Dear Dr.

Bruce,
My intention when enrolling in this class was twofold. First, to satisfy the graduation
requirements for a Bachelors degree in Biology, which required English 301 or English 363 to
fulfill the upper division writing requirement. The second was to satisfy what I interpreted as my
own needs when it comes to writing. I entered your class not only as a transfer student, but as an
adult reentry student far older than the vast majority of my peers. While I have taken classes
where a long-form writing assignment was a part of the course, I have not taken a dedicated
English class which focused primarily on written communication skills in at least fifteen years. I
did not view myself as necessarily rusty, having written several essays or reports over the last
couple of years. However, the lack of formal education on this subject and the feedback that
comes from someone dedicated to criticizing my ability to communicate with the written word
was very appealing to me. I believed that a course dedicated to writing in the sciences would
help to augment my current skill set to assist me in completing my academic and vocational
goals going forward.
The first assignment I chose to include is a revised copy of my annotated bibliography.
The majority of changes that were made came as a result of the contrast between the paper I had
initially planned to write at this point in the writing process, and the paper I actually wrote.
As I conducted my research, I realized that it was feasible to complete the assignment with a
greater degree of focus than I had originally intended and ended focusing only on the regulators
of the Imd pathway, as opposed to the entire pathway. As a result, three of my four sources
included in the bibliography have been replaced and the working title, thesis and the annotations
for the remaining source have been rewritten.
I believe that the annotated bibliography demonstrates my ability to tailor my writing to a
specific audience (SLO 1). The language in it is fairly technical, referring to immune signaling
pathways and protein regulators without specifically identifying them. In this, I am assuming that
my audience will have a certain degree of education in biology or at least the natural sciences. A
layperson without such a specialized background will not be able to understand the material
being presented. The research being presented here also shows my capabilities in doing research
both effectively and ethically (SLO 2). The four articles presented from three different scientific
journals and are presented per the requirements of Nature Immunity Review. I have organized
my bibliography as required by the initial assignment (SLO 4). Although it is not double-spaced,
which is frequently considered appropriate in academic assignments, the organization of the
bibliography is clear and someone just introduced to the document would be able to quickly and
easily find what information was being presented and where that information is located.
The primary purpose of this cover letter is to persuade you (SLO 3), Dr. Bruce, that I
have fulfilled all of the Student Learning outcomes associated with the class. It is my intention to
present you with the evidence that I have completed these goals, individually. However, I hope,
with my mastery of academic language (SLO 5) to convince you that I have earned the highest
grade possible.
I have also included an entry from the Scholars Notebook. The February 4th assignment
was a group effort focused on several reviews of The Sixth Extinction. Our purpose was to

identify the audience and the nature of the appeals made by each author. I have included this to
show you that I am proficient in collaborating with peers towards a common goal (SLO 6). I
worked with my assigned group to identify and evaluate these characteristics in preparation for
assembling our own review of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
I want to thank you for the time, consideration and enthusiasm that you brought to our
class. Your effort made the class far more memorable and informative than a class led by an
instructor who is going through the motions. Whether I end up in my intended field, or transition
to a new one after my graduation, I am sure that the communication skills and writing techniques
I have learned here will be immensely valuable to me going forward.
Thank you for your consideration. It has been a privilege and a pleasure.
Andrew Talbott