University of Chicago Writing Program: Top-down Approach Lecture

Overview

University of Chicago’s unique writing program takes a “top-down” approach instead of a “bottom-up” approach.
Focus is not on freshmen but on faculty and advanced students throughout various schools including medical school.
Initial aim: To improve the writing quality among faculty members, not just students.

Most universities focus on freshman composition and basic writing skills.
Standard view: Writing skills are fundamental, to be learned in school, and writing programs are remedial.

Dispel the notion of writing as a remedial or rule-governed activity for advanced writers.
Emphasize thinking about readers instead of adhering to rigid writing rules.
Targeting “expert writers” (those with expert knowledge writing in their field) who use writing to think.

Expert writers use writing to develop their thoughts, unlike beginners who follow a separate thinking process before writing.
This creates a different set of challenges since the writing is generated while thinking, often using complex patterns.
The primary challenge is aligning the writing process with how readers read to avoid misunderstandings and disengagement.

Readers often slow down, misunderstand, or stop reading when they encounter writing that doesn’t align with their reading patterns.
Writers need to create valuable content to maintain reader engagement and meet the challenges of expert-level writing.

Academic writings are often reviewed by teachers who are paid to engage, making feedback and successful submissions less about interest and value.
In the professional world, writing is not judged until it provides value to the reader and fits their expectations.

Value is determined by the targeted community of readers and the relevance of the content to them, not by being original or new alone.
Emphasis on understanding readers’ needs and doubts to make writing persuasive and change their thinking.
Important to know the community and their established codes of creating value.

Instability & Tension: Use words that create tension and instability (e.g., but, however, although, anomaly) to highlight problems that readers care about.
Cost & Benefit: Frame problems in terms of costs or benefits to readers to showcase value.
Avoid Formality & Rules: Dispense formal rule-based writing and focus on problems and solutions that align with reader interest.
Lit Review: Enrich the problem in literature reviews by showing tensions and contradictions rather than just summarizing past work.
Real-World Relevance: Practical and valuable writing depends on knowing the readers and their specific community codes.

Examples provided (e.g. Bill Sewell, John Totino) show how effective problem construction and reader-oriented writing can lead to successful engagement and acceptance.
Emphasis on learning and applying community-specific writing codes and continuously identifying value through consistent practice.

Exercise: Spend 15 minutes a week identifying value-creating words in published work within your field.
Word List: Create and use a word list for revisions to ensure writing includes community-recognized value words.
Community Awareness: Understand and target the specific academic community to create persuasive and impactful writing.

The goal of the writing program is to help writers at the highest levels succeed by focusing on what readers find valuable and engaging.
Open invitation to consult for personalized guidance and support in improving writing strategies.

Larry McEnerney’s email: [email protected] for appointments and further consultation.