{"id":58,"date":"2018-09-28T19:05:45","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T19:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-educationalplanning\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=58"},"modified":"2020-01-10T16:04:55","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T16:04:55","slug":"writing","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-educationalplanning\/chapter\/writing\/","title":{"raw":"Writing","rendered":"Writing"},"content":{"raw":"Writing is a critical competency in contemporary life, from text messaging to writing a professional synopsis appropriate for LinkedIn, to writing memos and reports at work, to writing a simple \"thank you\" email.\u00a0 Most of us write\u00a0every day, for a variety\u00a0of purposes.\r\n\r\nAll writing exists in context.\u00a0 You usually create writing for a specific reading audience to read, with a specific purpose or outcome in mind, whether that audience consists of your co-workers, your boss, your peers in a community endeavor, your peers in an online course, or even yourself.\u00a0 However,\u00a0active consideration of context often happens subconsciously, if at all.\u00a0 Many people, when confronted with a writing task, simply sit down and start writing, just to get words and concepts identified, and to \"get it done.\"\r\n\r\nDeveloping competence in writing, though, includes learning how to consciously consider\u00a0writing contexts, and then use that consideration to make decisions about the writing's content, tone, format, and more,\u00a0in order to create effective written communication.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-1197 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3676\/2018\/09\/01193514\/Capture-23-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"Rhetorical Triangle: the word &quot;message&quot; in the center of the triangle, and the words &quot;purpose,&quot; &quot;author,&quot; and &quot;audience&quot; at each point of the triangle\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" \/>One way of visualizing and\u00a0bringing into consciousness the\u00a0context for all types of communications\u2014written, spoken, visual\u2014is called the rhetorical triangle.\u00a0 It identifies what happens in any communication situation: a communicator sends a message with a particular purpose to a particular audience.\u00a0 All points of the rhetorical triangle need to operate in sync for the message to be effective.\u00a0 For example, think of the experience you may have\u00a0had when the points were not in sync\u2014maybe when you tried to follow a set of\u00a0directions to use a new technical device, or attempted to\u00a0assemble a children's toy with many parts.\u00a0 Very often the writer was not\u00a0aware of the reading audience's needs and thus did not clearly define steps in the process, or did not clearly explain\u00a0and illustrate each piece.\r\n\r\nThe three key factors\u2014purpose, author, and audience\u2014all work together to influence what the text itself says and how it says it.\r\n<h2>Purpose<\/h2>\r\nAny time you prepare to write, ask yourself, \u201cWhy am I writing?\u201d All writing, no matter the type, has a purpose. Purpose will sometimes be given to you (by a manager or professor, for example), while other times you\u00a0decide for yourself. As the author, it\u2019s up to you to make sure that purpose is clear not only for yourself, but also\u2014especially\u2014for your audience. If your purpose is not clear, your audience is not likely to receive your intended message.\r\n\r\nThere are, of course, many different reasons to write (e.g., to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to ask questions), and you may find that some writing has more than one purpose. When this happens, be sure to consider any conflict between purposes, and remember that you will usually focus on one primary purpose.\r\n<h3>Why Purpose Matters<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>If you ever listened to a lecture or read an essay and wondered \u201cSo what?\u201d or \u201cWhat is this person talking about?\u201d then you know how frustrating it can be when an author\u2019s purpose is not clear. By clearly defining your purpose before you begin writing, it\u2019s less likely that you\u2019ll be that author who leaves the audience wondering.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>If readers can\u2019t identify the purpose in a text, they usually quit reading. You can\u2019t deliver a message to an audience who quits reading.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Useful Questions to Determine Purpose<\/h3>\r\nConsider how answers to the following questions may affect your writing:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What is my primary purpose for writing? How do I want my audience to think, feel, or respond after they read my writing?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do my audience\u2019s expectations affect my purpose? Should they?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How can I best get my point across (e.g., tell a story, argue, cite other sources)?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do I have any secondary or tertiary purposes? Do any of these purposes conflict with one another or with my primary purpose?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Audience<\/h2>\r\nIn order for your writing to be most effective, you have to think about the audience you\u2019re writing for and adapt your writing approach to their needs, expectations, backgrounds, and interests. Being aware of your audience helps you make better decisions about what to say and how to say it. For example, audience characteristics as much as you can,\u00a0you'll have a better idea if you\u00a0need to define or explain any terms, and you can make a more conscious effort not to say or do anything that would offend your audience.\r\n\r\nSometimes you know who will read your writing, for example, if you are writing an email to your boss. Other times you'll have to guess who is likely to read your writing, for example, if you are writing a newspaper editorial. You will often write with a primary audience in mind, but there may be secondary and tertiary audiences to consider as well.\r\n<h3>Useful Characteristics to Consider about Audience<\/h3>\r\nWhen analyzing your audience, consider these points. Doing this should make it easier to create a profile of your audience, which can help guide your writing choices.