A case study of the variety of writing assignments in an undergraduate English department. (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tasker, David Gasbarro
• Is Part Of: English for specific purposes. Volume 66(2022)
• Page Start: 33
• Page End: 62
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: Student writing -- Academic writing -- Disciplinary writing -- Writing assignments -- Genre -- English department; English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- Periodicals; English language -- Business English -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Technical English -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Anglais (Langue) -- Étude et enseignement -- Allophones -- Périodiques; Enseignement professionnel -- Périodiques; Anglais (Langue) -- Anglais commercial -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; Anglais (Langue) -- Anglais technique -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; English language -- Business English -- Study and teaching; English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers; English language -- Technical English -- Study and teaching; Periodicals; 428.007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.esp.2021.12.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0889-4906

Abstract

Abstract: This article presents an investigation of the variation in writing assignments across undergraduate course-levels and sub-areas of a single university department. The central component of this study is an exhaustive analysis of the non-linguistic, situational characteristics of all writing assignments given over two years of undergraduate course offerings in the English department of a large public U.S. university. All writing assignments from a collection of syllabi representing all courses offered in the department were categorized using a bottom-up process informed by assignment descriptions, curricular documents, and two expert informants for each department sub-area, yielding a comprehensive taxonomy of writing assignment-types in the department. Assignment-types were identified by differentiating situational characteristics (central purpose, audience, personal nature, object of study, coherence, revision, time, assignment specifications, and medium). Differences in purposes and topics of common assignment-types across sub-areas are investigated using assignment prompts. An analysis of variation in the frequency and characteristics of assignment-types across course-levels and sub-areas reveals department-internal differences in the educational aims and uses of writing assignments. A comparison of the core purposes of common assignment-types with those of related studies attempts to identify purpose-sharing register-clusters that shed light on the nature of writing assignments at the undergraduate level.