Re: Writing in the Social Sciences

[JMULLIN@UOFT02.UTOLEDO.EDU]

There actually is a trusty old text by, is it McClosky? called
Writing in the Social Sciences. There are other references I can
give you if no one else does once I get back to my office in a
couple of weeks; e-mail me then if no one else gives citations.

However. what will work best is always to investigate your
own context. No matter what an expert says in a text, the social
scientists in your institution might not have read it! You would
be surprised (or not) at how many assignments I've seen that
are a mixture of what I would call a "humanities/social science"
approach. ASK THE INSTRUCTORS--EACH-- what THEIR objectives,
criteria and style demands will be for the term. Get them to come
in as guests during tutor meetings; open dialogues. I think it's
much too risky to assume that the writing demands of a course will
match what a social scientist with a rhetorical bent may say.

O.K. so it's also a sneaky way get instructors to re-examine their
assignments and the grading criteria they use...

Joan
jmullin@uoft02.utoledo.edu