A.

Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

Syllabus

Writing 1E: Approaches to University Writing for Engineers

Fall 2007

Instructor: Alison Bright Enrollment Code: 48579

Email: alisonsbrown@yahoo.com Meeting Times: T/R 9:00-10:50 a.m.
Office: South Hall 5432 D Location: Girv 2124
Office Hours: T/R 11-12 and by appt. Mailbox: South Hall 1519
Messages: 893-2613

Important Dates
Drop Deadline: Wednesday, October 5, by 11:45 p.m. through GOLD
Common Final: Monday, December 10

Texts and Materials:

Writing 1E course reader, (available at Associated Students)
A writer’s reference, by Diana Hacker—any edition (available at campus bookstore)
Document folder (used to turn in assignments)
Accessible email account
College Dictionary and mini-stapler (optional but recommended)

Course Description and Objective:

Writing 1E is the first of a three-quarter sequence of writing courses designed
especially for students in the college of Engineering. In this segment of the sequence, we
will discuss writing as a tool for thinking and communication. We will read and analyze
a range of scientific and technical discourse, write formal, research-based documents,
conduct collaborative research, and increase our understanding of technical writing
formats. Through classroom exercises and outside assignments, we will further develop
our ability to sustain a coherent argument and use revision for clarity and conciseness. In
addition, this class is an opportunity to explore the relationships between reading,
writing, and critical thinking and to use collaboration and revision as ways to improve
writing. Students will have the ability to demonstrate these skills at the common final at
the end of the term. The completion of this course, with a grade of C or better meets
University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement.

Prerequisites:
Writing 1E is open to students who have not satisfied the University of California
Entry Level Writing Requirement. This class is not open for credit to students who have
completed English 1, Writing 1 LK, or Writing 1.

Assignments and Grades:

Detailed descriptions of your assignments are available in the course reader. Late work
will not be accepted. Students must turn in all assignments to pass the class. Your final
grade will be determined by the following:
• Summary: Engineers are often required to research either a proposed product or
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

an existing product, or “bugs” found in a product. This type of research involves

reading articles written on a specific topic and writing an objective summary of
the findings. The project team uses this summary to evaluate available options
and resources. To prepare you for this process, the first portion of the course will
focus on the summary. (15%)
• Critical Analysis: Analysis is a vital part of engineering. In this assignment, you
will develop your critical thinking skills and analyze and argument’s overall
effectiveness. (20%).
• Synthesis: Once engineers have conducted a review of research, the project team
is then required to evaluate available options and resources. Using critical
analysis skills, you will identify connections and contradictions between two
essays and analyze the significance of your findings. (30%)
• In-class Writings: These exercises will prepare you for the Common Final.
(10%)
• Common Final: this is your opportunity to apply your critical analysis and
synthesis skills. (15%)
• Participation: Your participation affects your overall understanding of the
material covered in this class and ultimately your performance. Class discussion,
in-class writing, peer group work, and in-class assignments, are some of the ways
your participation will be measured. For this reason, it is important for you to
attend all class sessions, and to arrive on time. (10%)

Classroom Polices:
Attendance and Lateness: This class differs significantly from your other first-
year courses. It is largely based on in-class work and cooperative participation.
Therefore, attendance is mandatory. More than one unexcused absence can reduce your
grade by 10%. In-class work for missed days may not be made up. It is your
responsibility to find out what was missed. More than five unexcused absences will
result in a failure of the course. In addition, please make sure that you arrive to class on
time. Arriving to class more than 15 minutes late will result in an absence for that
day.
Please notify me in advance if any circumstances will keep you from meeting your
attendance or other requirements
Participation: A significant percentage of your grade is based on your
participation in class. This means that you must not only come to class, but you must
come to class prepared, having completed the reading or writing assignment for that
day. You will often be called upon to share your interpretations of topics covered in the
course, either through writing assignments or classroom discussion. Therefore, it is vital
that you come to class prepared. Active participation also includes creating a safe space
in the classroom, where students listen respectfully to others opinions. This includes
actively responding to your classmates’ work in peer reviews. In addition, part of your
participation grade includes visiting me during my office hours at least once during the
quarter.
Email: Email is my preferred method of communication. Please provide me with
an email address that you check on a regular basis. Changes in the schedule and syllabus
will be commutated over email.
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

