Hello,I wrote an argument and when I submitted it to my prof. he said that I need to revise it and focus more on my audience. I need someone who can make my paper stronger and I am not just talking about the grammar mistakes.I am talking about the quality of the paper and how well the audience will understand my argument.** I have attached my argument (word document) and the three articles I used to write the paper. ** Here are what the professor requested: Part 1:Read the attached word document and revise the argument with explicit focus on increasing its appeal to your audience. For example, where the first paper you might have begun with your reasons for supporting your point, in this paper you might want to address/state the warrants (assumptions) that your audience may need to know and agree with before can listen to your perspective. The purpose of this revision is not to simply “add” more information to your paper. Rather, I’m really wanting you to be mindful of how to make your paper more rhetorically sound.Part 2:At the end of the paper, include a 250-300 word reflection explaining the choices you made in your revision. Describe to me the changes you made and explain how or why these changes are intended to enhance your argument’s effectiveness at moving its audience. You need to be very specific as to why you made some changes.**Please be sure to read first and understand what the prof. is looking for.I appreciate the help. Thank you.
the_argument._.docx
activity_theory_an_introduction_kain_and_wardle.pdf
coaches_can_read__too_branick.pdf
stylus_3_1_marroo.pdf
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Running head: CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
Characteristics of Academic Writing
Introduction
Writing is a skill that can be possessed naturally and acquired through both formal and
informal learning processes. The style a writer adopts in his or her piece is dependent on the type
of audience that it was meant for or in the case of technical writing, the specific requirements of
the audience. The need to be objective by adopting and maintain a scholarly position is one of
the transitional challenges that these students face when writing assignments and papers for
various disciplines. Also, the linear nature of academic writing in the English Language poses
difficulty in the organization of ideas and concepts that are expressed in the material. In this
instance, the problem lies with ensuring that every paragraph and the sentences used to construct
them contributes to the audiences’ understanding of the line of argument or its central theme.
Also, the purpose of objectivity in this genre of writing that entails staying on a particular path
without repetitions and digressions, as well as the need to inform and entertain makes academic
writing a bit challenging for a lot of students. While professors endeavor to teach their students
the particular style of writing for their courses, the lack of an extensive and detailed manual on
scholarly writing is contributing to the level of anguish and frustration that students face. It is
believed that a paper on the characteristics of academic writing that factors the complexities of
different sub genres of the writing style can help students develop their writing skills both within
and outside the classroom. Also, an understanding of this nature would help them to become
authority in their respective disciplines through the sourcing and adopting of information from
credible sources. Until this type of publication is created to complement existing ones produced
by various professional associations such as the American Psychological Association (APA), a
detailed solution to the problem would remain unattainable.
1
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
Elements of Academic Writing
Gillett (2008) stated that complexity is an element of academic writing that separates it
from other forms of formal writing and verbal communication. He noted that main distinguishing
factor between written and spoken language is the longer length of words in the former than the
latter. The vocabulary and lexicon used in creating scholarly materials for an assigned topic vary
and denser than other genres. One of the reasons for this difference is the need to use a higher
number of noun-based phrases than verb-based ones. An additional complexity issue experienced
by prospective writers is the utilization of shorter sentences that follow the rule of grammar
including the use of subordinate clauses. Depending on the type of essay or requirement of the
instructor, writing for educational purposes is very formal since it requires the avoidance of
colloquial words and expressions. The implication of this requirement is that the writing in the
first and second person is less acceptable than the third person, which is more precise since facts
and figures are presented so as to maintain objectivity.
Meanwhile, the objectivity element of academic writing is an additional feature that
differentiates it from other formal forms since it makes it possible for the writer to limit his or
her opinion on the subject unless such approach is required. Therefore, he or she focuses on the
clear and concise presentation of the arguments and their support evidence, which increases the
need to use nouns and adjectives than other parts of speech. An additional element of academic
writing that makes it challenging for college freshmen and requires extensive practice is the use
of various type of signaling words that create an explicit connection between various parts of the
text (Branick, 2014). Also, explicitness also allows the writer to fulfill his or her responsibility to
the audience or readers to understand the roles of these parts to the overall goal of the piece of
writing.
