Bren Writing Center Assessment
Bren Hall 4406
(805) 893-8512
Guidelines
At the bottom of this page, you will find a listing of several reports by industry, US and international governments, non-governmental organizations, and peer-reviewed journal articles about biofuels. Before your writing assessment on Monday, September 22nd, carefully review 3-5 of these sources. While reading, pay particular attention to: (1) recent biofuels research and advancements, (2) the positive and negative aspects of biofuels relative to other energy supply options, (3) the changing role of government in response to biofuels development, and (4) implications for the environment, international collaboration, and the national/international economy and trade. Consider these topics from a global, rather than US-centric, perspective. Come to the assessment prepared to write a policy brief (500-750 words). Specifics about the purpose and audience for the policy brief will be given to you on the day of the assessment.
You do not need look up any other sources to accomplish this exercise, and you do not need to have any specific expertise in the subject. Instead, we will be assessing your writing for general organization, flow, and clarity, not disciplinary knowledge.
What is the policy brief?
The policy brief is a document that outlines the rationale for choosing a particular policy alternative or course of action in a current policy debate. The brief may only provide a targeted discussion of the current alternatives without arguing for a particular one. Alternatively, the brief may focus directly on providing an argument for the adoption of a particular alternative. In any case, the purpose of the policy brief is to convince the target audience of the need to adopt the preferred alternative or course of action outlined and therefore, serve as an impetus for action.
***An effective policy brief should be: focused, professional, evidence-based, and succinct.
For more information on how to compose a policy brief, refer to: http://www.policy.hu/ipf/fel-pubs/samples/PolicyBrief-described.pdf
You should provide a well-structured, well-supported document. Do include some direct quotes in your summary to support your statements and follow APA/MLA guidelines for citation formatting. (Note: The request for citations includes both in-text quotes from your article and a "References" page.) Visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab for APA and MLA citation tips.
What will we do with the assessment?
Every student's writing sample will be reviewed by at least two readers from Bren. You will receive feedback on the exercise within three weeks of the assessment.
Depending upon your assessment score, we will recommend that you enroll in our Winter quarter writing course. We will also likely recommend that you bring course assignments to the Writing Center for one-on-one tutoring so that we can help you with specific skills revealed by the assessment in need of development. We will work with you on specific writing strategies, such as framing your argument, developing your paragraphs, using evidence to support your claims, and choosing precise language to clearly communicate your ideas.
Writing Center Services
Our Writing Consultants help Bren students become stronger writers. As we will mention during the orientation, the primary concern of employers and the most essential skill reported as necessary by Bren alumni is writing. We offer you the opportunity to improve your writing free of charge. We are the only unit on campus offering writing help to graduate students, so we encourage you to use our services. Writing, like any skill, requires practice. Just as marathon runners don't wake up at 6a.m. the day of a race and decide they want to compete, writers who give themselves limited time to draft their assignments will find that they, too, are unprepared for a marathon. Start practicing now. Be pro-active and enroll in the Winter quarter writing course and start scheduling time for yourself both to write and to bring your writing to the Writing Center. We will post our Fall quarter hours during the first week of school.
Tips for putting together a great writing sample:
* Avoid the passive voice whenever possible. Stronger verbs make for stronger writing. For example, instead of saying "The atmospheric data was analyzed by Bren students," say "Bren students analyzed the atmospheric data."
* Be concise. Short, clear sentences are easier to follow than long, complicated ones.
* Allow time to proofread. Even the best writers usually don't get it right in their first draft.
* Stick to the point. Make sure your paper is cohesive. In other words: (1) introduce the paper's main point in the first paragraph, (2) make sure every paragraph that follows supports this point, (3) pick one topic for each paragraph and stick to it. If you feel the need to introduce a new subject, start a new paragraph.
* Think about flow. Perfect paragraphs do not always equal a strong paper. Improve readability by using transition words and sentences to connect each paragraph to the one before and the one after.
Source Materials
Reminder: You only need to select 3-5 sources to prepare for the assessment.
Issue Brief: economic impacts of ethanol production. A publication by Ethanol Across America. June 2006. 12 pp
World Development Report 2008. Biofuels: The promise and the risks. 2 pp.
EU and US policies on biofuels: Potential impacts on developing countries. The German Marshall Fund. April 2007. 32 pp.
IEA Bioenergy Report. Potential contribution of bioenergy to the world’s future energy demand. September 2007. 12 pp.
World Resources Institute Climate and Energy Policy Series: “Plants at the Pump: Reviewing Biofuels’ Impacts and Policy Recommendations" July 2008. 8 pp.
Pimentel, David. Ethanol Fuels: Energy Balance, Economics, and Environmental Impacts are Negative. June 2003. Natural Resources Research. 12(2): 127-134.
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