ACADEMIC WRITING COURSE SESSION 1 (selected activities) Radomíra Bednářová, Robert Helán Masaryk University Department of Geography in collaboration with University Language Centre 1. WELCOME / NEEDS ANALYSIS / INTRODUCING THE COURSE 2. PRESENTING / PUBLIC SPEAKING 3. ACADEMIC WRITING INTRODUCTION 4. ORAL SUMMARY/ MY RESEARCH Aims: - to present basic principles of academic writing in the context of graduate/postgraduate studies - to engage students in aspects of public speaking - to engage students in discussion of issues in academic writing / to practice above mentioned THE PROCESS OF WRITING 1. DISCUSSING YOUR EXPERIENCE IN PRESENTING 1. How often do you give presentations in your job (English or Czech)? 2. Who do you normally present to? (colleagues, students, other people, etc.) 3. When was the last time you gave a presentation in English? Was it a success? If yes, why? If not, why not? Explain your answer. 4. How do you feel about presenting in a foreign language? 5. Think of an excellent and terrible presentation that you have attended. What made it good/bad? ACADEMIC WRITING – INTRODUCTION 2. List and discuss the main characteristics of academic writing. Consider the following levels of writing and give examples: - MICRO LEVEL: correct spelling - MEZZO LEVEL - MACRO LEVEL 3. Discuss the following questions in connection with academic writing. Who? Who is writing? Who is the audience? What? What is the writing about? What type of writing is it? Why? Why is the writing done? 4. Complete the following tables. formal informal formal informal seem enquire climb end help tell cease obtain commence preserve use reject decrease free demonstrate mend depart require want live formal informal formal informal understanding childish deficiency wrong opportunity inferior perspiration inexpensive house dim sight insane amiable laid back whole responsible energetic enough fortunate empty 5. 6. In the following examples, the same message is expressed in six different styles, from an extremely formal written style, to the very informal spoken one. Match the sentences with the adequate styles. a) Jargon, very formal. b) Written, formal, clear. c) Written style for the general public (scripted radio or TV news style). d) Formal spoken style (seminar, talk). e) Informal spoken style (discussion). f) Very informal spoken style (chat). I. As the value of Sterling increased compared to other currencies, the government was forced to take tax measures to head off a rapid increase in consumer spending spurred on by cheaper imports. II. And you see, Sterling got more and more valuable, so as a result, the government had to go round putting up taxes, you see, to stop everyone going out and splashing out, spending all their money on cheap imports. III. Consequent to the appreciation in the exchange value of Sterling against other currencies, necessary fiscal measures were introduced by the government in order to reduce the likelihood of an import-led consumer spending surge. IV. As Sterling went up in value, the government had to put up taxes to stop consumers splashing out on too many cheap imports. V. As Sterling's international value went up, the government had to take tax measures to head off a consumer spending boom spurred on by cheaper imports. VI. After the international value of Sterling rose, the government was obliged to take fiscal measures to reduce the likelihood of a surge in consumer spending led by cheaper imports. (Adapted from: http://website.lineone.net/~eshp/styles.htm) 7. 8. Here is a paragraph that should be written in a more academic tone. Read it through and underline the parts that need to be rewritten and suggest possible improvements. Given the general knowledge of the health risks of smoking, it’s no wonder that heaps of smokers have tried at some time in their lives to quit. However, in most cases, their attempts are unsuccessful. People begin smoking, often when they’re adolescents, for lots of reasons, including the example of parents and pressure from peers. If others in one’s group of friends are starting to smoke, it can be hard to resist going along with the crowd. Once people start smoking, they’re likely to get hooked. The addiction to smoking is partly physiological; smokers become used to the effects of nicotine and experience painful withdrawal symptoms when they give it up. In addition, people become psychologically dependent on smoking as a way of reducing anxiety and coping with particular situations. 9. Identify the informal expressions in the following sentences. Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the informal expressions with a more formal equivalent. 1. With women especially, there is a lot of social pressure to conform to a certain physical shape. 2. Significantly, even at this late date, Lautrec was considered a bit conservative by his peers. 3. It focused on a subject that a lot of the bourgeois and upper-class exhibition-going public regarded as anti-social and anti-establishment. 4. Later Florey got together with Paul Fildes in an experimental study of the use of curare to relieve the intractable muscular spasms which occur in fully developed infection with tetanus or lockjaw. 5. When a patient is admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit, the clinical team should avoid the temptation to start specific treatments immediately. 6. Therefore after six months the dieter is behaving according to all twenty-six goals and she has achieved a big reduction in sugar intake. 