Writing Right: Teaching Writing Conventions Specific to a Discipline
- 1. Writing Right: Teaching Writing Conventions Specific to a Discipline A presentation by the CCNY Writing Fellows - Robert Domanski, Hank Williams, Micah Miller, Katie Hanson, Nada Moumtaz, and Joseph Heissan
- 2. Overview Purposes of the Workshop 1. To demonstrate the importance of understanding conventions specific to particular disciplines. 2. To present strategies to help students recognize that different disciplines employ different writing styles. 3. To discuss how teachers can teach these conventions as they pertain to both thought and writing.
- 3. Overview What we will do today... 1. Analyze specific resources for different disciplines. 2. Compare writing samples - one that stems from a problem solving approach (math) and one from research from sources (art history). 3. Review different citation styles among disciplines.
- 4. Discipline-Specific Resources Noticable differences in the resources available between Computer Science and Art History ... CCNY Libraries Online Resources Types of Academic Literature Off-campus/external resources
- 5. Discipline-Specific Resources CCNY Libraries Computer Science CCNY Morris Raphael Cohen Library, NAC 2 nd Floor, 212.650.7292 CCNY Science/Engineering Library, Marshak Building, Room J-29, 212.650.8246 (Circulation & Reserves) and 212.650.5712 (Science/Engineering Reference) Art History CCNY Morris Raphael Cohen Library, NAC 2 nd Floor, 212.650.7292 CCNY Art Visual Resources Library, 303 Shepard Hall, 212.650.8754 CCNY Architecture Library, Spitzer School of Architecture Building, Room 101, 212.650.8767 CCNY Architecture Visual Resources Library, Spitzer School of Architecture Building, Room 102, 212.650.8767
- 6. Discipline-Specific Resources Online Resources Computer Science Related Databases (articles etc.) Proceedings (Conference papers) Technical Standards Algorithms Patents and Trademark Copyright Journals Citation Resources And dozens of other categories... Art History Related Databases (articles etc.) Journals Dictionaries Citation Resources Catalogs Image Resources
- 7. Discipline-Specific Resources External Resources Computer Science CCNY Computer Labs Internet Search Engines Software libraries and depositories Commercial APIs and SDKs - API – Application Programming Interface (ex. - Google) - SDK – Software Development Kit (ex. - Java) Art History Art Libraries in NYC - NY Public Library - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - Metropolitan Museum of Art Art Museums in NYC - American Craft Museum - American Folk Art Museum - Frick Collection
- 8. Comparing Writing Samples Between Two Disciplines Read the two accompanying articles to identify the writing conventions used by each author. You are reading to see how the argument is articulated and defended, rather than to determine whether or not you agree with the author’s findings. 1) How are the articles organized? 2) What is the thesis for each article? How and where are they presented? 3) What is the voice/tone of the articles? 4) Compare the citations for the articles. What is cited? How are they cited?
- 9. Citation Styles What do I need to cite? Direct quotes, statistics, facts Summaries or paraphrased info Info/ideas not generally known Someone else’s opinions or analysis that might look like it’s your own Adapted from U Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center hand-out on APA format
- 10. Citation Styles Why do I need to list/cite references? Allows readers (or you) to find and double-check a source for accuracy. Protects you from charges of plagiarism. Shows that you are working with facts, not just your opinion and your conclusions are based on evidence. Shows professors/ readers that you have “done the work” to put together a good paper (this is the equivalent of “showing your work” in a math class).
- 11. Citation Styles A few common citation formats MLA = Modern Language Association. Common in Arts and Humanities. APA = American Psychological Assn. Common in Social Sciences. (Sociology, Psychology, etc.) Chicago Style Common in History, some academic journals.
- 12. Have a great weekend!