Intermediate Writing | 2024

Hi everyone,

A few reminders and updates:

1. Author Take-Aways assignment: A reminder to the students whose papers were discussed in class this week, the take-aways assignment is due from you by Sunday, January 21. This only applies to:

Lucas Cuadra

Rebecca Winkelstein

Here’s a direct link to the lesson page with the assignment:

https://aru-beta.aynrand.org/courses/intermediate-writing-2024/lessons/paper-discussion-take-aways-assignment-3/

2. Next week we have class on Wednesday, January 24, starting at 11am Pacific. Please read and analyze the papers (and LSE assignments) that we’ll be covering and be prepared to discuss them in class.

Paper by: Francis Elcaron (requested 11am PT)

Lead Student Editor: Natan Galula

Paper by: Louis Varilias

Lead Student Editor: Lucas Cuadra

Again, you can find the final papers, “writing process” assignments, and the lead student editor assignments in the Student Papers folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qZT6WH5WFrGlC_X755m9MQOIe4XDMHk1?usp=drive_link

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hello everyone,

The recording of today’s session is now available on the ARU app, ARI Campus website, and on the course’s webpage.

Please write to university@aynrand.org if you are unable to view the recording.

Thank you.

Hi all,

I just noticed that the course website doesn’t include the zoom link. Here it is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82919815151?pwd=WDdBWFZJUk55MjJQZUgrSUZjRGlHdz09

notes
Description:Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82919815151?pwd=WDdBWFZJUk55MjJQZUgrSUZjRGlHdz09

Meeting ID: 829 1981 5151
Passcode: 319843

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Your final assignment for the Intermediate Writing course will be to write up your take-aways from the discussion of your paper and “writing process” assignments in class.

Just as we did for Introduction to Writing, this will be due on the Sunday after your paper is discussed in class. Here is the lesson page with the assignment:

https://aru-beta.aynrand.org/courses/intermediate-writing-2024/lessons/paper-discussion-take-aways-assignment-3/

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

A reminder that we have class today, starting at 11:00am Pacific time, which is about two hours from now. We’ll discussing the papers by:

Lucas Cuadra

Rebecca Winkelstein

We’ll also be briefly discussing the LSE assignments on these papers. I’ve uploaded all the ones that were submitted to a document called “Paper 2 LSE assignments.” You can find it in the Student Papers folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qZT6WH5WFrGlC_X755m9MQOIe4XDMHk1?usp=drive_link

See you all soon!

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year! Hope you’re all doing well and that you’re eager to get back to your studies after the holiday break.

Here is a reminder of the information I sent over the break:

1. Paper Discussion Schedule: I posted the schedule in the General Info section of the course website. See here:

https://aru-beta.aynrand.org/wp-content/uploads/_pda/2024/01/2023-24-Intermediate-Writing-Paper-schedule-1.pdf

Please be ready to start the Intermediate Writing paper discussions on Wednesday, January 17 at 11am Pacific.

Check the schedule: Please be sure to check the details of the schedule and confirm that you can indeed make it for the class when your paper will be discussed. Ideally, you would also be able to attend for the discussion of the paper by the student to whom you have been assigned as a lead student editor, but that is not essential.

2. Lead student editor (LSE) assignments: Each of you has been assigned to be the lead student editor for the paper written by one of your classmates. I’ve indicated on the paper discussion schedule whose paper each of you has been assigned.

Your task for the LSE assignment will be to do a reverse outline and editorial analysis of your assigned classmate’s final draft. The assignment and more information about it can be found in Week 7 on the course website.

The due date for this assignment is next Sunday (January 14, 2024).

I’m still waiting for the final paper from Ibis Slade. For that reason, the editor who has been assigned to his paper, Ujjval Chauhan, will have a later due date for the LSE assignment, which will be determined once the paper is submitted.

You can find the paper you are assigned to review in the Student Papers folder.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qZT6WH5WFrGlC_X755m9MQOIe4XDMHk1?usp=drive_link

Remember that you are only required to review the final draft. If you want to look at the full set of writing process documents, you can feel free to do that, but your reverse outline and editorial analysis should focus only on the final draft of the paper.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Your next assignment for Intermediate Writing is the Lead Student Editor (LSE) assignment.