\r\n\r\n<b>Background Knowledge or Experience<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 In general, you don\u2019t want to merely repeat what your audience already knows about the topic you\u2019re writing about; you want to build on it. On the other hand, you don\u2019t want to talk over their heads. Anticipate\u00a0their amount of previous knowledge or experience based on elements\u00a0such as\u00a0their age, profession, or level of education.\r\n\r\n<b>Expectations and Interests<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Your audience may expect to find specific points or writing approaches, especially if you are writing for work or school. Consider not only what they\u00a0<em>do<\/em>\u00a0want to read about, but also what they\u00a0<em>do not<\/em>\u00a0want to read about.\r\n\r\n<b>Attitudes and Biases<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Your audience may have predetermined feelings about you or your topic, which can affect how hard you have to work to win them over or appeal to them. The audience\u2019s attitudes and biases also affect their expectations.\u00a0 For example, if they expect to disagree with you, they will likely look for evidence that you have considered their side as well as your own.\r\n\r\n<b>Demographics<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Consider what else you know about your audience, such as their age, gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, political preferences, religious affiliations, jobs or professional backgrounds, and areas of residence. Think about how these demographics may affect how much background your audience has about your topic, what types of expectations or interests they have, and what attitudes or biases they may have.\r\n<h3>Applying Audience\u00a0Analysis to Your Writing<\/h3>\r\nHere are some general rules about writing, each followed by an explanation of how audience might affect it. Consider how you might adapt these guidelines to your specific situation and audience. (Note: This is not an exhaustive list.\u00a0 Also, you likely will not use all of these approaches in a single communication.)[footnote]Rules adapted from David McMurrey\u2019s online text, Power Tools for Technical Communication[\/footnote]\r\n\r\n<b>Add information readers need to understand your document (and omit information readers don\u2019t need).<\/b>\u00a0Part of your audience may know a lot about your topic, while others don\u2019t know much at all. When this happens, you have to decide if you should provide explanation or not. If you don\u2019t offer explanation, you risk alienating or confusing those who lack the information. If you offer explanation, you create more work for yourself, and you risk boring those who already know the information, which may negatively affect the larger view those readers have of you and your work. In the end, you may want to consider how many people need an explanation, whether those people are in your primary audience (rather than a secondary audience), how much time you have to complete your writing, and any length limitations placed on you. In a written document, you can always include an addendum with additional information for those who need it.\r\n\r\n<b>Change the level of the information you currently have.<\/b>\u00a0Even if you have the right information, you might be explaining it in a way that doesn\u2019t make sense to your audience. For example, you wouldn\u2019t want to use highly advanced or technical vocabulary in a document for trainees in a specific field,\u00a0or even in a document for a general audience, such as the audience of a daily newspaper, because most likely some (or even all) of the audience won\u2019t understand you.\r\n\r\n<b>Add examples to help readers understand.<\/b>\u00a0Sometimes just changing the level of information you have isn\u2019t enough to get your point across, so you might try adding an example. If you are trying to explain a complex or abstract issue to an audience with a lower level of expertise, you might offer a metaphor or an analogy to something they are more familiar with to help them understand. Or, if you are writing for an audience that disagrees with your stance, you might offer examples that create common ground and\/or help them see your perspective.\r\n\r\n<b>Change the level of your examples.<\/b>\u00a0Once you\u2019ve decided to include examples, you should make sure you aren\u2019t offering examples your audience finds unacceptable or confusing. For example, some professionals find personal stories unacceptable in\u00a0work-related writing, so you might use a metaphor instead.\r\n\r\n<b>Change the organization of your information.<\/b>\u00a0Again, you might have the correct information, but you might be presenting it in a confusing or illogical order. If you are writing a paper about physics for a physics professor who has his or her Ph.D., chances are you won\u2019t need to begin your paper with a lot of background; however, you probably\u00a0want to include background information in the beginning of your paper if you're writing for a fellow student in an introductory physics class.\r\n\r\n<b>Strengthen transitions.<\/b>\u00a0Transitions are words that show specific connections between thoughts.\u00a0 \"However\" or \"therefore\" mean an opposite or different thought is coming, while \"and\" and \"also\" show that more of the same type of thought is coming. Make decisions about transitions based on your audience\u2019s expectations and needs.\r\n\r\n<b>Write stronger introductions\u2014both for the whole document and for major sections.<\/b>\u00a0In general, readers like to get the big picture up front. You can offer this in your introduction and thesis statement in an academic essay, in an executive\u00a0summary in a business proposal,\u00a0or in smaller introductions to major sections within your document. You should, however, also consider how much time your audience will have to read your document. If you are writing for a boss who already works long hours and has little or no free time, you wouldn't write a lengthy\u00a0executive summary\u00a0that rambles on before getting into the information your boss is looking for.\r\n\r\n<b>Create topic or focus sentences or headings for paragraphs and paragraph groups.<\/b>\u00a0 In academic writing, topic sentences (usually the first sentence of a unit of support) offers readers a preview of what\u2019s coming and how that information relates to\u00a0your overall purpose or thesis. In a professional document, focus sentences or headings can greatly help your readers get a sense of the flow and linkage of ideas in the document.\r\n\r\n<b>Change sentence style and length.