<p><em>Discuss the perspectives on religion of Rousseau, Bentham, and Marx. Papers should be four to five pages in length.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Faced with an assignment like this, you could ask about the <span class=\"im_margin_term\"><span class=\"im_glossterm\"><strong>scope<\/strong> (or focus)<\/span><\/span> of the assignment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Which of the assigned readings should I concentrate on?<\/li>\n<li>Should I read other works by these authors that haven\u2019t been assigned in class?<\/li>\n<li>Should I do research to see what scholars think about the way these philosophers view religion?<\/li>\n<li>Do you want me to pay equal attention to each of the three philosophers?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also ask about the <strong>approach<\/strong> the instructor would like you to take. You can use the keywords the instructor may not have used in the assignment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Should I just summarize the positions of these three thinkers, or should I compare and contrast their views?<\/li>\n<li>Do you want me to argue a specific point about the way these philosophers approach religion?<\/li>\n<li>Would it be okay if I classified the ways these philosophers think about religion?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Writing is crucial to college success because it is the single most important means of evaluation.<\/li>\n<li>Writers in college must pay close attention to the terms of an assignment.<\/li>\n<li>If an assignment is not clear, seek clarification from the instructor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-info\">\n<h3>Exercises<\/h3>\n<p>1. What kind(s) of writing have you practiced most in your recent past?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2. Describe academic writing. Give an example of an academic writing assignment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>3. Explain how the word \u201cwhat\u201d asks for a different kind of paper than the word \u201cwhy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-106\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Revision and adaptation. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Monroe Community College. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.monroecc.edu\">http:\/\/www.monroecc.edu<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: College Orientation and Success. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Monroe contributes its revision and adaptation under the same license as the original work.<\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Success in College. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: anonymous. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/\">http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of essay. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Patricia Glogowski. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4jMNUR\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4jMNUR<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of essay writing. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Brian Smith. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7L3Rnb\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7L3Rnb<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":9,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Success in College\",\"author\":\"anonymous\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of essay\",\"author\":\"Patricia Glogowski\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4jMNUR\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of essay writing\",\"author\":\"Brian Smith\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7L3Rnb\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and adaptation\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Monroe Community College\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.monroecc.edu\",\"project\":\"College Orientation and Success\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"Monroe contributes its revision and adaptation under the same license as the original work.\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-106","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":217,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/106\/revisions\/2611"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/217"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/106\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=106"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=106"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/monroe-collegesuccess-thirdedition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}