Each of you has been assigned to be the lead student editor for the paper written by one of your classmates. I’ve indicated on the paper discussion schedule whose paper each of you has been assigned. See my previous email for details, see here for a direct link to the schedule:

https://aru-beta.aynrand.org/wp-content/uploads/_pda/2023/12/2023-24-Intermediate-Writing-Paper-schedule.pdf

Your task for the LSE assignment will be to do a reverse outline and editorial analysis of your assigned classmate’s final draft. The assignment and more information about it can be found in Week 7 on the course website. The due date for this assignment is Sunday, January 14, 2024.

I’m still waiting for the final papers from Alicia Lu and Ibis Slade. For that reason, the editors who have been assigned to their papers, Stefan Gaillard and Ujjval Chauhan will have a later due date for the LSE assignment, which will be determined once the papers are submitted.

You can find the paper you are assigned to review in the Student Papers folder.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qZT6WH5WFrGlC_X755m9MQOIe4XDMHk1?usp=drive_link

Remember that you are only required to review the final draft. If you want to look at the full set of writing process documents, you can feel free to do that, but your reverse outline and editorial analysis should focus only on the final draft of the paper.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re all having a merry Christmas and a relaxing holiday break!

Here is the paper discussion schedule (see below). I’ve also posted this in the General Info section of the course website for reference. See here:

https://aru-beta.aynrand.org/wp-content/uploads/_pda/2023/12/2023-24-Intermediate-Writing-Paper-schedule.pdf

Please be ready to start the Intermediate Writing paper discussions on Wednesday, January 17 at 11am Pacific.

Lead student editor (LSE) assignments: The schedule includes your lead student editor assignment—i.e., it indicates whose paper you have been assigned to review and analyze. I’ll say more about the LSE assignment in a separate email.

Check the schedule: Please be sure to check the details of the schedule and confirm that you can indeed make it for the class when your paper will be discussed. Ideally, you would also be able to attend for the discussion of the paper by the student to whom you have been assigned as a lead student editor, but that is not essential.

Complete writing process documents: Because the writing process assignments were spread out over many weeks, the materials are scattered among a whole set of assignment forums. To make it easier to have all of that material in front of you during class without having to have dozens of tabs open on your browser, I’ve collected all the materials related to each student’s paper in a single document.

I’ve created a new folder in the General Info section at the top of the class website. It’s called “Student Papers.” Here’s a direct link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qZT6WH5WFrGlC_X755m9MQOIe4XDMHk1?usp=drive_link

A couple of students have ongoing extension requests, which means that I don’t yet have all of their writing process documents. They will be added to the folder once they are complete.

Intermediate Writing Paper Schedule and Lead Student Editor Assignments

Wednesday, January 17 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

Paper by: Lucas Cuadra

Lead Student Editor: Francis Elcaron

Paper by: Rebecca Winkelstein

Lead Student Editor: Louis Varilias

Wednesday, January 24 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

Paper by: Francis Elcaron (requested 11am PT)

Lead Student Editor: Natan Galula

Paper by: Louis Varilias

Lead Student Editor: Lucas Cuadra

Wednesday, January 31 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

Paper by: Tom Nowak

Lead Student Editor: Ray Schram

Paper by: Ray Schram

Lead Student Editor: Tom Nowak

Wednesday, February 7 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

Paper by: Ujjval Chauhan

Lead Student Editor: Rebecca Winkelstein

Paper by: Natan Galula

Lead Student Editor: Ibis Slade

Wednesday, February 14 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

Paper by: Alicia Lu

Lead Student Editor: Stefan Gaillard (reverse outline and analysis due by TBD)

Paper by: Ibis Slade

Lead Student Editor: Ujjval Chauhan (reverse outline and analysis due by TBD)

Wednesday, February 21 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

Paper by: Stefan Gaillard

Lead Student Editor: Alicia Lu

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

–Keith

We’ve reached the mid-point of Intermediate Writing and would like to hear from participants how the course has been going. If you have anything you’d like to share, positive or critical, please complete this anonymous 1-question Mid-Course Feedback Form by Tuesday, December 26.

You’ll complete a full course evaluation at the end of the course, so critical feedback is best directed at things that could potentially be addressed before classes resume next quarter, if the faculty agree with the feedback (e.g., “there’s not enough/too much reading”).

This is an anonymous survey that will be reviewed by faculty. If you have a specific issue requiring a response please contact university@aynrand.org about it.

Thank you!
ARU Administration

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that the final version of your Intermediate Writing paper is due today, Sunday, December 17.

Also, if you haven’t replied to let me know your availability for discussing your paper in Q2, please do so right away.

Looking forward to seeing all of your papers and discussing them with you in class in January and February!

