Online Help

Formal Writing: Online Help

How do I choose a theme?

Review the readings

What is the general work environment like?
What is the relationship of a Japanese engineer to his/her peers?
What is the relationship of a Japanese engineer to his/her superiors?
How are decisions made? Is there consensus?
What are the traditional expectations for a Japanese engineer from his/her company's perspsective?
What are the posititve aspects of the Japanese model? negative aspects?

In making technical judgments, does one take into account other things, e.g., one's career implications; what the decision might mean inside the company; what the decision might mean outside the company; how the decision increases or decreases one's power or contacts; how the decision might reinforce or alter relationships on the job, etc. Who should be involved in a particular technical decision? Who is not involved? What is one's ultimate career ambition? How does one know one is being a good person?

Think about the streamed video & the multimedia classes

Japan: The Electronic Tribe

What was the relationship described between tradition and technological development?
Can you find support for this relationship in the readings?

How did Ms. Takeshita describe the work environment?
How did she describe the educational system?
Can you find support for any of this in your readings?

How should I structure my paper?

When writing a 2-3 page paper, the following structure is a good beginning:

The keyhole diagram is traditionally used to describe the expository style of writing - exactly what you are doing in this assignment, i.e., constructing a thesis statement that is supported by reasons (in this case the textual evidence from the articles) and putting it in essay format.

What does the keyhole signify?
If you follow the motion from the top of the keyhole to the bottom, you will notice that the area within the keyhole is constantly shifting. This should mirror the structure of your argument:

Begin by placing your topic within a large framework.
Narrow to your thesis (usually one statement outlining your main argument and how you will support it).
Move to the body & note how it bulges - this is because it is in the body of your argument that you want to bring in all your outside evidence (in this case, quotations from the articles that support your thesis).
Once you have produced all your evidence, restate your thesis (changing the words, of course, to illustrate that you have successfully proved it.)
Broaden from your thesis or conclusion to a more general framework.
Proofread (smile).

How do I cite the articles in my paper?

There are a number of ways to cite texts in your papers - the most important thing for us is the reference, rather than the specific format. However ...

The first and easiest way to cite articles is shown in the following examples:

Raymond Vondreau's discussion of the cultural gap existing between American and Japanese engineers is very reminiscient of my experiences as a martian (Vonderau, 70-72).
Raymond Vondreau states that "better knowledge also means better understanding" and this feeling has colored all my experiences as a martian at Virgina Tech (Vonderau, 72).

In these examples, the author is cited paranthetically following my use of his/her material. If you follow this method, make sure to include a bibliographic list of all the articles you referenced at the end of your paper.

For instance, I would include:

Vonderau, Raymond C., "The Cultural Gap Experience by a 'Gaijin' Engineer," pp. 70-72. Since we have not provided you with full bibliographic information in most cases, this will not be expected. However, a more complete reference would look like this:

Mechancial Engineering

If you would like to footnote your paper, you are by all means welcome - but if you have that desire, then you don't need the help.