<\/b>\u00a0Using the same types and lengths of sentences can become boring after awhile. If you already worry that your audience may lose interest in your issue, you may want to work on varying the types of sentences you use.\r\n\r\n<b>Use visuals.<\/b>\u00a0Visuals and graphics can be another way to help your audience\u00a0understand an abstract or complex topic. Sometimes a graphic might be more effective than a metaphor or step-by-step explanation. Visuals\u00a0may also be an effective choice if you know your audience is going to skim your writing quickly; a visual can be used to draw the reader\u2019s eye to information that you want to highlight.\r\n<h2>Author<\/h2>\r\nThe final unique aspect of anything written down is who, exactly, is doing the writing. In some sense, this is the part you have the most control over\u2014it\u2019s you who\u2019s writing, after all! You can harness the aspects of yourself that will make the text most effective to\u00a0your audience and\u00a0purpose.\r\n\r\nAnalyzing yourself as an author allows you to make explicit to your audience why they should pay attention to what you have to say.\r\n<h3>Useful Questions Regarding Author<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What personal motivations do you have for writing about this topic?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What background knowledge do you have on this subject matter?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What personal experiences directly relate to this subject? How do those personal experiences influence your perspectives on the issue?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What formal training or professional experience do you have related to this subject?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What skills do you have as a communicator? How can you harness those in this project?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What should audience members know about you, in order to trust what you have to tell them? How will you convey that in your writing?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nView the following video to review the concept of the rhetorical triangle.\u00a0 Note that although the speaker focuses on the purpose of persuading an audience about an issue,\u00a0the information relates to writing for any purpose.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg[\/embed]\r\n<h2>Format<\/h2>\r\nAlthough the rhetorical triangle doesn't discuss format, being conscious of expected format is an added consideration when you need to write. Below are brief explanations of some basic formats.\r\n<h3>Academic Essay<\/h3>\r\n<table title=\"Academic Essay: Features of the Introduction, Body and Conclusion\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the three main parts of an academic essay: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" align=\"center\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #1c438b;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Introduction<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #e6f2ff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>General information or example that interests your reader<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Narrows down to a thesis sentence or an assertion that you will then prove in the essay<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #185966;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Body<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #dfffff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Series of units of support that provide evidence to support the thesis\u2019 assertion<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Each unit of support can be one or more paragraphs; each starts with its own topic sentence<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #106433;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #d7ffeb;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Recap of the thesis assertion<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Additional ideas related to the thesis to leave the reader with something to think about<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3>Business Proposal<\/h3>\r\n<table title=\"Business Proposal: Statement of prolem and solutions\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the key features of a business proposal: the statement of a problem, possible solutions, and your proposed solutin.\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" align=\"center\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #600060;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Statement of Problem<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #ffe5ff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What problem needs addressing?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #5900b3;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Possible Solutions<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #f2e6ff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Other possible solutions<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Explanation of why these are not as good as your proposed solution<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #0101b1;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Your Proposed Solution<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #e1e1fe;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Specifics about what you want to have happen<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Can include many categories: solution, costs, timeline, expertise, action plan<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3>Memo\/Email<\/h3>\r\n<table title=\"Important features of memo or email\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the key components of a memo or email: the greeting, purpose, and actions.\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" align=\"center\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #4a4a4a;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Greeting<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #d8d8d8;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>It's still polite to use the recipient's name and to say hello.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #744221;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Purpose<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #f2e1d4;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identify the purpose immediately.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Add any details needed to explain the main idea.