2
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
According to Kain & Wardle (2014), students in the effort to avoid plagiarism paraphrase
words that make them inaccurate regarding the use of the wrong vocabulary that distorts their
meaning. For example, some words in the English Language have specific meanings that are
altered when replaced with other words. Further, one of the major requirements of academic
writing for any subject or discipline is the need to decide on a position, stick to it, and be certain
on the strengths of the claims that are made by the author. The fact that different subjects have a
specific preference for this part of the writing makes it imperative to the student to be wellorganized in his or her working. The content of scholarly publications must follow a logical
pattern that allows easy flow from introduction to conclusion. The final element of academic
writing that is required for the successful presentation of ideas and arguments is responsibility.
Students must understand that one of the purposes of their education is to develop a sense of
responsibility for their actions and claims. This character is expected to be reflected in the papers
they write during their undergraduate program. Therefore, they must be responsible for the
sources derived from their research for the purpose of referencing is to give the audience an
ability to verify the information.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, the proper use of the elements above are the general ones required to
fulfill the requirements of academic writing for various topics from different disciplines.
Meanwhile, there is a need to understand the requirement of various professional associations for
citing and referencing sources. The reason for this suggestion is that they have different styles for
this part of the writing process especially if the research is a technical one and disciplinespecific.
3
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
References
Branick, S. (2014). Coaches Can Read Too: An Ethnographic Study of a Football Coaching
Discourse Community. Downs and Wardle, 557-73.
Gillett, A. (2008). Academic writing: Features of academic writing. Retrieved July, 13, 2008.
Kain, D., & Wardle, E. (2014). Activity theory: An introduction for the writing
classroom. Writing about writing (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin.
4
The Genres of Chi Omega: An
Activity Analysis
VICTORIA MARRO
Produced in Elizabeth Wardle’s Fall 2011 ENC1102
Introduction
Sororities have existed for over 100 years and have maintained their values even as time
passes and chapters become farther apart. One way these organizations have been able to keep
these traditions is through the use of various genres. According to the work of writing researchers
such as Amy Devitt, genres are flexible responses to fit the needs of a discourse community or social
setting. A discourse community is a group with agreed upon goals, communication, the use of
genres, feedback, a threshold level of membership and specified language (Johns). Researchers Amy
Devitt, Anis Bawarshi and Mary Jo Reiff have looked at the way that genres serve the needs of juries,
doctors’ offices, and classrooms. According to these researchers, “genre study allows students and
researchers to recognize how ‘lived textuality’ plays a role in the lived experience of a group”
(Bawarshi, Devitt, and Reiff 542).
One community that plays a big part in my life and in the lives of 300,000 other women is
my sorority, Chi Omega. Usually, research done on Greek life involves eating disorders and
problems with hazing, but such issues should not define these organizations. Not enough research
has been done on the complex genre systems, or genre sets, used by sororities and fraternities. A
genre set, as defined by Charles Bazerman, is a group of several genres that predictably recur inside
a domain-‐specified community (Honig 91). A genre system, as defined by Amy Devitt, is a “set of
genres interacting to achieve an overarching function within an activity system” (Bawarshi and
Reiff 87). Genre sets and systems are important with regard to social action and interact to further
the purposes of a group. By analyzing these, social roles and progress become much clearer within
activity systems: “A genre system includes genres from multiple genre sets, over time, and can
involve the interaction of users with different levels of expertise and authority, who may not all
have equal knowledge of or access to all” (Bawarshi and Reiff 88). In an organization as large as Chi
Omega, this is incredibly important because the levels of authority and expertise of members varies
so greatly. Bazerman has previously looked at the use of genre systems in classrooms and in the US
patent application process (Bawarshi and Reiff 88). In this paper, I will look at the genres used
within Chi Omega and how the use of genre systems help the 173 collegiate chapters of Chi Omega
function both independently and together as one activity system. For the purposes of this paper, an
activity system functions in a similar fashion to a discourse community, with laid out purposes,
tools, rules, subject, community and a division of labor. This will be further explained in my
discussion. I will look at the different genres that are used, as well as the different ways that the
same genre may be used by different chapters, examining the ways that the same tool can serve
completely different purposes for different chapters. I will specifically look at the genres we use in
my chapter today, and how these genres are utilized to further the goals of Chi Omega.