Cell phones: Please turn off cell phones before entering the classroom as a
courtesy to your fellow students. Note: This policy includes the use of text messaging.
Any student using cell phones in class will be asked to leave the class and marked absent
for the day.
Late papers: All papers will be collected on the due date at the beginning of
class. Late papers will not be accepted.
Plagiarism: According to the "Academic Dishonesty" pamphlet circulated by the
UC system, "Plagiarism is academic theft. It refers to the use of another's ideas or words
without proper attribution or credit. An author's work is his/her property and should be
respected by documentation.” Essentially, plagiarism is the act of taking another
person’s ideas and/or words and passing them off as one’s own. Any act of plagiarism
committed in class will be prosecuted through the university court system and could
result in expulsion. This class will provide you with workable guidelines for citation in
papers. However, if you are still unsure about how to cite someone else’s words or ideas,
please come to me for help.
Resources: If you are a student with a documented disability and would like to
discuss special accommodations please contact me during office hours or by email. For
more information and support please call Disabled Students Program (DSP) 893-2668.
Additional support can be found at Counseling & Career Services at 893-4411. More
importantly, academic support, including writing tutors, is available for all UCSB
students at Campus Learning Assistance Service (CLAS) at 893-3269. I strongly
recommend making appointments at CLAS to review drafts of every essay you turn
in during this course.

A final note: Please feel free to contact me at any time during the quarter if you have
questions about the course, the campus, etc. I am a resource for you, so please just ask
me if you have a question or come see me in my office hours.

Date Class Topic Homework

Week 1 Welcome! Purchase texts for course!

TH 9/27 Course Introduction Read: Thomas, “I’m an Engineer, I Don’t Need to
Conference Sign-Up Write,” Bazerman, “Plagiarism,” LaGuardia & Guth,
Diagnostic Writing “Reading Strategies,” and “Critical Reading Process.”
(All articles from reader unless otherwise noted)
Write: Reading Log: highlight any parts that are
confusing in preparation for discussion. (All logs are
written on articles, not writing strategies, unless
otherwise noted)

T 10/2 Reading strategies Read: “Engineers in Society,” pp. 114-130 (pg. #s are
Discussion of Thomas from article itself—not reader), “Elements of a
article Summary,” “Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Using
Introduction of Quotations,” “More on Summaries,” and “Guidelines to
summaries Paraphrasing.”
Write: Reading Log
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

TH 10/4 Functional summaries Read: “Engineers in Society” pp. 130-150, “Thesis

Practice exam and Statements.”
“norming” Write: Reading Log

Week 2 Thesis development Read: Petroski, “Failure as a Source of Engineering

T 10/9 Discussion of Petroski’s Judgment.”
essay Write: Reading Log and rough draft of summaries—
Intro to peer review bring two copies of draft to class for peer review
Thursday.

TH 10/11 DUE: Draft of Write: Revise summaries and incorporate comments

Summaries from peer review.
Writer’s workshop
Peer review

Week 3 The importance of word Read: Long, Thomas & Vest, “Interview with a
T 10/16 choice in technical Manager…” pp. 65-75
writing Critical thinking Write: Reading Log and Final draft of Summaries
Assignment #1 due in class Thursday

TH 10/18 DUE: Assignment #1: Read: Long, Thomas & Vest, “Interview with a
Summaries Manager…” pp. 76-90
In class reading: Write: Reading Log
Writing an Analysis
Practice Exam

Week 4 Exam scoring Read: Martin, “17 Great Challenges of the 21st Century”
T 10/23 Introduction and Thesis & review material on thesis statements
Write: Reading Log

TH 10/25 Discuss Martin Read: Brown, “Not With a Bang”

Review Thesis Write: Reading Log

Week 5 Discuss Brown Write: Rough draft of critical analysis—bring two copies
T 10/30 Practice critical analysis of draft to class for peer review Thursday.

