Academic Writing

The aim of the course is to gradually improve academic writing skills and equip students with tools which can be used in their future academic careers, including writing dissertations. During the course students learn how to write a well-structured academic essay based on sources, but the writing skills are not limited to essays only and can be easily transferred to other types of academic writing. This course also emphasizes the ethical use of AI in academic writing and the development of critical thinking. The course provides a solid basis for further and more confident practice in academic writing necessary in the university context.

During the course students work on key aspects of academic writing, such as the use of sources, avoiding plagiarism, appropriate style, structure and organisation, cohesion and coherence, as well as referencing and using referencing management software (Zotero). Students produce two written assignments during the course. Essay questions and some sources are provided.

List of topics:

1. Course and assessment overview. Reading long texts.

2. Synthesising information and answering research questions.

3. Introduction to avoiding plagiarism. Types of plagiarism, antiplagiarism software, academic integrity.

4. Structure and organisation in academic writing. Focus on introductions and conclusions, and paragraph structure.

5. Planning and drafting as essential stages in academic writing.

6. Referencing styles: APA 7th ed. And CMOS 17th ed. Using Zotero – referencing management software.

7. Using AI ethically to become a better writer.

8. Key features of the academic style. Analysis of well-written academic essays.

9. Common language structures for academic writing: reporting verbs, noun phrases and hedging.

10. The skill of giving and receiving valuable peer feedback. Peer review of essay drafts.

11. Essay submission and evaluation of writing.

12. Feedforward and action plan: how to continue working on academic writing skills after the course.

All materials are provided by the teacher via Google Classroom. The materials include sample essays, academic articles and worksheets.

Booth, W.C., Colomb, G., Williams, J., Bizup, J., Fitzgerald, W. The Craft of Research (4th ed.) The University of Chicago Press.

Cottrell, S. (2011). Critical thinking skills (2nd ed.). Palgrave.

Read, S. (2019). Academic Writing Skills for International Students (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

Smith, S. (2019). Academic Writing Genres: Essays, Reports & Other Genres. Evident Press.

Swales, J. & Feak, C. (2012). Academic Writing for Graduate Students. The University of Michigan Press.

By the end of the course, students will:

- have a better understanding of criticality and argumentation.

- be able to identify and use appropriate style and register in academic writing.

- be able to write a well-structured academic essay showing a clear position supported with evidence from sources.

- have practised ways of avoiding plagiarism (summarising, paraphrasing and referencing).

- have expanded their range of academic vocabulary and structures.

The teaching approach focuses on the students and their active participation in class (action-oriented approach). Students often work in pairs and groups. The course is partly based on the flipped classroom method where students complete the preparation stage before classes. This method allows for more efficient interaction during classes.

All students are expected to use laptops in class and to produce written assignments. Reviewing essay drafts on smartphones will not be acceptable. Class and supplementary materials will be available on Google Classroom.

Formative assessment plays a significant role in the development of writing skills therefore, each student will receive feedback on their written work at various stages of the process of writing and will be asked to act upon it. Live feedback on essay drafts will be given in class in the second half of the course.

All students are urged to keep the set deadlines for submission of assignments. Failure to meet the assigned deadlines will result in a lower grade and no feedback.

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