STYLUS 3.1 | SPRING 2012
Methods
I interviewed two sisters in other Chi Omega chapters, including Emily, an active sister in
the Eta Delta chapter at the University of Florida and Summer, an active sister of the Psi Kappa
chapter at Clemson University. Their names have been changed. These sisters were asked what
technologies their executive boards used to communicate with them; about genres used by
chapters such as a weekly newsletter, Billhighway and the GIN system; and their opinion on the
effectiveness of said genres. These sisters were asked their opinions on the importance of writing
and ritual to Chi Omega nationally, and about the national magazine, The Eleusis.
An interview was also conducted with Brittany, an alum from the Psi Mu chapter of Chi
Omega at the University of Central Florida. Her name has been changed as well. She was asked how
the executive board communicated with the sisters during her time in the chapter, about a weekly
newsletter, the GIN system, and her opinion on the effectiveness of these genres. She was asked
about her involvement in an alumnae chapter and the genres that were used within that chapter.
She was also asked about the national magazine, The Eleusis.
The Psi Mu chapter secretary, Allison, was interviewed about the writing she does for the
chapter and the way she became versed in these genres. She was asked her opinion on the
effectiveness of the GIN system and the problems with this system. Other questions included her
opinions on the importance of writing to the national organization and whether or not she reads
The Eleusis.
I also interviewed Psi Mu chapter president, Nicole. Nicole was asked about how the GIN
system came into effect and what methods of communication were used prior to this system. She
was asked about the ritual text, but at the request of the chapter secretary, these responses will not
be included. Like in all of the other interviews, she was asked if she read The Eleusis. As the chapter
president, she was asked about her communication with other chapters and with nationals, and her
opinion on the importance of writing and written communication to the organization as a whole.
Over twenty genres were collected and analyzed including the GIN system, The Eleusis, the
weekly newsletter, announcements, files and others. The importance of genres that could not be
accessed, such as the written rituals and the Book of Rules, were analyzed as well. Activity triangles
were constructed for Chi Omega as a national organization, as well as for individual chapters and
genres. Database searches were conducted and previous research was synthesized to support
findings.
Activity triangles were constructed to analyze the activity systems, Chi Omega nationally,
the Psi Mu, Psi Kappa and Eta Delta chapters, and the GIN system. Activity theory, which says that
people write as part of an activity system, can be displayed in a triangle, with tools at the top,
subject on the middle left, object on the middle right, rules in the lower left, the community in the
lower middle, and division of labor in the lower right-‐hand corner. A series of arrows inside the
triangle shows how each portion is connected to the others (see Figure 1 below).
Figure 1 Organization of an Activity System
26
MARRO | THE GENRES OF CHI OMEGA
Results and Discussion
Through activity analysis, I found that the chapters of Chi Omega all write in different
genres; however, all of the chapters share the same goals, which
are laid out in the mission statement, a shared genre. I found that Through activity analysis,
this mission statement is broken up into six parts, and each of I found that the chapters
those has a director, which makes up the cardinal cabinet. Each
director works with a specific genre set, and these together make of Chi Omega all write in
up a genre system. In the Psi Mu chapter, one super-‐genre different genres; however,
encompasses all of these genres sets and works as a genre system all of the chapters share
within that genre.
Chi Omega sorority was founded in 1895 by Dr. Charles the same goals, which are
Richardson, Ina May Boles, Jean Vincenheller, Jobelle Holcombe, laid out in the mission
and Alice Simonds. Chi Omega has initiated over 300,000 statement, a shared genre.
members and has 173 collegiate chapters. The tools used by Chi
Omega nationally are the written rituals, established by Dr. …
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