What would be the best time during a Masters program, to take MAIS 606 (Academic Writing)?

I've been thinking about this for a while, and here's my short answer.

I believe the answer will be different for different individuals. That is why it is so nice to be part of a program which allows for flexibility and does not enforce a rigid, set course progression. I will highlight three different types of individuals and how I think they ought to go about choosing when to take 606.

Initiated smart-alec

This kind of student already knows APA and MLA backwards. Hell, this kind of person probably reads style guides for fun. If you fit the bill, why bother taking 606? Unless you are delusional, of course. So, just to make sure you are the Top Gun Academic you believe you are, have a qualified pro take a swing at one of your papers to see whether or not you are the only one who holds this belief. You might just be surprised. If you really are Mr. Too Cool for School, then... jog on. We don't want you here, gloating, bragging...

Rusty Initiated

Take Mr. Smith, for example. He's not too bad. Completed quite a bit of studies before enrolling in this program and is considered by his previous teachers to be very capable. However, he has developed a few blind spots in his writing.

If you and Mr. Smith seem alike, then I would suggest you take 606 early in your program. It will probably be a pretty easy course for you, since you will just have to shake off the rust. The added benefit will be that you can fully focus on content for the rest of the program, since you will have sharpened your stylistic senses right from the get-go.

The Uninitiated

These guys make up the majority. Undergrad paper writing does not maketh the grad paper. You find that out pretty soon. You have to become initiated into the world of APA and MLA, as well as a myriad other protocols that will be expected of you as you progress through your program. However, there's an interesting point to be made here:

Don't take 606 early on. Why? I have found that the marking of my papers were not as focussed on the stylistic elements as I feared, early on. You pick up a lot of the stuff as you go along. Personally, I would leave 606 as the second-to-last course, just before the last course. By that time you would be able to do 606 a little easier, and your stylistic senses will be very much online for the all important final project. You also would not have lost a lot of marks throughout the program up to that point, because as I've mentioned before; the other professors are not as critical on format and style. Going into 606 later then gives you two benefits: a.) More experience in the academic genre, and b.) it acts as a primer for 700 or 701.

Of course, you might be struggling A LOT and in need of some serious help with your writing, even right from the start. Maybe you are worried your lack of skills will hamper you along the way.

That may be true, but I don't know if 606 will provide the kind of remedial help you seem to need. It seems tailored to students who already have a skillset, but need to develop the skill-set to a different level.

So, that is my opinion on the matter. I think that if I had to take 606 too early in my program, I would have lost a lot of the lessons learned along the way. I prefer to go straight from 606 into my final course.

Eben