Reference no: EM132207857 , Length: 5

Assignment

The purpose, therefore, of writing assessment is fivefold:

1. To determine your baseline as an academic writer

2. To make sure you can quote and cite correctlyso as to avoid problems with plagiarism

3. To begin building strategic level critical thinking skills

4. To provide an initial opportunity for you to wrestle with the issues you will face as senior leaders over the next 15 years

5. To familiarize you with TK20 (grading system of record).

Your Primary Faculty Advisor (PFA) will assess your mastery of writing mechanics and structure, and examine content in terms of logic, coherence and critical thinking. This assessment will help you target areas for improvement before the first graded written assignment.

Your assignment:

As background for this writing assignment, read these four articles:

• Marvin Swift's "Clear writing means clear thinking...",

• Lynn Hunt's "How Writing Leads to Thinking",

• Thomas Williams' "Education for Critical Thinking",

• and Larry Miller and Laura Wackwitz's "Writing, Integrity, and National Security".

Write a 5-page double-spaced essay responding to the following:

In his 1973 publication, "Clear Writing Means Clear Thinking", Marvin Swift makes a short argument in favor of the position that writing influences one's ability to think. In 2010, Lynn Hunt of the American Historical Association published an article titled "How Writing Leads to Thinking".

In his 2013 Military Review article, "Education for Critical Thinking", Colonel Thomas M. Williams makes the argument that "if we want better results, we should...change that way we teach".

And, finally, in their 2015 4th Quarter article, "Writing, Integrity, and National Security", Larry Miller and Laura Wackwitz discuss the issue of plagiarism that takes place within Senior Service Colleges. Consider the thoughts of Swift, Hunt, Williams, Miller, and Wackwitzand respond to the following:

What, if any, is the relationship between one's ability to think critically, one's ability to write well, and one's effectiveness as a strategic leader? Does this relationship, or absence of relationship, warrant any sort of institutional change?

Additional Information:

You may also find many of the following articles useful as one of your outside sources as you prepare your paper.

1. Brook, Eric. "What If?: Critical Thinking in Research and Writing."

2. Cavdar, Gamze, and Sue Doe. "Learning through Writing: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills inWriting Assignments."

3. Goodwin, Bryan. "Teach Critical Thinking to Teach Writing."

4. Hall, John. "Why Every Leader Should Know How to Write."