Raisa Tahsin
May 21st, 2019
Writing for Engineers
Missy Watson
In February 2019, when the spring semester had just begun, my expectations for this Writing for Engineers class were completely off. I expected a rigid class where all we did was read and write lab reports, analyze engineering texts and there would be one correct way to do each assignment. I was pleasantly surprised to find out from the very first day that this class would be different from any English or writing class I took before. Firstly, the class was only ten students, there were two instructors and when going over the syllabus I was intrigued to see the variety of assignments we would be working on over the semester and all the creative space left to us, the students. Immediately my mindset changed, and I was much more excited to see how this class would go and how I would progress.
The first phase of the semester was the most unconventional in my opinion. I remember thinking “why do I have to write a language and literacy narrative for an engineering class?” this phase was the most eye opening for me, since I was born in America and I grew up learning standard English I never recognized the role of language attitudes and standards in empowering, oppressing and hierarchizing languages and their users, language was something I took for granted. Reading Mother Tongueby Amy Tan and Nobody Mean More to Me than Youby June Jordan taught me so much about language and the different relationships a person can have with their language. The concept of different kinds of English was also very foreign to me, over all this phase of the course helped me better understand language and the role it plays but also look deeper into my relationship with my own language. Writing the Language and Literacy Narrative was very interesting and a great opportunity for me to do some major self-reflection, I chose to write about the first book series that I ever fell in love with as a child and how it impacted my life. Reflecting on my experiences as a reader allowed me to better understand myself as a writer, understand my writing style and how I can take engineering writing and add my own flare to it.
For me, the first and second phase of this class tied together very nicely. By the end of the first phase I began to better understand my writing style. The second phase of the class, the rhetorical genre analysis essay further drew on that understanding of ones writing. In my opinion, this was the most challenging assignment and most interesting, I learned most from writing the rhetorical genre analysis. I first learned what rhetorical precis format was and the John Swales CARS analysis method. When learning the CARS analysis method, was the first time I looked at the stylistic choices of a STEM writer rather than focusing on what they were saying about their research. Having to focus on the writing technique and rhetorical moves taught me about things engineer writers do that usually go unnoticed to create a sense of exigency for their research and ensure that their research is seen as important. Analyzing engineering writing using the CARS analysis and writing my own analysis using the rhetorical precis format taught me how to engage in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts and beyond.
Reading the Ziemian et al. engineering article, was an important moment because it was the first time I was exposed to what real engineering writing was and I liked that the Ziemian article was on the harder side of the engineering writing spectrum because it showed me how the writing style is. Through the readings and writing the rhetorical genre analysis essay I learned to explore and analyze a variety of genres and rhetorical situations in my own and others writing and recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.
Something that was reinforced in all three phases of the course was developing strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editingsince we wrote multiple drafts for each big assignment and got so much feedback from peers and from Missy and Jonathan. Writing multiple drafts, in the end, was very helpful and eye opening. Writing multiple drafts and getting feedback from so many sources helped me see common mistakes I make in my writing and work on them in my current assignment and be aware in the future assignments. In high school and my first semester of college I got used to writing one version of my papers but writing multiple drafts, revising and editing showed me how effective this method is and that it is something I should continue to do in the future. Looking at different versions of my writing and breaking up my assignments helped me see the overall flow of my writing.
I started using libraries and databases in my English composition class last semester but became more accustomed to practicing using various library resources, online databases, and the Internet to locate sources appropriate to my writing projectsthis semester in my writing for engineers class. However, even though I can say that I am more comfortable using databases and online libraries than I used to be, it is something I still require practice with and a skill I have not yet completely mastered. The rhetorical genre analysis essay and the collaborative mock lab report both required the practice of strengthening my source use (including evaluating, integrating, quoting, paraphrasing,summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, and citing sources) which is another skill I got lots of practice with in this course but something I must continue working on, I still have to check citation formats for MLA or APA and I usually use a citation generator but being comfortable and familiar with citations is an important skill especially in the engineering field.
In retrospect, I would say that the biggest lesson I learned from Writing for Engineers this semester is that: engineering writing is not as rigid as you think. Prior to taking this course, my belief was that engineering writing consisted of bland writing of fact after fact after fact coupled with evidence and citations. While this may be the case sometimes, I became aware of how multifaceted engineering writing can actually be. Looking back, I see how much I have grown as a writer in this course and how my relationship with writing in general has evolved into something much more appreciative and with more understanding.
