January 15, 2007
Internal Memorandum
To: English 302 class, Summer 2007 (12:10-1:10)
From: Abhi Rao, Instructor
Subject: Brief self-introduction to the class
I am sending out a brief introduction of myself. In context to the 302 class, I will briefly
describe my major areas of teaching, my academic interests, and my expectations for this
course.
Teaching Interests
I am greatly interested in teaching first-year composition (Engl. 104/105) and advanced
communication courses (Engl. 302/314). I have been teaching English courses for the
past five years at Iowa State and North Dakota State. In addition to classroom teaching, I
am also interested in writing center instruction. I work at the ISU writing center (300
Carver) and am responsible for their website development and for student tutoring.
Research Interests
My research interests reflect my teaching interests and involve exploring and analyzing
teaching practices. As the understanding of audience, context, and purpose of any given
scenario helps in better understanding its implications, I use these perspectives for my
research. My research involves conducting observation studies of various teaching
scenarios and conducting qualitative and statistical analysis.
Expectations for this course
We have already gone over the syllabus and discussed the expectations for 302 in terms
of academic issues, so I will not repeat those in this section. However, I would like us all
to use a practical approach to learn workplace writing.
Keeping in mind the applicability of writing skills in workplace scenarios, I expect all of
us to constantly question each other the relevance and applicability of every skill we
discuss and work on in the classroom. I believe it is very healthy to ask why we should
learn a specific writing skill and how will it be useful in a workplace scenario. I expect an
open atmosphere in the classroom. I am always open to questions and doubts about
assignments and projects and will always make an effort if you make your expectations
clear to me.
Above all, I expect to have a productive semester with this class in terms of executing the
projects, writing activities, and discussions, and expect the same from all of you. If you
have any questions, feel free to call me at (515) 294-8735.