TH 11/1 DUE: Draft of Critical Write: Revise critical analysis and incorporate
Analysis comments from peer review.
Writer’s workshop/PR
Practice Exam

Week 6 Self revision Write: Continue working on critical analysis

T 11/6
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

TH 11/8 Due: Assignment #2: Read: Holmes, “Expanding the Human Mind,” &
Critical Analysis “Writing a Synthesis”
Synthesis Write: Reading Log

Week 7 TBA Read: Featherstone, “The Coming Robot Army”

T 11/13 Write: Reading Log

TH 11/15 Practice Exam and

scoring

Week 8 Writer’s Workshop: Write: Begin draft of argument synthesis—remember

T 11/20 Avoiding plot summary that this assignment is your last and worth the most!
and advanced revision
techniques
Writing 1 Common Final
Preparation

TH 11/22 No Class: Write: Rough draft of argument synthesis—bring two

Thanksgiving Holiday copies of draft to class for peer review Tuesday

Week 9 Due: Draft of Write: Revise argument synthesis and incorporate

T 11/27 Argument Synthesis comments from peer review.
Peer Review
Final preparation

TH 11/29 Strategies for effective Write: Outline of your strategies for the Common Final,
test taking; responding to with a corresponding timetable.
prompts

Week 10 Discuss strategies Write: Continue working on final draft for Assignment
T 12/4 Practice Exam and #3
scoring

TH 12/6 Due: Assignment #3: End of Class:

Argument Synthesis Good Luck on Exams!

Writing 1 Common Final:

Monday, December 10th (time and place TBA)
Please see Writing Program website for further details
www.writing.ucsb.edu
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

Assignments

Assignment #1: Summaries

Engineers are often required to research a proposed product and/or and existing product,
or bugs found in the product. This type of research involves reading articles written on
particular topics and writing an objective summary of the findings. The engineering
project team then uses this summary to evaluate available options and resources.

For this assignment, write one summary each of both Petroski’s “Failure as a Source of
Engineering Judgment” and “Engineers in Society” by Sunny Y. Auyang, using the
techniques we have discussed in class. Remember that a summary should be concise,
clear, precise, and objective.

Purpose: To summarize both Petroski’s and Auyang’s essays in a way that

captures the authors’ main points in a clear, concise, accurate, and
objective manner.

Audience: Engineering students who have not read Petroski’s or Auyang’s

essays and would benefit from the arguments they makes.

Format: Papers should be composed in a traditional font (Times, Times

New Roman), in 12-point font, and contain the standard Word
margins. Citations should be composed in APA format (consult
the Easy Writer for more information).

A successful summary will respond effectively to the writing task and:

• Introduce the text to be summarized
• Present the main idea or the texts in your own words
• Paraphrase and condense the original piece
• Include important points and omit minor points
• Use examples or illustrations from the text to demonstrate how the authors make
their points
• Will NOT include your opinion, evaluation, or interpretation of the text

This assignment and all the work leading up to it is worth 100 points and will
account for 15% of your final grade. Late work will result in a lowered grade. I
will not accept late portfolios.
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

Assignment #2: Critical Analysis

A critique is not always negative, but rather a thoughtful analysis of the structure and
content of an essay. For this assignment, focus on the structure of the author’s argument.
What is the author’s central point? How does he/she develop this point through
supporting evidence, organization, and language?

Your task is to write a critique of the vision of the future presented in two articles:
“17 great challenges of the 21st century”, by James Martin and “Not with a bang”:
Civilization’s accelerating challenge, by Arnold Brown, using the techniques we have
discussed in class. When analyzing the structure of the essays, focus on the authors’
presentation of the arguments. Evaluate whether the authors’ presentation is successful.
Ask yourself: What are the main points of these articles? How do the authors make these
points? Am I persuaded to believe these points?

Be sure to use the stages we have modeled in class: do some form of prewriting
(brainstorming, outline, freewriting), gather evidence from both articles in response to the
topic, develop a thesis, and begin your rough draft.

Purpose: To write a critique or critical analysis of the articles in a way that

captures the authors’ main point in a clear, concise, and accurate
manner.