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #6e3030;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Actions<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #f0d7d7;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identify any actions to be taken, as appropriate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3>Business Report<\/h3>\r\n<table title=\"Features of the Business Report\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the key components of a business report: a letter of transmittal, an executive summary, the body, and conclusion.\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" align=\"center\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #a26407;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Letter of Transmittal<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #fcebcf;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Letter to the audience explaining the context of the report<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #8d2702;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Executive Summary<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #fddace;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Brief explanation of the report's main ideas, offering quick reference to a busy executive<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #8d0139;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Body<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #fec8f8;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Details of the report<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Information broken down into short sections, each with its own heading<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"background-color: #6a015c;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<td style=\"background-color: #e9c9fe;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Summary of report's main ideas<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Recommendation for action, as appropriate<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\r\n<h3>Initial Learning Activity<\/h3>\r\nHere's the situation.\u00a0 You work for a non-profit agency as a supervisor in the human resources department.\u00a0 The agency has made a commitment to fostering a healthy workplace.\u00a0 You have been asked by the head of the agency to email all employees\u2014everyone in the employee categories of administrative assistants, supervisors, department managers, and maintenance workers, security\u2014to let them know that the agency will be offering a series of lunch-time presentations on different aspects of health (e.g., eating healthy, exercising at your desk, getting the most out of a 10-minute break, and quitting smoking).\u00a0 Top management wants participation.\r\n\r\nApply the concepts identified in the rhetorical triangle to identify how you can effectively write\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>a general email to all employees, and<\/li>\r\n \t<li>targeted emails to different employee categories.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nThen write at least 3 emails, one general and two to different employee categories.\r\n\r\nAfter writing the emails, write a short (2-3 page) analysis explaining\u00a0why you chose certain information, language, tone, etc. based on your rhetorical analysis.\r\n\r\n<strong>Submit:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>3 emails<\/li>\r\n \t<li>analysis of the emails<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>in-depth learning activity<\/h3>\r\nRead \"<a href=\"https:\/\/wac.colostate.edu\/docs\/books\/collegelevel\/chapter1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">An Essential Question: What Is College-Level Writing?<\/a>\" by Patrick Sullivan, included in\u00a0<em>What is College-Level Writing<\/em> by the National Council of Teachers of English. This chapter discusses the question, and it offers various viewpoints in answer to the question.\r\n\r\nAs you read, apply <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-educationalplanning\/chapter\/critical-reading\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">critical reading<\/a> strategies to make sure that you engage with the text in order to understand the nuances offered in answer to that question.\r\n\r\nThen write your own piece (4-5 pages), choosing a different audience, that explains your own ideas about writing competencies in college.\u00a0 You may write an academic essay, for example, or a proposal to\u00a0a college administrator to in some way change the college's focus on writing competency to better teach college-level writing to students, or a report to your supervisor at work who wants periodic updates on the competencies you're gaining from your college studies (which are 80% employer-funded). Whatever format you choose, make sure to apply the analysis from the rhetorical triangle in order to determine the variables of the writing: content, language, tone, etc.\r\n\r\n<strong>Submit:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>your written piece<\/li>\r\n \t<li>a brief analysis (2-3 pages)\u00a0explaining\u00a0why you chose certain information, language, tone, etc. based on your rhetorical analysis<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Related college Learning Goals<\/h3>\r\n<strong>Communication:<\/strong> Express and receive ideas effectively, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies.\r\n\r\n<strong>Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:<\/strong> Evaluate, analyze, synthesize and critique key concepts and experiences, and apply diverse perspectives to find creative solutions to problems concerning human behavior, society and the natural world.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"font-size: small\">For more information, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esc.edu\/policies\/?search=cid%3D61278\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">College Learning Goals Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<p>Writing is a critical competency in contemporary life, from text messaging to writing a professional synopsis appropriate for LinkedIn, to writing memos and reports at work, to writing a simple &#8220;thank you&#8221; email.\u00a0 Most of us write\u00a0every day, for a variety\u00a0of purposes.<\/p>\n<p>All writing exists in context.\u00a0 You usually create writing for a specific reading audience to read, with a specific purpose or outcome in mind, whether that audience consists of your co-workers, your boss, your peers in a community endeavor, your peers in an online course, or even yourself.