University of Chicago Writing Program: Top-Down Approach to Writing

Introduction to Top-Down Approach

• Unlike other universities, UChicago's Writing Program takes a top-down approach to writing.
• Most other schools focus on freshman writing courses (e.g., freshman composition, seminars).
• UChicago does not have a freshman writing course; more faculty than freshmen ratio due to medical school faculty.

Origins and Focus of the Program

• Program began in the late 70s/early 80s; initially aimed to help faculty, not students.
• Contrary to the notion that writing is only a basic skill, the program addresses advanced writing challenges for expert writers.
• Expert writers use writing to help themselves think, unlike journalists who write to convey pre-considered ideas.

Writing Challenges for Experts

• Experts’ writing process often interferes with the reading process, causing readers to slow down, misunderstand, or stop reading.
• Faculty read students' writing because they are paid to care, but in the real world, readers are not obligated to care.
• To succeed, writing needs to be valuable to readers, not just clear, organized, or persuasive.

Re-thinking Rules and Readers

• The program discourages rule-governed writing, which is less effective at high levels of academic writing.
• Writing should focus on changing readers' ideas rather than simply communicating the author's ideas or demonstrating knowledge.
• Understanding and engaging with a specific community of readers is crucial.

Creating Value in Writing

• Importance is not about being new or original; it’s about being valuable to readers.
• Professional texts commonly use language that signals value through creating tension, contradiction, or presenting an anomaly.
• Example: Comparative analysis of grant proposals showed that text B, with value-laden language, was preferred over text A.
• Authors should analyze articles in their field to identify value-creating language and apply it to their writing.

Community Codes and Language

• Different academic communities have specific codes and value systems which need to be understood and employed in writing.
• Examples of value-creating words: however, although, inconsistent, anomaly, nonetheless, widely accepted, reported.
• Developing a list of value-creating words and integrating them can enhance the perceived value of writing.

Instability and Problem Location

• Problems in the context of academic writing should be located within the readers' interests (not the writer’s personal fascination).
• Problems should be characterized by instability within the knowledge or subject matter and should indicate costs or benefits to readers.

Effective Literature Reviews

• In professional articles, literature reviews are not about showing understanding but about enriching and complicating the problem through the lens of existing research.
• Effective literature reviews create tension and highlight the instability within the field.
• Example from Bill Sewell’s work demonstrates enhancing problem through discussions on existing scholarly debates.

Practical Steps for Students

1. Analyze scholarly articles for value-creating language.
2. Identify and understand the specific communities and their codes within your discipline.
3. Shift from rule-based to reader-focused writing; engage and address the specific doubts and interests of your readers.
4. Enrich your literature reviews to build and complicate the problem rather than merely summarizing past research.

Conclusion and Support

• Emphasis on understanding the function of writing beyond formal rules for greater effectiveness.
• Encouragement for students to seek personalized support from the director for writing challenges.

Contacts

• Director: Larry McEnerney
• Email: lmce@uchicago
• Open to making appointments for personalized writing assistance.