What kind of writing do you do in your major (or minor)? What makes for rhetorically effective writing in your major (or minor)? What are the expectations associated with that writing?
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In business management an effective writer is one that gets to the point, is organized in their thoughts. A writer that also persuades and informs the audience. I do not do a whole lot of writing in my major, mainly writing that pertains to business plans or how to manage future employees. The expectations are that it is grammatically correct, clear and concise, gets to the point,informs, sends a message, and persuades.
ReplyDeletewriting for international relations requires clear and concise writing, with a very large persuasive element. diplomacy is a very important tool in the international arena, and with that comes an enormous amount of proposal and treaty writing.
ReplyDeleteIn my major the most common style of writing is educational/informative. To be effective in this type of writing you need to have accurate information and citations showing that you understand the topic you are teaching people about. It is expected that citations and examples are used to give power and authority to your writing and also to prove that the paper isn't just purely the writer's opinion.
ReplyDeleteMy major is communication. You tend to do a lot of persuasive, entertaining and informative writing in this major. For the writing to be effective you need to know about your topic and be able to communicate with your target audiences. The expectations of this type of writing can be quite wide. It may need humor, education or another criteria.
ReplyDeleteIn my major of Marine Geology we write many scientific research papers. The papers are always geared towards scientific journals, with an initial thesis and then supporting evidence. To make these papers rhetorically effective we have to gear it to our audience of fellow scientists. We have to develop a strong purpose, and conduct vast amounts of research to compile our context. The expectations of this type of writing are to be very direct and to the point, giving the correct information needed to prove you're thesis.
ReplyDeleteI do a decent amount of writing in my major and minor. I am majoring in Communication and minoring in Film Studies/IR. In my communication studies there is a focus on analyzing and persuading others (professor) to see your POV. I must write about the ideas being presented, how they are presented, the audience, and what type of message is being sent. In my film studies I look at pieces of film and decipher what is the message of the film makers? I have to write about my personal thoughts and what message is being sent. My major and minors require me to consider the entire rhetoric situation. I am studying how/what is communicated so the rhetoric situation is key to writing. I have high expectations of writing for my major because I have to effectively communicate to my professor. I am communicating about communication. There are high expectations to properly analyze and persuade my audience.
ReplyDeleteIn marine biology we do writing for scientific journals and also for grants. Somethings that would make for effective rhetorical writing would be current data, theories that are explained well and many examples of what you are writing about.
ReplyDeleteAs an English Lit major, my writing predominantly consists of analyzing other people's writing. It is important to look beyond the surface, to pay attention to detail, to comprehend the author's style and to be able to make an effective argument about the piece's meanings and intentions. While doing this, it is essential to understand who the author is and the time period in which they're writing.
ReplyDeleteAs a modern languages major there are many expectations in my writing. I must be gramatically correct in both French and German. I will be expected to be able to write in these languages and use an extensive vocabulary which proves my understanding of both languages. I will be required to write essays about culture and society in France and Germany. In order to be rhetorically effective I must follow strict guidelines in each language and write coherently. The goal of my writing will be to write effective and intellectual essays in both languages. For my first minor, Art, I will be required to write essays about the history of art and various time periods where art has evolved. I will be expected to write about artistic techniques as well as information about each type of art. An artist statement is also required with each of my works of art. With the artist statement I must persuade and inform the audience about my work of art and the reason to which I created it. For my International Business minor I will be expected to write a variety of business and culturally oriented papers and interviews. In order to be rhetorically effective in International Business I must be very informed on terms and the business environments of each culture I intend to study or work in. I must be culturally sensitive as well as very educated in various fields of international business which may include: marketing, finance, and accounting. All of these fields of international business require different types of writing with annual accounting reports, essays, finance reports, and analyses of businesses throughout history and to the present day. To be rhetorically effective I must understand the audience to whom I am writing and the situations of each prompt. I must have a business-oriented perspective and must always strive to be successful in this particular field.
ReplyDeleteAs a Marine Biology major here at Eckerd the main writing that is done is in class lab reports and research papers. In this kind of scientific writing it is important to be effective with not only words but also figures to explain and analyze the data. Format and correct citation are important aspects of this kind of writing. The skills we develop in scientific writing are vital especially since many marine biologists publish their research in scientific journals.
ReplyDeleteI am currently a Communication major. For my major, I have done speeches, rhetorical evaluations, research papers, blog, memories, and media writing. My major contains a large spectrum of writing assignments, which is why for each class and project my rhetorical situation changes. For example. Last semester when I was taking Argumentation and Debate I had to give a ten minute value speech. I had to think how my topic was going to effect the class, what information they would be interested in, how I could keep their attention, how I could build ethos, what I needed to do in order to get a good grade, and persuade the class to agree with my argument. When writing rhetorical evaluations, I focus on the project then write about the ethos, pathos, and logos needed and used when creating that project. Communications is a writing intensive major, and it is important to understand the value of rhetoric in all forms of text.
ReplyDeleteRhetorically effective writing for a chemistry major is done through my knowledge of science. Being a science major means that my writing should be mostly factual rather than detailed. The audience should expect and trust my knowledge of chemistry through my writing.
ReplyDeleteWriting in the political science major usually has to do with the analysis of current events or of the structures and actions of political actors worldwide. It is necessary for the writing to be capable of establishing credibility, showing that one is a capable communicator who objectively considers viewpoints, explores the wide range of available information and reaches empirical conclusions, and is able to convey those conclusions in evenhanded, formal language.
ReplyDeleteAs a communications major, most of the writing I have done so far involves utilizing theoretical concepts of communication and defining/utilizing them in such a way that reflects my understanding of their place in reality. Rhetorically effective writing in this area takes the ability to understand and process the fundamental theories of communication and spit them out in a manner that can be understood clearly by both professors and non-comm students. The basic expectations for this is showing that I actually understand the lectures and the class readings and that I able to use them effectively. Effective use of communications theories may be understood as using my own opinions/interpretations to analyze the theories. An example of this would be when I was asked to define "What is communication?" by Professor Pitcher. I came up with my own definition, used class concepts, and showed through examples and opinions my understanding of the concepts in a clear, concise, yet developed manner of writing.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could gather from this that all of the writing I do for my major is academic in nature in that it is all directed toward my professor but can be applied to "real life", if that is what you so desire to do with it.