\u00a0 However,\u00a0active consideration of context often happens subconsciously, if at all.\u00a0 Many people, when confronted with a writing task, simply sit down and start writing, just to get words and concepts identified, and to &#8220;get it done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Developing competence in writing, though, includes learning how to consciously consider\u00a0writing contexts, and then use that consideration to make decisions about the writing&#8217;s content, tone, format, and more,\u00a0in order to create effective written communication.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1197 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3676\/2018\/09\/01193514\/Capture-23-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"Rhetorical Triangle: the word &quot;message&quot; in the center of the triangle, and the words &quot;purpose,&quot; &quot;author,&quot; and &quot;audience&quot; at each point of the triangle\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" \/>One way of visualizing and\u00a0bringing into consciousness the\u00a0context for all types of communications\u2014written, spoken, visual\u2014is called the rhetorical triangle.\u00a0 It identifies what happens in any communication situation: a communicator sends a message with a particular purpose to a particular audience.\u00a0 All points of the rhetorical triangle need to operate in sync for the message to be effective.\u00a0 For example, think of the experience you may have\u00a0had when the points were not in sync\u2014maybe when you tried to follow a set of\u00a0directions to use a new technical device, or attempted to\u00a0assemble a children&#8217;s toy with many parts.\u00a0 Very often the writer was not\u00a0aware of the reading audience&#8217;s needs and thus did not clearly define steps in the process, or did not clearly explain\u00a0and illustrate each piece.<\/p>\n<p>The three key factors\u2014purpose, author, and audience\u2014all work together to influence what the text itself says and how it says it.<\/p>\n<h2>Purpose<\/h2>\n<p>Any time you prepare to write, ask yourself, \u201cWhy am I writing?\u201d All writing, no matter the type, has a purpose. Purpose will sometimes be given to you (by a manager or professor, for example), while other times you\u00a0decide for yourself. As the author, it\u2019s up to you to make sure that purpose is clear not only for yourself, but also\u2014especially\u2014for your audience. If your purpose is not clear, your audience is not likely to receive your intended message.<\/p>\n<p>There are, of course, many different reasons to write (e.g., to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to ask questions), and you may find that some writing has more than one purpose. When this happens, be sure to consider any conflict between purposes, and remember that you will usually focus on one primary purpose.<\/p>\n<h3>Why Purpose Matters<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If you ever listened to a lecture or read an essay and wondered \u201cSo what?\u201d or \u201cWhat is this person talking about?\u201d then you know how frustrating it can be when an author\u2019s purpose is not clear. By clearly defining your purpose before you begin writing, it\u2019s less likely that you\u2019ll be that author who leaves the audience wondering.<\/li>\n<li>If readers can\u2019t identify the purpose in a text, they usually quit reading. You can\u2019t deliver a message to an audience who quits reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Useful Questions to Determine Purpose<\/h3>\n<p>Consider how answers to the following questions may affect your writing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is my primary purpose for writing? How do I want my audience to think, feel, or respond after they read my writing?<\/li>\n<li>Do my audience\u2019s expectations affect my purpose? Should they?<\/li>\n<li>How can I best get my point across (e.g., tell a story, argue, cite other sources)?<\/li>\n<li>Do I have any secondary or tertiary purposes? Do any of these purposes conflict with one another or with my primary purpose?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Audience<\/h2>\n<p>In order for your writing to be most effective, you have to think about the audience you\u2019re writing for and adapt your writing approach to their needs, expectations, backgrounds, and interests. Being aware of your audience helps you make better decisions about what to say and how to say it. For example, audience characteristics as much as you can,\u00a0you&#8217;ll have a better idea if you\u00a0need to define or explain any terms, and you can make a more conscious effort not to say or do anything that would offend your audience.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes you know who will read your writing, for example, if you are writing an email to your boss. Other times you&#8217;ll have to guess who is likely to read your writing, for example, if you are writing a newspaper editorial. You will often write with a primary audience in mind, but there may be secondary and tertiary audiences to consider as well.<\/p>\n<h3>Useful Characteristics to Consider about Audience<\/h3>\n<p>When analyzing your audience, consider these points. Doing this should make it easier to create a profile of your audience, which can help guide your writing choices.<\/p>\n<p><b>Background Knowledge or Experience<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 In general, you don\u2019t want to merely repeat what your audience already knows about the topic you\u2019re writing about; you want to build on it. On the other hand, you don\u2019t want to talk over their heads. Anticipate\u00a0their amount of previous knowledge or experience based on elements\u00a0such as\u00a0their age, profession, or level of education.<\/p>\n<p><b>Expectations and Interests<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Your audience may expect to find specific points or writing approaches, especially if you are writing for work or school. Consider not only what they\u00a0<em>do<\/em>\u00a0want to read about, but also what they\u00a0<em>do not<\/em>\u00a0want to read about.<\/p>\n<p><b>Attitudes and Biases<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Your audience may have predetermined feelings about you or your topic, which can affect how hard you have to work to win them over or appeal to them. The audience\u2019s attitudes and biases also affect their expectations.\u00a0 For example, if they expect to disagree with you, they will likely look for evidence that you have considered their side as well as your own.