College Composition

1
College Composition

• College writing prepares students
• for critical career reports.

2
Why does college require writing?

• College writing prepares you for careers wherein
  you gather data, analyze it, and then explain
  your decision in writing to management so they
  can assess it and use it.
• Most professionals in the information age
  research, think, and present their conclusions or
  arguments.
• Part of the value of doing your own thinking and
  writing is that it makes you better at evaluating
  the thinking and writing of others.

Just how educated is Carls argument?
3
In careers, how key is writing?

• To get an interview for a professional position,
  often the applicant must write a logical and
  error free cover letter.
• Those with poorly written application materials
  do not even get an interview for a professional
  or a leadership position.

• Most companies require technical and formal
  reports, often with documentation.
• Many organizations force their deficient writers
  to take writing classes.
• Writing is a threshold skill for promotion poor
  writers usually cannot advance.

4
Which careers demand reports?

• Careers in banking, insurance, real estate,
  manufacturing, and even building involve reports.
• 80 of the salaried in service industries must
  write frequent reports.
• Manufacturing documentation, operating
  procedures, reporting problems, and lab safety
  must be crystal clear to show clear thinking.

Is the pen mightier than the sword?
5
Then who does not write reports?

• Obviously business managers write frequent
  reports however, so do nurses, teachers,
  scientists, and accountants.
• Sorry, if you cannot write good reports, you will
  be an hourly employee.

Just how clear is your writing?
6
What makes college writing different?

• Of course, the spelling, the grammar, and the
  usage must be better than in high school.
• You also have to write longer college papers, but
  there is something else.
• The big difference, though, is that college
  writing is much more opinionated and factual than
  the personal writing of high school.

Does a security guard have to write much?
7
College writing is often an argument.

• In college, you will summarize readings
  accurately to show that you understand it.
• Far more oftenlike every other weekyou will
  analyze the reading.
• You must make a worthwhile claim about it that is
  not obvious (state a thesis).
• You must also support your claim with good
  reasons, all several pages organized to present
  an argument.

Just how much analysis does education involve?
8
What are the parts of an argument?

• A college argument is a set of statements
  coherently arranged to offer three things that
  experienced readers expect.
• A claim or a proposal that encourages them to
  say, "That's interesting. I'd like to know more."
  
• Evidence or reasons for your claim that urges
  them to agree with your claim, or at least to
  think it reasonable.
• Answers to the objections and limits to your
  claim since an interesting claim is one that can
  be reasonably challenged readers look for
  answers to questions like "But what about the
  problems with your claim?" and "Have you
  considered the other side of the argument?"

Does the son seem to have any objections to the
Dads claim?
9
Does argument present an opinion?

• We write to state what we have thought and to
  show why others might agree with it, and why our
  opinion matters.
• Our conclusions are always partial and open to
  challenge.
• We write our opinion to let others test our
  reasoning.
• We present our best thinking as a series of
  claims, reasons, and responses to possible
  challenges.
• Then readers can see not only what we think, but
  whether they ought to agree.

Do you require this procedure?
10
In written argument, what is a claim?

• A claim is not just a statement it is a
  conclusion reached after analysis of material.
• A researcher could study the relationship between
  red wine consumption and cholesterol in French
  citizens, but it isn't a claim, it's only a
  topic.
• "Evidence suggests that the consumption of red
  wine has lowered cholesterol rates among certain
  groups of French citizens is a claim to support
  by analyzing the evidence.

Are gadgets always good for communication?
11
In argumentation, what is analysis?

• Analysis breaks something down into its parts.
• To find how many different ways the common cold
  can be treated, youd gather lots of published or
  internet sources and read about treatments.
• If there are seven different strategies, youd
  write a paper describing each.
• You don't recommend any you just list and
  discuss each of them.
• You then have analyzed the given treatments for
  the common cold.

Should Billy have analyzed his Dads proposal?
12
In argument, what is a synthesis?

• Synthesis involves putting things back together,
  but in original ways.
• You decided that there is no best way to treat a
  common cold, but that any of several methods is
  equally effective.
• You have a conclusion based on your analysis, and
  you have supported that conclusion with
  references to your analysis.
• You have synthesized the material and offered a
  conclusion that none of your sources offers, but
  comes from analysis of all sources.

