WRITING ABOUT WRITING

From: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/792.asp

Why do professors assign papers? Answering this question may be an "impenetrable fog" in itself. But as a Writing Center Peer Tutor, I've read a lot of paper assignment sheets, and I've noticed a few trends. Professors want students to begin to pave the road of their understanding of a particular topic from the course. By articulating their ideas in writing, students begin to see connections between the content in the course and their own interests. They begin to learn the words to their own ideas. Sometimes the reasons professors assign papers are two-fold: 1. to see how well students can articulate their understanding of a particular topic, 2. to help students develop/expand their writing and researching skills. So why are writing skills so emphasized in college courses? Is it fair to compare students' learning through a written discourse?

Perhaps it is unreasonable to claim that in all future endeavors we will need to be able to write successfully. But I do think it is reasonable to highlight a few skills that writing practice inherently develops that will be useful, not only vocationally, but as a human with a fine-tuned capacity to think. Writing enhances:

1. critical thinking: the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion
2. creativity: the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination
3. argumentation and logic: the setting forth of reasons together with the conclusion drawn from them
4. synthesis: the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity
5. value distinctions: making informed decisions about relative worth, merit, or importance

(http://www.dictionary.com/)

It may also be helpful to consider the importance of functioning in an uncomfortable field of study or discourse. For example, a projected-chemistry major may have a hard time in a FYS course based on the study of literature, since they are geared toward grappling with distinct information. But our society requires us to sometimes participate in activities out of our "comfort zone", which arguably press us into accommodating these situations and broadening the scope of our "comfort zones".

Before beginning to write a difficult paper, take a moment to answer a few of these questions for yourself. Who is the audience of this paper? Why did my professor assign this paper? Where do I intersect with the topic of this paper? Why am I invested in this topic? What are my passions or convictions about this topic? What skills may I develop in writing this paper? Who am I as a writer? What am I particularly good at in writing papers? What slows me down or constipates my writing process? What is my purpose of writing?

Hopefully the answers you generate will spark some ideas for where to begin your paper.