<\/p>\n<p><b>Demographics<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Consider what else you know about your audience, such as their age, gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, political preferences, religious affiliations, jobs or professional backgrounds, and areas of residence. Think about how these demographics may affect how much background your audience has about your topic, what types of expectations or interests they have, and what attitudes or biases they may have.<\/p>\n<h3>Applying Audience\u00a0Analysis to Your Writing<\/h3>\n<p>Here are some general rules about writing, each followed by an explanation of how audience might affect it. Consider how you might adapt these guidelines to your specific situation and audience. (Note: This is not an exhaustive list.\u00a0 Also, you likely will not use all of these approaches in a single communication.)<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"Rules adapted from David McMurrey\u2019s online text, Power Tools for Technical Communication\" id=\"return-footnote-58-1\" href=\"#footnote-58-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Add information readers need to understand your document (and omit information readers don\u2019t need).<\/b>\u00a0Part of your audience may know a lot about your topic, while others don\u2019t know much at all. When this happens, you have to decide if you should provide explanation or not. If you don\u2019t offer explanation, you risk alienating or confusing those who lack the information. If you offer explanation, you create more work for yourself, and you risk boring those who already know the information, which may negatively affect the larger view those readers have of you and your work. In the end, you may want to consider how many people need an explanation, whether those people are in your primary audience (rather than a secondary audience), how much time you have to complete your writing, and any length limitations placed on you. In a written document, you can always include an addendum with additional information for those who need it.<\/p>\n<p><b>Change the level of the information you currently have.<\/b>\u00a0Even if you have the right information, you might be explaining it in a way that doesn\u2019t make sense to your audience. For example, you wouldn\u2019t want to use highly advanced or technical vocabulary in a document for trainees in a specific field,\u00a0or even in a document for a general audience, such as the audience of a daily newspaper, because most likely some (or even all) of the audience won\u2019t understand you.<\/p>\n<p><b>Add examples to help readers understand.<\/b>\u00a0Sometimes just changing the level of information you have isn\u2019t enough to get your point across, so you might try adding an example. If you are trying to explain a complex or abstract issue to an audience with a lower level of expertise, you might offer a metaphor or an analogy to something they are more familiar with to help them understand. Or, if you are writing for an audience that disagrees with your stance, you might offer examples that create common ground and\/or help them see your perspective.<\/p>\n<p><b>Change the level of your examples.<\/b>\u00a0Once you\u2019ve decided to include examples, you should make sure you aren\u2019t offering examples your audience finds unacceptable or confusing. For example, some professionals find personal stories unacceptable in\u00a0work-related writing, so you might use a metaphor instead.<\/p>\n<p><b>Change the organization of your information.<\/b>\u00a0Again, you might have the correct information, but you might be presenting it in a confusing or illogical order. If you are writing a paper about physics for a physics professor who has his or her Ph.D., chances are you won\u2019t need to begin your paper with a lot of background; however, you probably\u00a0want to include background information in the beginning of your paper if you&#8217;re writing for a fellow student in an introductory physics class.<\/p>\n<p><b>Strengthen transitions.<\/b>\u00a0Transitions are words that show specific connections between thoughts.\u00a0 &#8220;However&#8221; or &#8220;therefore&#8221; mean an opposite or different thought is coming, while &#8220;and&#8221; and &#8220;also&#8221; show that more of the same type of thought is coming. Make decisions about transitions based on your audience\u2019s expectations and needs.<\/p>\n<p><b>Write stronger introductions\u2014both for the whole document and for major sections.<\/b>\u00a0In general, readers like to get the big picture up front. You can offer this in your introduction and thesis statement in an academic essay, in an executive\u00a0summary in a business proposal,\u00a0or in smaller introductions to major sections within your document. You should, however, also consider how much time your audience will have to read your document. If you are writing for a boss who already works long hours and has little or no free time, you wouldn&#8217;t write a lengthy\u00a0executive summary\u00a0that rambles on before getting into the information your boss is looking for.<\/p>\n<p><b>Create topic or focus sentences or headings for paragraphs and paragraph groups.<\/b>\u00a0 In academic writing, topic sentences (usually the first sentence of a unit of support) offers readers a preview of what\u2019s coming and how that information relates to\u00a0your overall purpose or thesis. In a professional document, focus sentences or headings can greatly help your readers get a sense of the flow and linkage of ideas in the document.<\/p>\n<p><b>Change sentence style and length.<\/b>\u00a0Using the same types and lengths of sentences can become boring after awhile. If you already worry that your audience may lose interest in your issue, you may want to work on varying the types of sentences you use.<\/p>\n<p><b>Use visuals.<\/b>\u00a0Visuals and graphics can be another way to help your audience\u00a0understand an abstract or complex topic. Sometimes a graphic might be more effective than a metaphor or step-by-step explanation. Visuals\u00a0may also be an effective choice if you know your audience is going to skim your writing quickly; a visual can be used to draw the reader\u2019s eye to information that you want to highlight.<\/p>\n<h2>Author<\/h2>\n<p>The final unique aspect of anything written down is who, exactly, is doing the writing. In some sense, this is the part you have the most control over\u2014it\u2019s you who\u2019s writing, after all! You can harness the aspects of yourself that will make the text most effective to\u00a0your audience and\u00a0purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Analyzing yourself as an author allows you to make explicit to your audience why they should pay attention to what you have to say.