AJ3204 Academic Writing

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Olga Dontcheva-Navrátilová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Helena Worthington, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Olga Dontcheva-Navrátilová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
Advanced level of English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to:
develop the academic writing skills of the students with focus on argumentation and rhetorical structure;
provide practice in writing the rhetorical sections of a diploma thesis;
It will teach students how to:
build their authorial identity and communicate with their readers;
write argumentative texts using the problem-solution and cause-effect patterns;
critically evaluate sources and reference to sources (quotations and paraphrases) and visual devices.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able:
write an argumentative academic text in English;
abide by the Anglophone academic style conventions (soft sciences) in terms of formality, writer-reader interaction, academic vocabulary and phraseology;
apply the appropriate rhetorical structure of the genre of diploma theses;
transfer the knowledge into teaching writing in English lessons and work with relevant academic genres.
Syllabus
  • 1. Academic writing - context, conventions, approaches. The genre of diploma thesis.
  • 2. Writing Introductions. General-specific openings and the thesis statements
  • 3. Writing the Thesis statement. Personal vs. impersonal stance.
  • 4. Writing the Literature review. Citing sources.
  • 5. Coherent information flow - topic development.
  • 6. The cause-effect pattern. Coherent information flow - connectors.
  • 7. Presenting arguments, reporting results and findings.
  • 8. Stance in academic discourse.
  • 9. Writing the Conclusions.
  • 10. Writing the Summary.
Literature
    required literature
  • MCCARTHY, Michael and Felicity O'DELL. Academic vocabulary in use. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, 176 stran. ISBN 9780521689397. info
  • HAMP-LYONS, Liz and Ben HEASLEY. Study writing : a course in writing skills for academic purposes. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, 213 s. ISBN 9780521534963. info
    not specified
  • 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
  • PALTRIDGE, Brian and Sue STARFIELD. Thesis and dissertation writing in a second language : a handbook for supervisors. New York: Routledge, 2007, vii, 189. ISBN 9780415371735. info
Teaching methods
Teaching methods:
explanation and discussion in seminars;
guided writing and editing text drafts;
observation of selected phenomena during teaching practice;
home study and practice.
Assessment methods
Completion prerequisites:
- attendance: minimum 80%;
- active participation in seminars;
- completing 3 writing assignments 70%
- passing 3 progress tests - passmark 70%.
Completion requirements for seminar groups taught by Helena Worthington
- active participation in seminars;
- submitting 6 assignments during the semester / all assignments are compulsary - passmark 70%
Language of instruction
English
Study support
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=3561#section-1
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Note related to how often the course is taught: kombinované studium: každý druhý týden.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: kombinované studium: výuka v blocích.
Teacher's information
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=945
Day-time students https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=945 Distant students https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=3561 For online semester: Please note that students are requested to secure good internet connection in order to participate in online lessons and they must attend these meetings with both the sound and camera on. Students who have an individual study plan should fulfil all tasks assigned in the Moodle course supporting this subject, submit a written assignment (essay on a topic related to the course) and discuss other possible additional tasks with the teacher.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/AJ3204