With this paper, I want you to focus on academic writing. In at least 5 complete pages, you will define academic writing and analyze one genre in academic writing: lab reports, proposals, peer reviewed journal articles, etc. You don’t necessarily have to limit your study to academic writing only at the collegiate level. Some of you may have better access to high school academic writing. For this assignment, you will attempt to match the genre to the definition of academic writing (which means you may have to first present a definition of academic writing). Think about the characteristics of academic writing to create your own definition. Analyze how the genre matches those characteristics of academic writing. Consider the goals of this particular genre and the characteristics that make this genre unique within the realm of academic writing.
Once you have decided on the topic, you will need to perform research. Use any method of research you deem necessary to support your thesis. You should not rely strictly on personal experience, so you might consider interviews (at least one), examining samples of work, and library resources. You must have at least one primary source (an example of the actual genre you are working on) and one secondary source (a how-to, critique, or analysis of the genre). In your own analysis you will explain the necessary aspects of the genre, perhaps explain to people the importance of it, and enter into a dialogue with your sources about it.
You are writing this paper to state your position on an issue. You want to do so concisely to convince those who disagree with you to seriously consider your arguments and ultimately to persuade them to agree with your definitions presented in this essay. Thus, before you begin writing, you will need to define your audience. For this paper, your audience will be the average college student. Consider who the average college student is (at UTPB we have a diverse student body) and determine why such an analysis of this academic writing genre is necessary. Indicate this purpose in your essay as a way of engaging your readers.