<\/p>\n<h3>Useful Questions Regarding Author<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>What personal motivations do you have for writing about this topic?<\/li>\n<li>What background knowledge do you have on this subject matter?<\/li>\n<li>What personal experiences directly relate to this subject? How do those personal experiences influence your perspectives on the issue?<\/li>\n<li>What formal training or professional experience do you have related to this subject?<\/li>\n<li>What skills do you have as a communicator? How can you harness those in this project?<\/li>\n<li>What should audience members know about you, in order to trust what you have to tell them? How will you convey that in your writing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>View the following video to review the concept of the rhetorical triangle.\u00a0 Note that although the speaker focuses on the purpose of persuading an audience about an issue,\u00a0the information relates to writing for any purpose.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Format<\/h2>\n<p>Although the rhetorical triangle doesn&#8217;t discuss format, being conscious of expected format is an added consideration when you need to write. Below are brief explanations of some basic formats.<\/p>\n<h3>Academic Essay<\/h3>\n<table title=\"Academic Essay: Features of the Introduction, Body and Conclusion\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the three main parts of an academic essay: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.\" cellpadding=\"10\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px; margin: auto;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #1c438b;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Introduction<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #e6f2ff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>General information or example that interests your reader<\/li>\n<li>Narrows down to a thesis sentence or an assertion that you will then prove in the essay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #185966;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Body<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #dfffff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Series of units of support that provide evidence to support the thesis\u2019 assertion<\/li>\n<li>Each unit of support can be one or more paragraphs; each starts with its own topic sentence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #106433;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #d7ffeb;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Recap of the thesis assertion<\/li>\n<li>Additional ideas related to the thesis to leave the reader with something to think about<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Business Proposal<\/h3>\n<table title=\"Business Proposal: Statement of prolem and solutions\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the key features of a business proposal: the statement of a problem, possible solutions, and your proposed solutin.\" cellpadding=\"10\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px; margin: auto;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #600060;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Statement of Problem<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #ffe5ff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>What problem needs addressing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #5900b3;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Possible Solutions<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #f2e6ff;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Other possible solutions<\/li>\n<li>Explanation of why these are not as good as your proposed solution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #0101b1;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Your Proposed Solution<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #e1e1fe;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Specifics about what you want to have happen<\/li>\n<li>Can include many categories: solution, costs, timeline, expertise, action plan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Memo\/Email<\/h3>\n<table title=\"Important features of memo or email\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the key components of a memo or email: the greeting, purpose, and actions.\" cellpadding=\"10\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px; margin: auto;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #4a4a4a;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Greeting<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #d8d8d8;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>It&#8217;s still polite to use the recipient&#8217;s name and to say hello.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #744221;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Purpose<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #f2e1d4;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Identify the purpose immediately.<\/li>\n<li>Add any details needed to explain the main idea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #6e3030;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Actions<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #f0d7d7;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Identify any actions to be taken, as appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Business Report<\/h3>\n<table title=\"Features of the Business Report\" summary=\"A table with three rows and two columns, read left to right. The table describes the key components of a business report: a letter of transmittal, an executive summary, the body, and conclusion.