Schools have long since abandoned any pretense of attempting to teach good writing technique.
In reality, the idea of writing as art was a direct by-product of a traditional liberal arts education, which taught subjects such as rhetoric and classic language study. When those subjects fell away, so too did the once-strong emphasis on composition and writing technique.
Academic writing, as noted by the author of this piece, is among the worst offenders. So too is legal writing (my field), to the point where I felt compelled to do a little ditty of my own on what constitutes good legal writing (http://www.grellas.com/articles.html).
There is much more to life than being a good technician but, in writing, strong technical skill does matter and its neglect in today's academic environment is something to be deplored.
In reality, the idea of writing as art was a direct by-product of a traditional liberal arts education, which taught subjects such as rhetoric and classic language study. When those subjects fell away, so too did the once-strong emphasis on composition and writing technique.
Academic writing, as noted by the author of this piece, is among the worst offenders. So too is legal writing (my field), to the point where I felt compelled to do a little ditty of my own on what constitutes good legal writing (http://www.grellas.com/articles.html).
There is much more to life than being a good technician but, in writing, strong technical skill does matter and its neglect in today's academic environment is something to be deplored.