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted pass-fail grades for the word choice assignment. I’ve also posted in Week 5 a master list of synonyms for “wrong” that I’ve been collecting over many years of giving this assignment. I didn’t add to it with new ones that you submitted, though you did have some creative ones.

Here is my list:

https://aru-beta.aynrand.org/wp-content/uploads/_pda/2023/12/Synonym-1.pdf

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

To create the paper discussion schedule, I need to know your availability to attend live classes. Please read this email carefully and reply as soon as possible. A reply is needed from graded students only, not from auditors.

1. Some general comments:

Remember that you are required to attend live for the class in which your paper is discussed (as well as one other class in which student papers are discussed).

To accommodate people in different time zones, each week’s class will run either from 11am to 1pm Pacific time, or from 1pm to 3pm Pacific time. The start time for each week will be determined by the information I get from you.

To optimize your chances of getting your preferred date/time, please be sure to specify your availability on the Wednesday dates.

2. These sessions will begin on January 17. If anyone who is up to date on all their assignments wants to volunteer to go first and have their paper and writing process assignments discussed in the first class, just let me know.

3. I will be allocating to everyone a “Lead Student Editor” assignment. Your role will be to do a reverse outline and analysis of one your fellow student’s final paper. I will assign the author-editor pairings based on people’s availability. (See the assignment posted in Week 7 for more information.)

4. Discussion of your paper:

Please look at the date/time options listed below and select times that you will be able to make it class live. (Note that I’ve changed the dates of the classes slightly from what’s shown in the syllabus.)

Please indicate your top choice for the day/time you would like to have your paper discussed. Then, please indicate also two other possible times that you could make it to class, in case your top choice is unavailable.

If your schedule is flexible and you can attend at lots of times, please let me know that too.

Note: Since we are discussing two papers per class, there is some additional flexibility that we can account for. If you are able to join class only after, say, 1:30pm Pacific time, you could indicate a preference for the 1pm-3pm time slot and also let me know that you would need to go last in having your paper discussed.

Wednesday, January 17 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

or

Wednesday, January 17 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

Wednesday, January 24 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

or

Wednesday, January 24 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

Wednesday, January 31 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

or

Wednesday, January 31 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

Wednesday, February 7 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

or

Wednesday, February 7 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

Wednesday, February 14 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

or

Wednesday, February 14 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

Wednesday, February 21 (11am – 1pm Pacific):

or

Wednesday, February 21 (1pm – 3pm Pacific):

4. Send your reply directly to me (klockitch@aynrand.org).

If you have any concerns or special circumstances that we need to consider, please reply right away.

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that the final, edited version of your paper is due this Sunday (Dec. 17). The homework forum for submitting it is in Week 6.

Also, in a separate announcement I’ll send out a poll to assess your availability in Q2 for having your paper discussed in class. Please be sure to reply to that as soon as possible.

As a new twist for the new year, here is the next assignment that you will do after the holiday break.

Lead Student Editor assignment:

To further develop the skill of editing, your first assignment in Q2 will be to do a written editorial analysis of a paper by one of your fellow students. More info:

• I will assign the author-editor pairings when I create the paper discussion schedule, which will be based on people’s availability for live attendance.
• The assignment will be to do a reverse outline and analysis of the paper by the student assigned to you.
• I will upload the papers to a shared folder sometime before the next quarter begins.
• The details of the assignment can be found in Week 7.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

This week we’re taking another break from the writing process to give you some editorial distance before you prepare the final version of your article.

There is a light homework assignment in Week 5 that’s related to grammar and word choice. This is due this Sunday (Dec. 30).

Also, the final “writing process” assignment—writing your final draft—is now visible to you in Week 6, with a deadline of Sunday, December 17.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Just a quick reminder that your fourth “writing process” assignment, the editorial self-evaluation of your first draft, is due today (Sunday, Dec. 3). You can find the assignment In Week 4.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving break and a rest from ARU homework.

Hopefully you now have some editorial distance from your first draft. This week you have an opportunity to put on your editor hat and review your paper as though it was written by someone else.

Your fourth “writing process” assignment is due this Sunday (Dec. 3). This is an editorial self-evaluation of your first draft. You can find the assignment In Week 4.

Next week, we’ll take another break from the writing process by taking a foray into grammar and word choice. Week 5 is now visible to you with a homework assignment due on Sunday, Dec. 10.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Regarding my previous message: The Week 3 quiz page has been fixed and now has the correct format of being a file upload instead of a Rich Text field.

Please go ahead and post your Word document normally. There is no need to send me a copy by email.

