You said:
The solution? Provide freshmen with real writing situations? Make them
write for publication, make them write letters to the editors, op-ed
columns, etc.? But if we do this what will we do when they get to
History 201 or Psych 376 or even English 420 where they're expected to
write a good "undergraduate academic essay" and not an op-ed position
piece?
Indeed, why not expect them to write as theorists write? I'll bet
the History and Psych Profs would be shocked to get a response which
demonstrated even a little original thought. After all they are
always complaining that "we (in English) don't teach students to
write", they seem not at all sure what we do "over here."
It ceratinly not the students' fault that our expectations are not
rigorous enough. I find, quite often, that they are quite up to the
challenge, once you get them to understand why what you are expecting
is so different than the rest of their expereince in writing.
Mike Hamende
hamendem@cts.db.erau.edu