Steven Pinker’s provocative article “Why Academics Stink at Writing,” that recently appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, attempts to identify the reasons why academic writing can be difficult to read. He outlines a variety of ways in which academic writers, in service of other goals, fail to meet readers’ expectations for clear and productive prose.
In this session, Megan Jewell, writing center director, and Martha Schaffer, associate director of composition, will lead discussion on processes employed by academic writers, and how they tie assumptions about what makes for “good academic writing” to teaching.
Specifically, this discussion will address how the feedback provided to students about their writing might be informed by instructor expectations as academic writers.
Some questions to be considered include:
- What expectations do academics as readers have for academic writing and how does this influence their writing practices?
- How do instructors communicate their and other academic readers’ expectations to novice writers in their courses?
- How can instructors provide useful and effective feedback to novice writers to help them understand these expectations?
Join us on Thursday, March 23, from noon-1 p.m. at Allen Memorial Medical Library, Herrick Room.
Pizza lunch and sodas will be provided at this session.
To help us estimate the amount to order, please let us know if you plan to attend this session by replying to this email or sending a message to ucite@case.edu.