Thanks,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

For your first draft that is due tomorrow, the assignment asks you to upload a Word document. Unfortunately, the quiz settings are mistakenly set to a Rich Text field rather than a file upload.

We’ll try to get that changed over the weekend. But if it’s not fixed when you are ready to submit your homework, please go ahead and do the following:

1. Copy and paste the text of your draft into the Rich Text field. Don’t worry about the formatting, this is just to ensure that the system records you as having turned it in on time.

2. Then, send me an email (klockitch@aynrand.org) with the Word file as an attachment, so that I can have the original file with the correct formatting.

Sorry about the extra step, we’ll try to get this sorted as soon as possible.

Thanks,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that your third “writing process” assignment is due this Sunday (Nov. 19). This is the first draft of your op-ed paper.

A few other updates:

1. Next week is Thanksgiving in the U.S., so we’ll have a break from classes and assignments. I recommend handing in your first draft on time and then using this break to get editorial distance from it for when we begin the editing phase.

2. Speaking of editing: Week 4 is now visible to you with some readings on the subject of editing and a homework assignment due on Sunday, Dec. 3.

3. Last week I sent a note about the grading of the “writing process” assignments. But because we were having issues with our announcements plug-in, some of you might not have seen it. Here is it is again:

I will not be sending you individualized feedback on your thinking notes, your outlines, or your first draft. They will be graded pass/fail based only on whether you completed them on time or not. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1). Your notes are a tool for *your* thinking. They are not intended to be viewed objectively by an outside observer, and it is difficult for another person to judge—at the thinking stage—whether your notes are clear enough *to you* to serve as the groundwork for developing the article.

2). Too much advice at the thinking or outlining stage can be harmful to your own thinking process. Your article needs to be the result of your own thinking and your own motivation. You need to write the article that *you* are interested in and motivated to write. If you get advice too early from someone else or suggestions on how to think about your subject or how to approach writing an article on that subject, that can actually distort your own thinking about how you want to approach your paper.

3). As a student trying to develop your writing skills, it is valuable to see how each stage of the writing process builds upon the previous stages. There is even value in seeing first-hand how errors in the thinking stage (e.g., not being fully decided about your exact subject, or not really having a clear sense of your audience’s view of your subject, etc.) can carry forward all the way through the final draft of the article and cause problems with the final piece.

When we discuss your articles in class (next quarter), I will be reviewing all the materials you submit at every stage of the writing process, and all of those materials will be potential fodder for discussion in class. So, if there are interesting issues in your thinking notes, outlines or first draft that carry forward to your final paper, we will discuss them then.

I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Cheers,

–Keith

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that your third “writing process” assignment is due this Sunday (Nov. 19). This is the first draft of your op-ed paper.

A few other updates:

1. Next week is Thanksgiving in the U.S., so we’ll have a break from classes and assignments. I recommend handing in your first draft on time and then using this break to get editorial distance from it for when we begin the editing phase.

2. Speaking of editing: Week 4 is now visible to you with some readings on the subject of editing and a homework assignment due on Sunday, Dec. 3.

3. Last week I sent a note about the grading of the “writing process” assignments. But because we were having issues with our announcements plug-in, some of you might not have seen it. Here is it is again:

I will not be sending you individualized feedback on your thinking notes, your outlines, or your first draft. They will be graded pass/fail based only on whether you completed them on time or not. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1). Your notes are a tool for *your* thinking. They are not intended to be viewed objectively by an outside observer, and it is difficult for another person to judge—at the thinking stage—whether your notes are clear enough *to you* to serve as the groundwork for developing the article.

2). Too much advice at the thinking or outlining stage can be harmful to your own thinking process. Your article needs to be the result of your own thinking and your own motivation. You need to write the article that *you* are interested in and motivated to write. If you get advice too early from someone else or suggestions on how to think about your subject or how to approach writing an article on that subject, that can actually distort your own thinking about how you want to approach your paper.

3). As a student trying to develop your writing skills, it is valuable to see how each stage of the writing process builds upon the previous stages. There is even value in seeing first-hand how errors in the thinking stage (e.g., not being fully decided about your exact subject, or not really having a clear sense of your audience’s view of your subject, etc.) can carry forward all the way through the final draft of the article and cause problems with the final piece.

When we discuss your articles in class (next quarter), I will be reviewing all the materials you submit at every stage of the writing process, and all of those materials will be potential fodder for discussion in class. So, if there are interesting issues in your thinking notes, outlines or first draft that carry forward to your final paper, we will discuss them then.

I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Cheers,

–Keith