Audience: Engineering students who have not read the essays and would
benefit from your analysis of the effectiveness of the authors’
argument.

Format: Papers should be composed in a traditional font (Times, Times

New Roman), in 12-point font, and contain the standard Word
margins. Citations should be composed in APA format (consult
the Easy Writer for more information).

A successful critique will respond effectively to the writing task and:

• In the introduction, mention the title and the author of the essay. Provide
background material to help your readers understand the relevance of the passage.
• Briefly summarize the author’s main idea (thesis) in your own words.
• Your thesis should reflect your opinion of the author’s central argument as
well as his/her effectiveness in presenting the information.
• To what extent are the authors’ presentations successful? Use specific examples
from the text to support your point of view.
• Evaluate the validity of the author’s presentation, and his success in achieving his
purpose.
• Each body paragraph should provide examples or illustrations from the text to
demonstrate how the authors make their points. Discuss your reasons for
agreement or disagreement.
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

• Conclude with your assessment of the author’s success in achieving his aims and
your reaction to the author’s opinions.
• Your essay should be around four pages in length.

This assignment and all the work leading up to it is worth 100 points and will
account for 20% of your final grade. Late work will result in a lowered grade. I
will not accept late portfolios.
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

Assignment #3: Argument Synthesis

A synthesis is a written discussion that draws on two or more sources. In writing a

synthesis, you will, at some point, write partial summaries, evaluations, and analyses.
Synthesis draws on these forms and is larger and more ambitious that any one of them:
summary and evaluation treat single sources; analysis is limited to an application of one
source (or set of ideas) to a second source; but synthesis merges sources and looks for
larger patterns of relation.

For this assignment, we will use the skills we have developed and practices in the
summary and critique. We will also continue to hone our critical thinking and reading
skills in order to make judgments about what we read. As in the case with summary and
critique, critical reading plays a crucial role in synthesis.

This synthesis assignment requires you to select a topic based on two of the readings
discussed in class: Expanding the human mind: The future of the brain by William
Holmes and The coming robot army: Introducing America's future fighting machines by
Steve Featherstone. You are being asked to identify the key arguments surrounding the
topics presented in the articles. You may include other sources on your topic from the
reader if you wish to. The synthesis of these materials requires a critical, comprehensive
reading of the sources. The quality of your synthesis will be directly tied to the quality of
your reading and the extent to which you respond, evaluate, and synthesize the
information. After you have read and understood the materials and formulated your
position on the topic, in a 4-5 page paper, present your position on the future of
artificial intelligence, using the readings to inform and support what you have to
say. Be sure to use quotes and textual evidence to support your claims.

Purpose: To be able to present your position on artificial intelligence using the

readings to inform and support what you have to say.

Audience: Engineering students who have not read these essays and would benefit
from your analysis of the authors’ arguments.

Format: 4-5 pages. Papers should be composed in a traditional font (Times, Times
New Roman), in 12-point font, and contain the standard Word margins.
Citations should be composed in APA format (consult the Hacker for
more information). You must cite any quotes or paraphrases, and your
paper must include a reference page.

A successful synthesis will respond effectively to the writing task and:

• In the introduction, mention the titles and authors of the essays. Provide
background material to help your readers understand the relevance of the issue.
• Briefly summarize the authors’ main ideas (theses) in your own words.
• Your thesis should reflect your perspective of the topic, which has been informed
by your won experience and knowledge and your critical readings of the articles.
• Organize your ideas in a way that introduces the controversy, your own point of
A. Bright Writing 1E Fall 2007

view, or claim, and then explains each side’s argument, providing reasons that
your point of view should prevail.
• Each body paragraph should be organized around your own statements and not
the statements of the authors, which demonstrates engagement with the reading,
purpose in writing, and control over the topic.
• Consider that if these types of artificial intelligence are the future, based on what
you learned are the major problems facing the future of the world, what role will
engineers play?
• Your essay should be 4-5 pages in length.

This assignment and all the work leading up to it is worth 100 points and will
account for 30% of your final grade. Late work will result in a lowered grade. I
will not accept late portfolios.