\" cellpadding=\"10\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px; margin: auto;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #a26407;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Letter of Transmittal<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #fcebcf;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Letter to the audience explaining the context of the report<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #8d2702;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Executive Summary<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #fddace;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Brief explanation of the report&#8217;s main ideas, offering quick reference to a busy executive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #8d0139;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Body<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #fec8f8;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Details of the report<\/li>\n<li>Information broken down into short sections, each with its own heading<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background-color: #6a015c;width: 176.5px\" scope=\"row\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;color: #ffffff;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td style=\"background-color: #e9c9fe;width: 600.5px;font-size: medium\">\n<ul>\n<li>Summary of report&#8217;s main ideas<\/li>\n<li>Recommendation for action, as appropriate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\n<h3>Initial Learning Activity<\/h3>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the situation.\u00a0 You work for a non-profit agency as a supervisor in the human resources department.\u00a0 The agency has made a commitment to fostering a healthy workplace.\u00a0 You have been asked by the head of the agency to email all employees\u2014everyone in the employee categories of administrative assistants, supervisors, department managers, and maintenance workers, security\u2014to let them know that the agency will be offering a series of lunch-time presentations on different aspects of health (e.g., eating healthy, exercising at your desk, getting the most out of a 10-minute break, and quitting smoking).\u00a0 Top management wants participation.<\/p>\n<p>Apply the concepts identified in the rhetorical triangle to identify how you can effectively write<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>a general email to all employees, and<\/li>\n<li>targeted emails to different employee categories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Then write at least 3 emails, one general and two to different employee categories.<\/p>\n<p>After writing the emails, write a short (2-3 page) analysis explaining\u00a0why you chose certain information, language, tone, etc. based on your rhetorical analysis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Submit:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>3 emails<\/li>\n<li>analysis of the emails<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>in-depth learning activity<\/h3>\n<p>Read &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/wac.colostate.edu\/docs\/books\/collegelevel\/chapter1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">An Essential Question: What Is College-Level Writing?<\/a>&#8221; by Patrick Sullivan, included in\u00a0<em>What is College-Level Writing<\/em> by the National Council of Teachers of English. This chapter discusses the question, and it offers various viewpoints in answer to the question.<\/p>\n<p>As you read, apply <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-educationalplanning\/chapter\/critical-reading\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">critical reading<\/a> strategies to make sure that you engage with the text in order to understand the nuances offered in answer to that question.<\/p>\n<p>Then write your own piece (4-5 pages), choosing a different audience, that explains your own ideas about writing competencies in college.\u00a0 You may write an academic essay, for example, or a proposal to\u00a0a college administrator to in some way change the college&#8217;s focus on writing competency to better teach college-level writing to students, or a report to your supervisor at work who wants periodic updates on the competencies you&#8217;re gaining from your college studies (which are 80% employer-funded). Whatever format you choose, make sure to apply the analysis from the rhetorical triangle in order to determine the variables of the writing: content, language, tone, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Submit:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>your written piece<\/li>\n<li>a brief analysis (2-3 pages)\u00a0explaining\u00a0why you chose certain information, language, tone, etc. based on your rhetorical analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Related college Learning Goals<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Communication:<\/strong> Express and receive ideas effectively, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:<\/strong> Evaluate, analyze, synthesize and critique key concepts and experiences, and apply diverse perspectives to find creative solutions to problems concerning human behavior, society and the natural world.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: small\">For more information, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esc.edu\/policies\/?search=cid%3D61278\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">College Learning Goals Policy<\/a>.<\/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-58\">\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>information adapted from Guide to Writing page on Rhetorical Context. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Susan Oaks. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/styleguide\/chapter\/rhetorical-context\/\">https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/styleguide\/chapter\/rhetorical-context\/<\/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 class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>video on The Rhetorical Situation. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Clancy Clawson. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: The University of Maryland Writing Center. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>Other<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: YouTube video<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-58-1\">Rules adapted from David McMurrey\u2019s online text, Power Tools for Technical Communication <a href=\"#return-footnote-58-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":81366,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"information adapted from Guide to Writing page on Rhetorical Context\",\"author\":\"Susan Oaks\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/styleguide\/chapter\/rhetorical-context\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"video on The Rhetorical Situation\",\"author\":\"Clancy Clawson\",\"organization\":\"The University of Maryland Writing Center\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"other\",\"license_terms\":\"YouTube 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