Tom Akbari

Builds upon courses in the English major by focusing on “writing about literature” as a genre, a kind of writing that has its own history and set of styles and conventions. Analyzes a variety of strategies that readers, including published scholars, use in writing about literature. Examines how such strategies are shaped by different literary theories and approaches to texts, as well as by assumptions about what constitutes an argument and what is an appropriate persona or voice to adopt in literary studies. In a workshop setting, offers students an opportunity to evaluate a wide variety of sources and develop expertise in audience analysis, critical research, peer review, and revision.

Offers writing instruction for students in the College of Engineering and the College of Computer and Information Science. Students practice and reflect on writing in professional, public, and academic genres—such as technical reports, progress reports, proposals, instructions, presentations, and technical reviews—relevant to technical professions and individual student goals. In a workshop setting, offers students an opportunity to evaluate a wide variety of sources and develop expertise in audience analysis, critical research, peer review, and revision.

Designed for students to study and practice writing in a workshop setting. Students read a range of texts in order to describe and evaluate the choices writers make and apply that knowledge to their own writing and explore how writing functions in a range of academic, professional, and public contexts. Offers students an opportunity to learn how to conduct research using primary and secondary sources; how to write for various purposes and audiences in multiple genres and media; and how to give and receive feedback, to revise their work, and to reflect on their growth as writers.