PROFESSOR BENJAMINE ZUCKERBERG FOREST AND WILDLIFE ECOLOGY Climate Change Vulnerability is the propensity of a community or species to experience harm from climate change due to its 1) sensitivity to the climate variability, 2) exposure …
Designing Effective Assignments & Courses
A GROUP ASSIGNMENT IN A MARKETING COURSE
PROFESSOR AMBER EPP MARKETING 305, CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Project Overview Students will work in groups of 3-4 for this assignment. To begin the project, choose a company and select a “new” product or service being introduced …
Individual and Group Research Papers on Social Identities
PROFESSOR YOSHIKO HERRERA POLITICAL SCIENCE 401 A Note for Other Instructors about This Assignment: This political science course about measuring identities is structured around an original research paper. The primary goal of the assignment is …
COLLABORATIVE ESSAY ASSIGNMENT IN A LITERATURE COURSE
PROFESSOR RAMZI FAWAZ ENGLISH 177 (AMERICAN FANTASY) For this final paper, you will write a ten-page collaborative essay with your group members analyzing a single cultural object (movie, book, or graphic fiction) that we have …
POSITION PAPERS FOR CHICAN@ AND LATIN@ STUDIES 330
Professor Revel Sims DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Three position papers will be assigned throughout the semester. The purpose of a position paper is to articulate an argument with supporting evidence. It describes a position …
AN ARTICLE SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT IN STATISTICS 641
DR. THOMAS COOK (DEPARTMENT OF BIOSTATISTICS AND MEDICAL INFORMATICS For a graduate course on statistical methods for clinical trials, Dr. Cook helps students deepen their understanding of key course concepts by writing brief summaries …
INTERVIEW WITH AN OLDER ADULT
PROFESSOR BETTY KRAMER (SOCIAL WORK 821) The purpose of this assignment is to: a) provide an opportunity to practice evidence based communication skills for communicating with older adults; and b) enrich understanding of course content …
Writing Project Two: Action Project + Rhetorical Critique of Applied Rhetoric
PROFESSOR CAROLINE DRUSCHKE ENGLISH 245 (SEMINAR IN THE MAJOR, “WRITING RIVERS”) 45% of final grade; 10 pgs., double spaced, plus supplemental material How do we work through the project? Tuesday, September 26: Start Thinking Thursday, …
AN ANALYTICAL ESSAY PROJECT IN A POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSE
PROFESSOR JOHN ZUMBRUNNEN POLITICAL SCIENCE 566, CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT The second individual project for PS 566 gives you another opportunity to analyze and evaluate course readings and bring them into contact with your own …
TWO EXTRA-CREDIT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS FOR EAST ASIAN 353 & LITERATURE/ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE 353
Professor charo D’etcheverry department of asian languages and cultures (SURVEY OF CLASSICAL JAPANESE; LOVERS, WARRIORS, AND MONKS) It’s tough to get everyone excited about classical Japanese literature: too many descriptions of clothing and gradations of …
GRADUATE STUDENT WRITING PROJECT FOR MUSIC 416
Professor Susan cook (Music 416, Survey of music in the 20th century) All graduate students must complete a 12-15 page written project in lieu of the final exam. (Undergraduate students may opt to do so …
MINI-PROJECTS IN AN UPPER-LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY COURSE
professor Joe Asterweil Psychology 525: Cognition in Health and Society Mini-Project 1 Task: Create a flyer or poster that communicates three recommendations for cell-phone usage while walking based on what you learned from class (and …
A FINAL WRITING PROJECT IN AN UPPER-LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY COURSE
Professor Joe Austerweil (Psychology 525: Cognition in health and society) Task: The final project for the class is to conduct your own analysis of a societal/health issue and create a set of recommendations in some …
A FUNERAL ORATION IN A CLASSICS COURSE
Professor Nandini Pandey (Classics 322, The Romans) ORATIO #3 During the final week of classes, in place of your last section, you will deliver a 2-minute funeral oration for Ancient Rome. This will be a …
A RESEARCH-DRIVEN WRITING ASSIGNMENT IN A CLASSICS COURSE
PRofessor Nandini Pandey (Classics 322, The Romans) FINAL RESCRIPTIO of Scriptio #1: EXCAVATING THE OTHER IN ANCIENT ROME 8-page essay to be submitted as a Word file on Canvas. Our understanding of ancient Rome often focuses …
CLOSE READING OF A PASSAGE IN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
Provided by Melissa Azari, Megan Kennedy, and Zachary Rewinski on behalf of Slavic graduate students at UW-Maddison (Department of German, Nordic, and slavic). Course: Literature in Translation 201 and 203 (19th- and 20th-Century Russian Literature …
A WRITTEN REPORT ON SCHOOLING DATA IN ECONOMICS 475
Dr. Maria Muniagurria (Economics 475) Fig. 4.2 from Easterly (2001, Ch. 4 page 76) shown in class and reproduced below presents data on diverse growth outcomes from educational expansion in Africa (1965-1985). Select one of the …
Journal Article Mini-Proposal in Biomolecular Chemistry 504
Professor Angela Kita, Biomolecular chemistry Purpose: As part of our end of the semester mini-symposium, you and a partner will prepare a 10 minute presentation about a paper of your choosing. In preparation, you will …
POTENTIAL EXAM QUESTIONS IN A MICROBIOLOGY COURSE
Professor Katherine Mcmahon (Microbiology 425, Environmental microbiology) The questions below are all fair game for the final exam. I will select roughly half of the content for the actual exam. The actual exam will also …
AN ARTICLE RESPONSE WRITING ASSIGNMENT IN PHYSICS
PROFESSOR JUSTIN VANDENBROUCKE (PHYSICS 115: ENERGY) Assignment Some weeks (about six total) there is an article response assignment. Find an article of your choice (published recently, within the past few months) related to energy and …
A FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT IN PHILOSOPHY 101
PROFESSOR STEVEN NADLER (PHILOSOPHY 101, INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY) We have covered many philosophical topics this semester, in metaphysics (the nature of reality, the mind-body problem), ethics (What is [the] good? What is happiness? What is …
Another Short Assignment in a Course about Rhetoric & Power on the Internet
Kathleen Daly (Communication Arts 478: Rhetoric and Power on the Internet) The final short assignment asks you to analyze and interrogate the privacy and data collection policies and practices that inform our everyday digital lives. …
Short Assignment in a Course about Rhetoric & Power on the Internet
Kathleen Daly (Communication ARts 478: Rhetoric and Power on the Internet) For this assignment, you will be conducting a rhetorical analysis of a hashtag as it moves across a particular social media platform. Your research …
A SERIES OF 50-WORD WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN HISTORY 101
PROFESSOR CHARLES L. COHEN, HISTORY #1 Tracking change over time – due September 13: [Use the “Minor Assignment #1 Materials” on the class website.] Compare the plat map (1834) of the township around “Fourth Lake” with …
AN IN-CLASS WRITING ACTIVITY IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Short, Informal Writing Assignments in a Large Literature Lecture Course
PROFESSOR CAROLINE LEVINEENGLISH 177 In English 177: Literature and Popular Culture, focusing on detective fiction, Professor Levine assigns students 3, informal,1-page writing assignments that ask them to engage more deeply with the week’s readings. These …
Team Research Projects in Biochemical Engineering
Professor John Yin, Chemical and Biological Engineering 560 Team Project 1: Engineering Beyond Natural Boundaries The chemicals of life include lipids, sugars, nucleic acids, and proteins, as you have encountered in your biology and …
A Collaborative Paper and Oral Presentation in Consumer Science
Professor Irena Vida, Consumer Science 357 This team project assignment consists of a descriptive and historical account of a major U.S. retail chain with store branches in at least 10 different states. The chain …
A Collaborative Paper in Geography
Susy Ziegler, Geography 365 During our field trip on Thursday, September 21, we will locate six different places on or near the UW campus. Each group of three students will study one of these …
Team Poster Projects in Biocore
Dr. Michelle Harris, Dr. Janet Batzli, Biocore Program Posters are large pieces of paper or cardboard which carry text and figures and concisely present ideas or the results and conclusions of experiments. Poster sessions …
Writing Assignments in History and Environmental Studies: Animals Making History
Professor Elizabeth Hennessy, History and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Context: In Spring 2015, I taught a class on Animal Histories that was cross-listed in History (200) and Environmental Studies (404). This mid-semester assignment …
Writing about Habitus in Introductory Anthropology
Professor Sissel Schroeder, Anthropology 112: Principles of Archaeology Habitus and Mental Maps Assignment Introduction From its antiquarian beginnings (which we will discuss in the final unit of this class), archaeologists have been interested in …
Historical Arguments and Wikipedia Paragraphs in Byzantine History
Professor Leonora Neville, History 313: Introduction to Byzantine History and Civilization Goals for Student Learning Historical Content: The basic outline of the events of the medieval Byzantine Empire Major cultural and political figures and …
Explicit Guidelines for a Formal Writing Assignment in History of Science
Professor Lynn Nyhart, History of Science 280: The Double Helix FIRST PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Polished draft due Tuesday October 8 (bring three copies TO CLASS) Final version due Tuesday October 15. Assess the value of …
Reading and Case Study Analysis for Social Work
Professor Betty Kramer, Social Work 821 The purpose of this initial assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the readings and your ability to apply course content to the mental health challenges faced by …
Compare and Contrast Two Treatment Approaches in Social Work
Professor Betty Kramer, Social Work 821 Generalist social work practitioners must be able to select from a wide range of theories and interventions as appropriate to specific situations. The purpose of this assignment is …
USING LOW-STAKES RESEARCH PROJECTS TO CRITICALLY ANALYZE COURSE CONTENT
Professor Catalina Toma, Communication Arts Assignment #1: Theories of relationship formation in reduced-cue online environments In class, we have discussed four theories of how strangers form personal relationships in reduced-cue online environments (e.g., social …
A Research Summary in Animal Sciences
Professor David Thomas, Animal Sciences/Dairy Science 363 Note: Make sure you review each assignment ahead of time and print out required reports before you move on to the next round of selection. Once you …
Analyzing Multiculturalism in Mass Media Writing Assignments
Professor Hemant Shah, Journalism 662: Mass Media and Minorities Writing Assignment 1: Concepts and History/Experiences (750-850 words) The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to move between levels of analysis. That …
Features Story Assignment in Management and Human Resources
Phillip Kim, Management and Human Resources 422 In my introductory course on entrepreneurship, we read articles about entrepreneurs, discuss case studies about businesses they start, listen to guest speakers about their businesses, and perform …
Creative Writing Assignments in African Languages and Literature
Professor Linda Hunter, African Languages and Literature 201 There will be five exercises in writing, which together will count for 20% of the final grade. They are to be typed, double spaced, using no …
Building Process into Short Assignments in Economics
Professor J.R. Walker, Economics 450 Economics 450: Wages and the Labor Market Writing Assignment #2 In 300 words or less, please answer the following question: Under what conditions does technological change reduce the demand …
Summary-Analysis Papers in a Communication-B Course
Professor Jim Brown, English 236 As we read Hayles’ Electronic Literature, we will be learning new theoretical concepts that help us make sense of works of electronic literature. In an attempt to apply those …
Analyzing Textual Echoes in Literature
Professor David Zimmerman, Introductory Literature This course requires that you write three “echo” analyses in addition to the two major essays. Each analysis should be typed, single-spaced, and 1-2 pages (that means over 1 …
Writing Assignments for the Research Sequence in Engineering Physics
Professor Wendy Crone, Engineering Physics Sequence 468, 469, 568, 569 Notes on Writing Assignments: Assignments: Various assignments are given throughout the course. Writing is a critical component of a successful research career and is …
A Take-Home Midterm in Dairy Science
Professor Michel Wattiaux, Dairy Science 375: Mexico Seminar Guidelines for Take-Home Midterm Background: In the first part of this seminar, we have read and discussed articles on global population and how changes in population structure …
Carbon Footprint Analysis: A Written Analysis Based on Computation
Professor Ankur Desai, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Environmental Studies Assignment #3, due: Friday, November 7, in class In this assignment, you will write about your own personal carbon footprint and the difficulty of …
Written Analysis of a Photograph in English
Professor Christa Olson, English 550 Assignment II: Historical Visions This assignment will help you build your skills as a rhetorical critic, with a particular focus on historical and contextual analysis. You’ll choose a historical …
Two Short Writing Assignments in Zoology
Patricia McConnell, Zoology 335 These two related short formal writing assignments in a large lecture course ask students 1) to summarize multiple perspectives about a topic and 2) to make connections between course content …
Epistolary Fiction Assignment
Ron Harris, Instructional Coordinator, English The purpose of the epistolary fiction assignment is to offer you the opportunity to explore further epistolary discourse. Epistolary discourse is a major element in the development of the …
CRITICAL REFLECTION ON FORMS OF ARGUMENT IN COMMUNICATION ARTS 262
Professor Jenell Johnson, Communication Arts 262 Objectives: * to demonstrate your grasp of the theory and practice of argument * to assess the value of different forms of argument * to develop a clear, …
A Narrative Assignment in Chemistry
Professor Cathy Middlecamp, Integrated Liberal Studies 251 Project #2 – Radioactivity and People ILS 251 has several higher order learning goals. One is that you are able to take what you learn in one …
A Research Paper in a Psychology Course for Majors: Presenting Understanding of a Course Concept
Professor Rhonda Reinholtz, Psychology You will be required to write one 2,500-word paper on a topic of your choice relevant to clinical psychology. The paper will be worth 100 points. The paper must be …
A Course Blog with Student Analyses of Weather Events
Professor Steve Ackerman, Tim Wagner, Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies 441 Background: Sometimes we gave students an explicit assignment, and other times we let students find an interesting topic to present. Either way, students wrote …
Writing to an Outside Audience in Astronomy 150
Professor Christy Tremonti, Astronomy 150 Learning Goal: Students will be able to explain why we believe the Universe began in a Big Bang and how we know that most of the Universe is composed …
The 50-Word Assignment
Professor Charles L. Cohen, History Seeking the Holy Grail of an exercise that teaches writing, advances critical skills, adds only a modicum of time to students’ weekly workload, and requires even less time per …
Course Topic Reflections in a Pharmacy FIG
Pharmacy Activity Reflection Example After class, enter the following reflective exercise 200 words or less: (3) Describe 3 things you learned from the course topic today (2) Describe 2 things that surprised you (1) …
Short, Informal Writing Assignments in a Large Literature Lecture Course
Professor Caroline Levine, English 177 In English 177: Literature and Popular Culture, focusing on detective fiction, Professor Levine assigns students 3, informal,1-page writing assignments that ask them to engage more deeply with the week’s …
Weekly Assignments in Theatre and Drama and History of Science
Professor Karen Ryker, Theatre and Drama 541 The Journal In your journal, you can set down your daily response to the textbook, to exercises and classwork, and to your rehearsals. It should record specific, …
In-Class Writing
From John Bean’s Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2011), 131-133 Perhaps the easiest way to use exploratory writing is …
Informal Writing Assignments
Brad Hughes, Martin Nystrand, Paige Byam, and Tom Curtis, English The assignments below are generally short, informal, perhaps ungraded writing assignments that instructors might consider adapting to their classes. Students often appreciate the opportunity …
Tips for Writing an Assignment and Teaching It to Students
UW-Madison’s Writing Across the Curriculum Program Here are some suggestions to keep in mind as you write your assignment handouts, as well as suggestions for other activities that prepare students to write. Good writing assignments …
The Anatomy of a Well-Designed Writing Assignment
Kathleen Daly, Writing Across the Curriculum This sourcebook is full of successful writing assignments from a wide range of disciplines, courses, and pedagogical approaches. However, it’s not always easy to see how you can adapt …