What is Academic writing? There are many different writing styles and purposes for writing in the world of academic literature, usually contingent upon one another. However, there are several key elements all academic work should possess. Academic writing is generally classified was written work targeted at a very specific audience, with an assumed based on knowledge on the topics that will be discussed. Good academic writing proves an argument through reason and rational, making as few assumptions as possible. The author should demonstrate a well-rounded understanding of the argument on all fronts and build upon pre-existing knowledge through the use of credible sources or a substantial amount of tested personal research and analysis. Academic literature should also show an awareness of views opposite its own and be researched well enough to constantly support its claim against the opposition.
Irvin notes that in regard to the “academic writing situation” in college, writers must remember to write with a purpose in order for the piece to achieve its goal.
Although he may be best known for being Warren Buffett’s mentor, Ben Graham was also an extremely capable investor who was very successful during his money management career. Known as “The Father of Value Investing”, Graham was also a professor at Columbia University when he authored The Intelligent Investor as a guide for those who traded securities and wanted in increase their return on investment.
The Jewish Studies department at The City College of New York offers a class entitled “Jesus the Jew.” During my Fall 2016 semester at CCNY, I was assigned a paper on the Jewishness of Jesus. The purpose of my essay was to convince the reader that based on information gathered from historical accounts of Jesus’s life it can be said that “Jesus practiced and taught what he believed to be the proper version of Judaism. He had his own idea of how to remain faithful while retaining traditional Jewish values.” (Williams)
Irvin stresses the importance of knowing your audience and list the understanding of key disciplinary concepts (strategies for synthesizing, analyzing, and responding critically to new information) related to a said audience as elements that should be present in college-level writing. “An analysis breaks a subject apart to study it closely, and form this inspection, ideas for writing emerge. When writing assignments call on you to analyze, they require you to identify the parts of the subject…then show how their parts fit…to create some larger effect of meaning.” (Irvin, 11)
The Intelligent Investor is for those who have already been introduced to the world of economics and finance. If you’re reading the Intelligent Investor it is assumed you are already familiar with the world of investing. A casual reader would quickly find themselves overwhelmed by financial terms, investment principles, and economic concepts (fair outside of common knowledge) mentioned that Graham expects the reader to be familiar with if they’ve picked up his book. Graham like many other academic writers knows his audiences. He writes for a small group of knowledgeable individuals that already have an understanding of the concepts related to his field.
My essay was written for one person, my professor. In order to fully grasp what was discussed, you have to have a basic understanding of Judaism, as well as the other Islamic religions (Islam and Christianity) from an academic perspective. Why? Simple…because my essay had to demonstrate a deeper knowledge of my topic in order to get an A. My essay showcased my knowledge of the covenant and the relationship Jewish people had with it during the time Jesus would have practiced Judaism. I also displayed an understanding of Jesus relationship with the covenant and was able to connect the two to gain an understanding of Jesus’s relationship with the Jewish people/faith.
“Academic prose is…written by one disinterested mind for other equally disinterested minds. But, because it’s intended for a very small audience of hyper-knowledgeable, mutually acquainted specialists” (Rothman, 3) Both my essay Graham book are both examples of extremely focused text that require background knowledge in order to fully understand…
Irvin pulls from an experiment conducted by Chris Thaiss and Terry Zawacki at George Maison University. The study on academic writing standards gathered information from numerous professors and stated one of the most important pillars of academic writing is “the dominance of reason over emotions or sensual perception. (5)” (Irvin, 13)
“An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting this requirement are speculation.” (Graham, 34) Graham’s ideas are founded on thorough financial evaluations of a company’s books. His work is famous among investors, being one of the first investors to SOLEY use financial analysis to successfully invest in the market.
In addition to developing strategies based on carefully assessing the value of companies with a tried process, Graham also developed several mathematical formulas to help investors calculated the value of a stock based on various market shifter, which he explains in the Intelligent Investor.
I began my essay by pointing out early Judaism was focused around the covenant. The covenant can be used as a valid baseline for distinguishing the life of Jewish people. Common practices of Judaism had a strong influence on how Jesus lived his life. During the time he was alive it is unlikely that he wouldn’t have been unaffected by the idea of covenant practice, being that it was the dominant ideology for Jews of the time. Tom Holmen’s article Jesus, Judaism, and the Covenant aims to highlight Jesus and his Jewishness through his relationship with the covenant and covenant path searching. Path searching is the process of trying to figure out the best way to live in obedience to the covenant. Jews focused on specific practices in accordance with the covenant. Through covenant path searching Jews discovered how to be faithful an adjusted their lives accordingly.
Both Graham and I support our arguments with reason and rational. Graham backed his ideas with personal research, in the form of years of experience, observation, and implantation during his financial career. Graham consistently saw returns during his money management career by applying these methods, proving they’ve been tested and consistently yield a consistent result. My essay cited serval sources all of which were approved by my professor before and listed in a bibliography at the end of my paper. I also used historical context and a background knowledge of ancient Jewish law to strengthen my argument.
Bibliography
Rothman, Joshua. “Why Is Academic Writing So Academic?” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 18 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/why-is-academic-writing-so-academic.
Irvin, Lennie L. “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?”. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. 1st ed. 2004. 3-17. Web.