Academic English Writing

2020/2021

Academic Year

RUS

Instruction in Russian

2

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

School of Sociology

Course type:

Optional course

When:

4 year, 1-3 module

Программа дисциплины

Аннотация

The course is designed to assist 4th year undergraduate students in writing a Project Proposal in English. The main elements of the course are: Homework assignments; a Literature review; and a Project Proposal (of which the Lit review is a part, although it gets marked separately). The course is taught in English. Expected level of English is B2 or upper-intermediate, as per the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for languages).

Цель освоения дисциплины

• The aim of the course “Academic Writing in English” is three-fold: 1) to provide students with techniques that can help them organize and structure their ideas in a coherent way (e.g. to follow the rule of one main idea per paragraph; ensure paragraphs are logically linked); 2) to do practical exercises that help students work with texts in English (e.g. write short summaries of paragraphs or larger parts of texts using paraphrases for a literature review); 3) to teach students the vocabulary commonly used in academic writing and the basics of academic oral presentation.

Планируемые результаты обучения

• The students will practice writing paragraphs on the topic of own project proposal.
• Students will learn how to paraphrase other people’s ideas; understand how to use direct quotes from sources; and know when and how to reference sources in the text.
• Students will learn techniques for making notes and writing summaries from one source.
• Students will learn how to make notes and write summaries from multiple sources.
• Students will learn how to organize ideas in a literature review, e.g. in accordance with a chronological or a thematic pattern.
• Students will practices leanr how to present evidence in own writing.
• Students will learn how to provide context to own research or how to write the part of the Introduction referred to as the Background to a research problem.
• Students will study and practice how to write a ‘problem statement’, i.e. what questions the researcher wishes to answer or what problem(s) s/he wishes to solve in her/his research.
• Students will practice: 1) ways to present anticipated findings to support own argument; 2) and how to discuss own findings in relation to those outlined in existing literature.
• Students will study: 1) best ways of organizing and presenting information on slides; 2) academic vocabulary for introducing information on slides to the audience (e.g. graphs).

