Writing Tips

What does it mean to write "college level" work?

It's a terrible phrase, but it's the most descriptive that I can think of for what I'm looking for in your writing. When I assign work I try to give a general estimate of how much you should write to head off questions like, "how long should it be?" and I also try to give suggested questions for you to answer to head off questions like, "what should I write about?" But a writing length estimate is just an estimate - you may need to write more (but likely not less) in order to get across your ideas. And the questions are just suggestions to help guide your thinking. DO NOT list the questions and then write a response to them. You are not filling out a worksheet.

Your writing should show a depth of knowledge that can only come through personal experience connected to information gathered from our course reading assignments and the selected videos that are shared in each unit. If you attempt to rush through tasks by skipping (or skimming) readings and not watching videos - it will be clear in your written assignments. I am not looking for simple answers to the questions. This is an upper-level course at a selective university that expects students to be able to think and write critically from the moment they set foot on campus (or log in to class - whichever best describes your situation). 

Submitted writing assignments should not be first drafts. They should be free of errors and represent a thorough understanding of the concepts of a particular task or unit. 

A number of you are taking this course as an elective outside of your major - but "college-level" writing is expected regardless of your career goals. No matter your major - the ability to write well and reflect on your understanding is a skill that will bode well for you throughout your career. 

**Please note - using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot, Gemini, or similar tools to write reflective papers such as your Making Connections tasks is not appropriate. Using tools like Grammarly to check sentence structure and spelling is completely fine (and I'm definitely using Grammarly while I write this paragraph).

And for the love of all that is holy - please do not use the following words/phrases in your writing (for any course):

• Merriam-Webster defines _______________________ as . . . 

• In today's society . . . . .

• Any phrase that states the obvious:

  • technology is rapidly changing

  • technology has changed since . . . 

  • kids/students today are using new technology

• Any phrase that implies that a specific technology is going to "revolutionize" anything

• In conclusion . . .

• Any phrases that make bold statements that cannot be backed up with evidence (see "revolutionize")

• Any ten dollar words that are just fillers when a simple word would work better

• I want to start by saying . . . 

• That being said . . . (okay - I honestly hate this one the most. Please help me eradicate this phrase.)

• In closing . . . (if it's your last paragraph - the reader knows the end is near.)

Treat words like: furthermore, however, overall, nonetheless, etc. as if they were rare commodities that are only available for infrequent use (if at all). Generative AI tools looooooove these words so that's another reason to eliminate them. You are not a robot and you probably don't want to write like one.

Promise yourself you'll refrain from using the word "moreover" unless you start wearing a monocle and smoking a pipe.

If you're really interested in improving your writing (and everyone can improve their writing - no matter how good you already are) - the idea of "writing as music" is really fascinating: