CJV_AW Academic Writing_ONLINE

Faculty of Education
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Gabriela Hublová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Daniela Dvořáková (lecturer)
PhDr. Jiří Vacek, CSc. (assistant)
Mgr. Veronika Vávrová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Gabriela Hublová, Ph.D.
Language Centre, Faculty of Education Division – Faculty Branches of University Departments – Faculty of Education
Supplier department: Language Centre, Faculty of Education Division – Faculty Branches of University Departments – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
B2 and higher level of English. The course is particularly recommended to students who 1) plan to take an international exam in English (IELTS, CAE, CPE, etc.), 2) plan to study abroad, 3) plan to study in doctoral study programmes, 3) plan to publish in English, 4) want to improve their (academic) writing skills/English in general.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to enhance students’ EFL academic writing skills and to develop learner autonomy through learning in an online learning environment (IS.MUNI). The course is designed for students with B2 and higher levels of English. It combines many features of both traditional and more recent approaches to teaching writing (the process writing approach, the communicative approach, the paragraph-pattern approach, the product approach). The main focus is placed on two areas: 1) quality input and related practice and 2) practising writing, with emphasis on the individual stages of the writing process. Special attention is paid to achieving coherence in one’s writing as well as developing the skill of producing a meaningful peer-feedback and incorporating the received feedback into own writing. At the and of the course, students will be able to show a good awareness of the academic writing style, producing meaningful, coherent, well-organised and gramatical texts at B2+ or C1 level of the CEFR, follwing ethical principles associated with academic writing. Next, they will be able to produce a quality feedback and respond adequately the feedback they receive.
Syllabus
  • The course will systematically address the following areas: 1) The academic writing process: from the first idea to the final product (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and proofreading + incorporating received feedback); 2) The academic writing style: the accuracy, clarity and brevity principle; 3) Focus on text structure and organization: sentence, paragraph and text level (introduction + the thesis statement, paragraph + the topic sentence, conclusion) 4) Language to express different functions: classification, comparison and contrast, definition, generalization, describing processes and products, argumentation) 5) Unity, coherence and cohesion 6) Academic honesty, quoting and citation styles 7) Grammar from the "Czech learner perspective": subject-verb agreement, active and passive voice, articles, punctuation 8) Academic vocabulary: academic/scientific words (general academic vocabulary, academic word list, rephrasing, tautologies, irregular plural nouns), tricky words and phrases
Literature
    recommended literature
  • SWALES, John and Christine B. FEAK. Academic writing for graduate students : essential tasks and skills. 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 2012, xiv, 418. ISBN 9780472034758. info
  • CRASWELL, Gail. Writing for academic success : a postgraduate guide. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2012, xi, 248. ISBN 9780857029287. info
  • BARRY, Marian. Steps to academic writing. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, vi, 154. ISBN 9780521184977. info
  • BAILEY, Stephen. Academic writing : a handbook for international students. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2011, xx, 293. ISBN 9780415595803. info
  • GILLETT, Andy, Angela HAMMOND and Mary MARTALA. Successful academic writing. 1st pub. Harlow: Pearson, 2009, xxvi, 334. ISBN 9780273721710. info
  • TURABIAN, Kate L. Student's guide to writing college papers. Edited by Gregory G. Colomb - Joseph M. Williams. 4th ed. London: The University of Chicago Press, 2010, xiv 281. ISBN 9780226816319. info
  • Writing for academic journals. Edited by Rowena Murray. 2nd ed. Maidenhead, England: Open University Press, 2009, xii, 220 p. ISBN 9780335240111. info
  • FEAK, Christine B. and John SWALES. Telling a research story : writing a literature review. [Ann Arbor]: University of Michigan Press, 2009, xiv, 98. ISBN 9780472033362. info
  • CARO, Sarah. How to publish your PhD : a practical guide for the humanities and social sciences. London: SAGE, 2009, vii, 136. ISBN 9781412907910. info
Teaching methods
Introductory session + 100% online learning (language input, practice: language exercises and tasks, quizzes etc., writing, producing peer-feedback, participating in e-discussions with peer-writers).
Assessment methods
1) face-to-face introductory session participation (course introduction, entrance test (2 writing tasks) to verify B2 level of English); 2) regular online participation (approx. 120 min per week); 3) participation in online discussions; 4) submitting in-term assignments (two writing tasks + peer-feedback): 50% of the final grade; 5) final test - 2 writing tasks + a quiz checking the awarness of the information presented in the course materials: 50% of the final grade.
Language of instruction
English
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2014, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2014/CJV_AW