What we

1
Class 1

• What were going to do today
• Logistics
• Rollcall, overview of requirements
• Expected skills coming in
• What you find hard about writing
• Your goals for course
• My goals for course
• Assignment for next Tuesday
• Short writing assignment to do in class

2
Logistics, 1

• Roll
• What class is about writing requirement
• Demonstrate that have writing skills to
  communicate at level of publishable prose
• What class is about writing something you need
  to write anyway
• IP, Dissertation proposal or chapter, thesis,
  technical paper
• Assumed skills
• Basic grammar and composition skills
• Course web sitelikely to use Blackboard
• Temporarily linked my home page
  .whitton/Comp291F04
• (Before look at it, talk about what you want to
  get out of this)

3
What do you want from this course?

• What do you want from this course?
• What is hard about writing for you?
• Use tool Inspiration to generate ideas and
  cluster
• If they arent covered, add these points
• My observations-
• Wait too long to start ? assignments due all
  along that count
• Dont spend enough time
• Reflecting on content
• Organizing structure of paper
• Start writing prose too soon
• Wordsmith before you know what you want to say
• Flow problems from cut and paste
• Dont critique yourself carefully enough
• does it say what you intend?
• Dont put yourself in the other guys shoes?
• Who is the audience?
• Careless about formatting references

4
My objectives, how do they match up?

• 1. Structured setting in which to fulfill your
  writing requirement
• a. Getting started
• b. Deadlines and assignments will be related to
  IP, MORE
• c. Feedback early and often
• 2. Make writing easier by giving you tools
• a. procedures--tricks, methods, top-down approach
• b. tools--SW helps
• c. resources
• 3. Make you your own best critic and editor
• a. Writing as user interface
• b.Put yourself in the other guys shoes
• 4. Awareness of and Appreciation of good writing
• a. well chosen words, good "turns of phrase",
  well crafted sentences and paragraphs
• b. well structured and argued pieces

5
Look at web page, assignments

• http//www.cs.unc.edu/whitton/Comp291F04
• Refer to what goal or writing problem the
  assignments address
• MORE steps for course than for IPa chance for
  help, an opportunity to get feedback and revise
• How well work
• Review each others work to help you hone your
  ability to critique, hopefully make you more
  aware of your own writing.
• Probably one of few times youll do an individual
  writing job.
• How we stay out of trouble for giving too much
  help on a single person writing product
• Comment on structure of arguments and style, but
  not on the ideas themselves
• Honor Code

6
(Getting to) Todays writing assignment

• Topic something everyone knows something about
• Suggestions?
• What I did this summer?
• Going to brainstorm and organize for 5 min
• DID is a wimpy verb how make it more specific
  and lively?
• How many things could you write about in 10 min?
  
• Then you brainstorm and organize for 5 min
• Then write for 10 min
• Exchange papers and mark up 5 min
• Clarity of purpose
• Clarity of prose
• Exceptionally good (or bad) prose (NO
  ATTRIBUTION!)
• Talk about it 5 minutes Stop about 5 min
  left to make assignments

7
Next assignments

• Reading assignment Executive summary of the 911
  Commission report.
• Read it critically for style, not content
• Audience?
• How to find a topic for your 291 paper
• Well brainstorm on this next time
• 200 words on this topic for next Tuesday

8
Review/Preview

• Reviewed goals yours and mine
• High level look at assignments
• Done a writing assignment
• Brainstormed
• Limited topics (?)
• Wrote
• Critiqued
• Preview
• Good writing in the 911 report exec summary
• Brainstorm about finding a topic