Critical Reading and Writing Skills

Bachelor 2019/2020

Type: Compulsory course (Philology)

Area of studies: Philology

Delivered by: School of Literary History and Theory

Where: Faculty of Humanities

When: 2 year, 1, 2 module

Mode of studies: distance learning

Instructors: Maria A. Krivosheina, Anastasia Preobrazhenskaya, Mark Robert Taylor, Maria A. Volkonskaya

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 56

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This is a two-module course which develops and refines academic English skills of those students who specialize in Arts and Humanities, namely, philology. By combining the basics of academic style, punctuation, and grammar with exploratory reading and writing, this course enables students to gain an awareness and understanding of the key features of writing about their research. By the end of the course, students will be able to write a good academic essay in MLA style. Pre-requisites: to fulfill the requirements of the course students need to have a good command of written and spoken English (required CEFR language proficiency level is from upper-intermediate (B2) to advanced (C1)).

Learning Objectives

to introduce students to the basic principles of Critical Reading and Academic Writing and to raise their linguistic awareness, comparing conventions in Russian and English writing
to prepare students for further academic activities in English as part of their HSE bachelor’s programme (i.e., disciplines in English, Academic English course in their final year of bachelor’s studies, MOOCs etc.) and in a wider English-speaking academic environment
to develop and practise students’ skills in the areas of academic essay writing, essay organization, citations, and research

Expected Learning Outcomes

know the basic principles of English Academic Writing and the most important differences in-between Russian and English writing conventions
be able to engage in further academic activities in English
develop research and essay writing skills

Course Contents

Course introduction.
Why should one study Academic Writing? Recognizing one’s audience. Free writing assignment.
Critical reading as a precursor to critical writing.
Note-taking, annotating, finding key points, understanding the context, identifying logical structures in argument within every paragraph and within the whole text. Organizing one’s glossary of terms.
What is a paragraph?
Paragraph structure. Supporting one’s statements: evidence, what it is, why it is important, and how to provide it. Unity and coherence. Repetition of key nouns, key noun substitutes, consistent pronouns, logical order. Journal writing.
Style and register.
Expressive means: morphological, lexical, syntactical. Academic discourse. Caution.
What is a critical review?
Its functions, typical structure, and possible focus questions. Evaluating points of view.
Academic writing skills: sentence-level grammar.
Types of sentences: simple, compound, and complex. Connecting words and transition signals. Punctuation.
Single-blind peer reviewing (students’ critical reviews).
Single-blind peer reviewing (students’ critical reviews).
Using parallel structures and fixing sentence problems.
Typical problems: sentence fragments, choppy and stringy sentences, run-on sentences and comma splices.
Logic and relevance. Common knowledge and plagiarism.
Generic writing skills: paraphrasing and summarizing. Integrating quotations. Reporting verbs and phrases. Using (online) sources.
Explication.
Reading in slow motion. Explication as argument.
Referencing systems. Documenting sources in MLA style.
MLA in-text citations. MLA list of works cited. MLA manuscript format.
Single-blind peer reviewing (students’ explications).
Single-blind peer reviewing (students’ explications).
What is an analysis essay?
Essay structure. Developing an argument and drafting a working thesis statement. Writing a formal essay outline. From thesis to introduction. The purpose of introduction and how to achieve it. Types of introduction. Drafting the main body of the essay. Writing an effective conclusion.
Single-blind peer reviewing (students’ literary analysis essays).
Single-blind peer reviewing (students’ literary analysis essays).
Editing the essay: revision and proofreading.
From process to product: finalizing and polishing the essay.

Assessment Elements

Ungraded written assignments (free writing, exercises, peer reviews etc.)
Quizzes
Critical Review
Explication
Written Examination

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (2 module)
0.15 * Critical Review + 0.2 * Explication + 0.1 * Quizzes + 0.29 * Ungraded written assignments (free writing, exercises, peer reviews etc.) + 0.26 * Written Examination

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Bailey, S. (2017). Academic Writing : A Handbook for International Students (Vol. Fifth edition). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1650435
Murray, N. (2012). Writing Essays in English Language and Linguistics : Principles, Tips and Strategies for Undergraduates. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=438550

Recommended Additional Bibliography

MacDonald, S. (2010). Professional Academic Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. Paperback ed). Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=367965
Murray, R., & Moore, S. (2006). The Handbook of Academic Writing : A Fresh Approach. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=234234

Course Syllabus