Содержание учебной дисциплины

• Introduction to the course & Choosing a research topic
  At the start of the class, we will briefly discuss the content of the course and assignments. There are three main assignments to b submitted in Modules 1-3: 1) Homework tasks; 2) Literature review; 3) Project proposal. In the rest of the class, we will talk about steps you can take to choose a research topic for your thesis.
• Searching for relevant literature
  This week, we will look at the online databases of academic sources available through the HSE library& Discuss techniques for searching for the literature relevant to your (potential) research topic
• Selecting relevant literature
  This week, we will talk about strategies that you can use to go through a large number of potentially useful sources and determine which ones are really relevant and should be read more closely
• Reading for a literature review: the main strategies
  This week, we will look at the main academic reading strategies or the most efficient ways to read and understand academic sources.
• Practicing academic reading (part 1)
  In week 4-8, we will practice reading academic texts (deconstucting layout, idnetifing main ideas, raising critical question about evidence, etc.)
• Practicing academic reading (part 2)
  This week, we will continue practicing academic reading.
• Writing coherent sentences
  Topics to be discussed and skills to practice: Writing clearly Cohesion in sentences Avoiding repetition Using a combination of short and long sentences
• Constructing coherent paragraphs.
  This week we will talk about how we can build an ‘organic structure’ in our academic writing. That is, when each new point relates either directly to the last part of the previous point, or back to the main idea. We will focus on structuring paragraphs (e.g. identifying topic sentences, etc.).
• Paraphrasing and citing other people’s ideas.
  What are the academic rules for using (citing) other people’s ideas? This question may sound easy, but it is crucial to make sure that you use and reference other people’s work correctly to avoid being accused of plagiarism. We’re going to: 1) do exercises that will help to paraphrase other people’s ideas; 2) do exercises that help us understand how to use direct quotes from sources; 3) discuss when and how to reference sources (e.g. in-text referencing convention- APA).
• Making notes and writing a summary from one source
  Being able to produce summaries of what you’ve read is an important skill used in writing many kinds of academic texts, including essays, project proposals and research reports.
• Writing summaries from multiple sources.
  This week the students practice to make notes and write summaries from more than one source. The class is designed to practice a skill that will also be used in the week devoted to writing a literature review, i.e. identifying similar and different points across sources and deciding on ways this information can be synthesised in a manner relevant to one’s own research question and argument.
• Providing/presenting evidence.
  This week the students are encouraged to think whether evidence they present to the reader speaks for itself (note: this is not about the findings of your research, but about pieces of information you present in sentences/paragraphs to support claims you make, e.g. Childhood obesity in the UK is more of a problem now, compared to previous years. There is evidence that it leads to many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression [in the 2nd sentence the reader expects to see evidence that supports the statement in the 1st sentence, but, instead, the author moves on to another idea]). Also, after an author introduces evidence into their writing, he/she has to say why and how this evidence supports their argument. In other words, you have to explain the significance of the evidence and its function in their paper. What turns a fact or piece of information into evidence is the connection it has with a larger claim or argument: evidence is always evidence for or against something, and the author has to make that link clear.
• Organizing ideas in a Lit review.
  This week focuses on selecting excerpts from relevant existing literature organizing ideas within a literature review. We will briefly discuss the two main types of literature reviews: chronological and thematic. We will also look at several examples of “synthesis matrix” to organize the sources in a literature review and integrate them into a unique interpretation. Elements that can be included in a matrix are: the purpose or research questions the authors posed; the method used in the study, etc.
• Consultation: preparing the Literature review for submission (due after the New Year's break)
  In this class, we will revise the main ideas studied in this Module and go over the main mistakes to avoid when writing a Lit review.
• Writing up the Introduction
  This class focuses on writing the Introduction to a Project proposal (and a thesis more broadly). We will discuss how to provide context to your own research or how to write the part of the Introduction referred to as Background to the research problem.
• Writing up the Introduction (cont.).
  Problem statement. This week we look at how to write a ‘problem statement’, i.e. what questions the researcher wishes to answer or what problem(s) s/he wishes to solve. This statement is a logical extension of the Introduction after the Background part.
• Writing up the Methods section
  This week, we will discuss the requirements for the structure and contents of the Methodology section of the project proposal. Students practice writing this section for own project proposal.
• Writing up the Hypotheses/Anticipated findings sections
  This week we practice ways to present anticipated findings to support own argument. We will do exercises that are designed to teach you how to discuss your own findings in relation to those outlined in existing literature (e.g. there is a table with information regarding the authors their claims and “your” findings; the task is to write several sentences comparing “your” findings with the authors’ findings).
• Writing up the Conclusion.
  We will discuss strategies for writing the Conclusion. A conclusion is a commentary of what has been stated in the main part of an essay/thesis/paper. It can contain the following elements: i) comparisons with other studies ii) summary of main body iii) limitations of research iv) suggestions for further research v) practical implications and proposals. We will do a series of exercises that will help you to produce a concise summary of your thesis.
• Writing up the Abstract.
  We will do a series of exercises that will help you to produce a concise summary of your thesis. Writing the Abstract is useful for polishing your ideas and identifying weaknesses in the argument or its structure. From the guidelines for a BA thesis in sociology: Аннотация (Abstract) представляет собой краткое изложение работы с указанием: •цели исследования (aims) •методологии исследования и выборки (methods; sample) •предполагаемых результатов исследования (results anticipated/hypotheses) •структуры работы (the structure of the Proposal) Аннотация состоит из одного абзаца и располагается на первой странице непосредственно перед основным текстом, отделяется от него двумя пробелами и по объему не должна превышать 10% от количества слов в основных информативных частях работы (введение, основная часть, заключение). Слово «Abstract» в аннотации не пишется.
• Preparing slides and notes for an academic presentation in English.
  This week, we will discuss best ways to organize and presenting information on slides; academic vocabulary for introducing information on slides to the audience (e.g. graphs) best ways to prepare concise notes for a presentation in English
• Consultation: preparing the Project Proposal for submission (due at the start of March).
  In this class, we will revise the main ideas studied in this Module and discuss any issues related to the submission of individual Project Proposals (requirements, mistakes to avoid).

Элементы контроля

• Homework 1: Finding sources & Summarising thier main ideas
  Weight: 2.5%
• Homework 2: Paraphrase & Summary
  Weight: 2.5%
• Homework 3: Writing up an Introduction
  Weight: 5%
• Literature review
  The marking criteria for assignments submitted on time & for resubmitted files are the same
• Homework 4: Writing up the Methodology & Hypotheses sections
  Weight: 5%
• Homework 5: Writing up Conclusion & Abstract
  Weight: 5%
• Project proposal
  The marking criteria are identical for originally submitted and re-submitted files.
• Homework 1: Finding sources & Summarising thier main ideas
  Weight: 2.5%
• Homework 2: Paraphrase & Summary
  Weight: 2.5%

Промежуточная аттестация

• Промежуточная аттестация (3 модуль)
  0.025 * Homework 1: Finding sources & Summarising thier main ideas + 0.025 * Homework 2: Paraphrase & Summary + 0.05 * Homework 3: Writing up an Introduction + 0.05 * Homework 4: Writing up the Methodology & Hypotheses sections + 0.05 * Homework 5: Writing up Conclusion & Abstract + 0.35 * Literature review + 0.45 * Project proposal

Список литературы

Рекомендуемая основная литература

• Academic writing : a handbook for international students, Bailey, S., 2011
• Academic writing for graduate students : essential tasks and skills, Swales, J. M., 2012
• Steps to academic writing : with key, Barry, M., 2011

Рекомендуемая дополнительная литература

• Academic writing course : study skills in English, Jordan, R. R., 2004