VB000Eng Introduction to Academic Writing

Faculty of Informatics
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Antonín Zita, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Rachel Louise Adams (lecturer)
Mgr. Eva Rudolfová (assistant)
Bc. Klára Hanzlíková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Eva Rudolfová
Language Centre, Faculty of Informatics Division – Language Centre
Contact Person: Mgr. Eva Rudolfová
Supplier department: Language Centre, Faculty of Informatics Division – Language Centre
Timetable of Seminar Groups
VB000Eng/01: Tue 24. 9. to Tue 17. 12. Tue 8:00–9:50 A320, A. Zita
VB000Eng/02: Wed 25. 9. to Fri 22. 11. Wed 14:00–15:50 C525, Mon 25. 11. to Wed 18. 12. Wed 14:00–15:50 S215, A. Zita
VB000Eng/03: Tue 24. 9. to Fri 22. 11. Tue 12:00–13:50 C525, Mon 25. 11. to Tue 17. 12. Tue 12:00–13:50 S215, A. Zita
Prerequisites
NOW( SBAPR Bachelor Thesis )
VB001
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 80 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 49/80, only registered: 0/80, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/80
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course is designed to teach students the basics of academic writing that will enable them write a research paper or a thesis in English. The students will be familiarized with the writing of topic sentences, thesis statements, and coherent and cohesive paragraphs. The students will practice these steps of the writing process via in-class writing, text analysis, and written homework. Focus is placed on elegant and clear style rather than the frequently needlessly complex and obtrusive style of many non-native speakers. The course also focuses on how to properly cite and how to use AI tools in their writing. While some grammatical aspects of English used in the academia will be touched upon in the class (e.g. the passive voice), the course is not a language class and those not familiar with given grammar will need to improve their knowledge sufficient for class purposes through external means.
Learning outcomes
Students will become familiar with the basics of academic writing in English. They will be able to tell apart a poorly-written text from a well-written one and will be able to use frequent features of academic language (e.g. the passive voice, complex sentence structure, nominalizations, ...) in a proper way. Finally, students will understand the importance of coherence and cohesion in English academic writing.
Syllabus
  • Basic academic English guidelines; pre-writing stages
  • Plagiarism and using sources; General features of academic writing
  • Plagiarism and using sources (cont.); Mechanics and clarity of writing
  • Writing effectively
  • Paragraph writing - developing the central idea, coherence, cohesion
  • Introduction and conclusion, thesis statement; using AI tools
  • Course revision
Literature
    recommended literature
  • DAY, Trevor. Success in academic writing. Second edition. London: Palgrave, Macmillan international higher education, 2018, xiii, 228. ISBN 9781352002041. info
  • FOWLER, H. Ramsey and Jane E. AARON. The Little, Brown handbook. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Pearson, 2016, 921 stran. ISBN 9781292099477. info
  • BIZUP, Joseph and Joseph M. WILLIAMS. Style : lessons in clarity and grace. Eleventh edition, Pearson ne. Harlow, Essex: Pearson, 2014, ii, 226. ISBN 9781292039794. info
  • SWALES, John and Christine B. FEAK. Academic writing for graduate students : essential tasks and skills. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004, ix, 331. ISBN 0472088564. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, reading, exercises, class discussion, peer feedback on homework.
Assessment methods
Regular homework, in-class exercises and discussion, peer feedback on discussion forums in the IS, consultations with the instructor.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2024, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fi/autumn2024/VB000Eng