Does the head agree with the finding?
13
In argument, what is the evidence?

• Evidence is written support for a claim or an
  opinion.
• Supporting evidence is usually broken down into
  five different types
• Facts
• Examples
• Statistics
• Expert opinion/testimony
• Narrative of experiences

Is the above evidence all that conclusive?
14
How well-supported is high school writing?

• For busy students, dating can require too many
  resources. Many students work part-time jobs or
  play on teams after school. A steady partner can
  demand more time than the student can spare.
  Because dates can be in pricey restaurants and
  movie theaters, hanging out with a girlfriend can
  take not only lots of time but also considerable
  money.

How much objective support is there in this
reasoning?
15
What does college-level writing add?

• For busy students, dating can require too much.
  It takes time for a student to work at
  McDonalds1 or to play running back2. A steady
  partner can demand two hours a day3, even if
  there is a final in Algebra4 the next day. In
  fact, dinner dates at Los Reyes5 and going out to
  Cinema Ten6 can make hanging out with a
  girlfriend cost 507, more than paying the
  late-fee8 of a parking ticket9 at campus
  security10.

How many factual details are added to the college
paragraph?
16
Does argument consider the other side?

• It is a good idea to state the points that your
  opposition might try to make against your
  argument.
• An essay sounds most reasonable when it concedes
  that the opposition might have a good point.
• Making up a list of points and counter-points
  will enable you to see weak elements in your own
  and in your opposition's arguments.

What objection might the woman have?
17
What does an argument concede?

• Despite its social advantages, dating can require
  too much of busy students. It takes time for a
  student to work at McDonalds or to play running
  back. A steady partner can demand two hours a
  day, even if there is a final in Algebra the next
  day. In fact, dinner dates at Los Reyes and going
  out to Cinema Ten can make hanging out with a
  girlfriend cost 50, more than paying the
  late-fee of a parking ticket at campus security.

What concession is the lady seeking?
18
How will the boss view bad writing?

• If your writing is sloppy, disorganized, and
  riddled with errors, your supervisor will assume
  that the rest of your work is flawed, your work
  ethics are confused, and perhaps as a person you
  are out-of-focus.
• Why should the reader waste his time reading the
  rest of your junk or even do any sort of business
  with you?

How easy is this boss on his workers?
19
What makes college writing different?

• Of course, the spelling, the grammar, and the
  usage must be better in college papers than in
  high school.
• You also have to write more frequently and much
  longer college papers, but there is something
  else.

Is this thinking level high school or college?
20
College writing is often an argument.

• In college, at times you will merely summarize
  readings accurately to show that you understand
  them.
• Far more oftenlike every other weekyou will
  analyze the reading.
• You must make a worthwhile claim about it that is
  not obvious (state a thesis).
• You must also support your claim with good
  reasons, all several pages organized to present
  an argument.

And youre going to college to get an easier job?
21
General Review Questions

• Professionals write __ to secure positions?
• a. notes, b. emails,
• c. cover letters.
• 2. Career writing must feature more __?
• a. facts, b. errors,
• c. ideas, d. creativity.
• 3. Professionals write their opinions to let
  others test their __?
• a. feelings, b. reviews, c. reasoning, d. views.

• 4. Synthesis writing puts things __?
• a. pointedly, b. apart, c. together, d. right.
• College-level writing always adds ___?
• a. examples, b. detail, c. descriptions.
• Bosses automatically __ sloppy writing?
• a. reject, b. condone, c. favor, d. accept.

22
Review Questions Answered

• Professionals write __ to secure positions?
• a. notes, b. emails,
• c. cover letters.
• 2. Career writing must feature more __?
• a. facts, b. errors,
• c. ideas, d. creativity.
• 3. Professionals write their opinions to let
  others test their __?
• a. feelings, b. reviews, c. reasoning, d. views.

• 4. Synthesis writing puts things __?
• a. pointedly, b. apart, c. together, d. well.
• College-level writing always adds ___?
• a. examples, b. detail, c. descriptions.
• Bosses automatically __ sloppy writing?
• a. reject, b. condone, c. favor, d. accept.