Biology Major
This piece comes from the General Genetics laboratory course, which contributes to the Biological Sciences major. The class required students to conduct guided experiments and then produce a write up of the major findings of the experiment in the standard IMRaD style. Extreme detail and precision were required, and this piece represents a precursor to the work conducted for the Revision Assignment.
Portfolio Overview
Read here a description of the course each piece was written for and the purpose of the course.
Applied Writing
This piece comes from the Creative Writing-Fiction course. This course focused on short stories, both reading and writing. Several short stories were read and discussed throughout the quarter. Additionally, students produced their own short story piece which was workshopped twice over the course of the quarter. This piece is the product of that workshop.
Theory
The first piece in this section comes from a course called Theories of Writing. This course required weekly journaling, sometimes guided, sometimes writer’s choice, reflecting the theories read and discussed in class. This piece is the product of a prompted journal on creative non-fiction, which was revised into a longer piece.
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The second piece in this section comes from Topics in Writing Theory, a course that intended to break the rules of writing and expand writing beyond its typically understood intentions. This piece, which began as a simple writing exercise in observation, was revised and fully fleshed out through workshops over the duration of the course. The final product does not resemble typical writing, but each step is represented to demonstrate the way writing evolves.
Common Curriculum
The first piece in this section comes from the last of three freshman writing courses. This course focused on proper research and report techniques, how to conduct primary research, and how to write a research paper. The relationship between language, the meaning of words, gender, sexuality, and power were investigated.
The second piece comes from an Honors Seminar, which investigated all things beautiful and why we love them. In this course, connections between the things we love, why we love them, and why we find them beautiful were explored to better understand aesthetic preference.
Revision
The original piece to be revised was produced as an undergraduate research thesis to earn distinction within the University of Denver Honors Program. Research and analysis was done in an on campus lab, and then the results were written up as a standard IMRaD research paper.
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This piece was then revised for a new audience, a popular science magazine or newspaper. The results have been rewritten to be understood by the average reader, and additional background information has been included to draw the reader in and make the piece more interesting. The IMRaD structure was also loosened to flow and read better to maintain the reader's attention.