7. Modern houses have so many labour-saving things that it is difficult for the person at home to have adequate exercise by doing chores, cooking, and looking after a family. 8. Simply making the effort to reclaim this wasted stuff for fertilizer would have a positive effect on greenhouse releases. 9. It is difficult to imagine exactly what is meant by saying that such a classification is natural as any collection of things could be classified in this way. 10. Unfortunately, since there are so many possible explanations, the correct one is most difficult to find out. 11. These exercises can easily be incorporated into an exercise routine, with each exercise done again a number of times. 12. Fleming did well in isolating a streptococcus from the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient. 13. Effective vaccines prevent such hazards, but only if a social organisation makes sure that all potential mothers are vaccinated in good time. 10. DISCUSSING YOUR ACADEMIC POSITION Work with your partners in a small group, answer the following questions: A. How is your PhD study programme structured at your institution? B. What are your motivations for the engagement in research? C. How have you been developing as a researcher in the recent years? D. What is the role of your supervisor in your particular research/during your studies? E. What are the pluses and minuses of publishing in your first language (Czech)? F. How do you perceive any pluses and/or minuses of publishing in a second language (English)? G. Do you personally perceive any pressure to publish? If so, how do you deal with it? H. Are you planning on writing extensively in Czech and/or in English? 11. SUMMARIZING – your current academic position Task: Listening for the main idea. You are going to watch an excerpt from a short clip advertising PhD positions at a university. Listen closely to the student’s way of describing his research and the institution and answer the following questions: a) What is the students position? b) What is the focus of the student’s research? What reasons does he give? c) What is the most valuable aspect of the department where the student works? Task: Speaking SITUATION 1: You are attending an international conference. For the day the sessions are over and now you are at an informal networking dinner with the other participants, sitting at a table. Introduce yourself, your current academic position, engagement in research and your institution in 1 minute. SITUATION 2: You are strongly interested in receiving funding for your current research. Explain why you should be given the funding. Please mention theoretical and conceptual framework of your research, methods used in your study and expected results (possibly including your research questions and hypotheses). You have 3 minutes for your mini-speech. 12. OPTIONAL PRACTICE: ACADEMIC EMAIL EXCHANGE – SAMPLE ENQUIRY Example of academic email exchange between a PhD candidate searching for a placement with a university of his/her choice and a faculty staff at the questioned university. Task: fill in the gaps using the most appropriate expression. _________ (1) Professor Collins, Excuse me for approaching you and asking you for your help in the following __________ (2): I am _________ (2) a PhD. candidate at Masaryk University, School of Humanities, Department of English and American Studies. I work ________ (3) a tutor of English for Specific Purposes at the Language Center, Brno, Czech Republic. I __________ (4) to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship, which would enable me to work on my dissertation at an American university. The award of the scholarship, ___________ (5), is subject to a preliminary consent of an establishment that would be willing to __________ (6) me. And this is where my request comes in. Is there any chance _______ (6) being offered a ________ (7) at the Gervitz Graduate School of Education? I would be enormously grateful if you could __________ (8) me as a candidate for __________ (9) research student under your __________ (10). The fellowship (up to 10 months) would be covered by the scholarship in question. The __________ (11) is unfortunately December 1, 2007 for the academic year beginning in the fall 2008 - I would need a written confirmation from an American scholar that they would be ___________ (12) to supervise me. In my PhD ___________ (13), I am trying to analyze the structure and language of written medical case reports as a style belonging to the genre of research articles. The text analysis of such reports involves a corpus-based research, ___________ (14) primarily from the stylistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic viewpoints. The corpus, which I _________ (15) currently developing, will be approached both from the synchronic and diachronic __________ (16) . In the former, my focus will be on characterization of the genre as it is currently produced by the discourse community of medical professionals. In the latter, an emphasis will be placed on the comparison of differences between medical case reports written 1900 - 1906 and those produced nowadays. In the dissertation I will _______ (17) on developments of both the Slavonic (especially the Prague School - Mathesius, Vachek, Firbas, Danes; among others Tarnyikova, Bakhtin) and Anglo-American (Crystal, Davy, Leech, Fowler, Halliday, Hasan, Swales, Hoey, Bazerman) traditions in the study of language. Please find ____________ (18) my Curriculum Vitae. If you ____________ (19) any additional _______________ (20), I will be happy to supply them. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. ____________ (21), John Smith personal page of the student: http://www.john-smith.muni.cz, Attachment: curriculum vitae A sample email answer to the PhD candidate: Dear Mr. Smith, I would be happy to work with you and we would be able to arrange a visiting scholar status for you which will provide you with library space. We will also try to locate desk space for you in a shared office. We will not be able to provide any financial support, but with a Fulbright you should not need that. You do understand that Santa Barbara rents can be high. I have worked with a number of Fulbright scholars, and currently am working with one from China. I have always found it a rewarding experience. If you have read my work you are aware my approach is quite distinct from that of the other scholars you cite, focusing more on the social, historical, and activity contexts within genres are used and recognized, with form being a rhetorical response to the situation. So an historical comparison would have both a textual component but also a socio-historical-institutional one, to consider the contexts within which the linguistic forms are deployed. Is this email sufficient indication of my willingness to work with you or do you need another kind of document? I will be travelling and on holidays for the next two weeks, so I probably cannot do much more than this until near the end of the month. Yours, John Collins Professor John Collins Department of Education Gevirtz Graduate School of Education University of Saint Margaret, Santa Barbara CA 93106 phone: 905-8893-75 collins@education.ucm.edu http://www.education.ucm.edu/collins Key to the activity: Dear Professor Collins, Excuse me for approaching you and asking you for your help in the following matter: I am currently a PhD. candidate at Masaryk University, School of Humanities, Department of English and American Studies. I work as a tutor of English for Specific Purposes at the Language Center, Brno, Czech Republic. I intend to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship, which would enable me to work on my dissertation at an American university. The award of the scholarship, however, is subject to a preliminary consent of an establishment that would be willing to admit me. And this is where my request comes in. Is there any chance of being offered a fellowship at the Gervitz Graduate School of Education? I would be enormously grateful if you could consider me as a candidate for visiting research student under your supervision. The fellowship (up to 10 months) would be covered by the scholarship in question. The deadline is unfortunately December 1, 2007 for the academic year beginning in the fall 2008 - I would need a written confirmation from an American scholar that they would be willing to supervise me. In my PhD dissertation, I am trying to analyze the structure and language of written medical case reports as a style belonging to the genre of research articles. The text analysis of such reports involves a corpus-based research, undertaken primarily from the stylistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic viewpoints. The corpus, which I am currently developing, will be approached both from the synchronic and diachronic angles. In the former, my focus will be on characterization of the genre as it is currently produced by the discourse community of medical professionals. In the latter, an emphasis will be placed on the comparison of differences between medical case reports written 1900 - 1906 and those produced nowadays. In the dissertation I will draw on developments of both the Slavonic (especially the Prague School - Mathesius, Vachek, Firbas, Danes; among others Tarnyikova, Bakhtin) and Anglo-American (Crystal, Davy, Leech, Fowler, Halliday, Hasan, Swales, Hoey, Bazerman) traditions in the study of language. Please find attached my Curriculum Vitae. If you require any additional materials, I will be happy to supply them. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Sincerely, John Smith ACADEMIC WRITTEN EXCHANGE – SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION OPTIONAL HOMEWORK: Based on the assignment below and the structure of the functions as done in class write * (1) either a formal letter to apply for the scholarship Studentship Funded Opportunity School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow The School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow, announces 2 fully-funded PhD studentships to commence in September 2012. The funding will cover fees for a ‘Home’ (UK) or EU–based candidate (£4,500 per annum) and a stipend to cover living expenses equivalent to the current Research Council recommended rate (£13,590 per annum). The funding have been made available through the Urban Studies Foundation. This studentship will be held in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, and the successful student will automatically be a member of the Human Geography Research Group (HGRG). Applicants can consult the HGRG web-pages for information on staff research interests [http://www.ges.gla.ac.uk:443/research/groups/humangeography]. The expectation is that the student would commence their studies in September 2012. Send your enquiries and letters to Dr John Browne, Reader in Geography, School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, (or contact: john.browne@glasgow.ac.uk tel: 0141-330-5171) by Friday 10^th June, 2012. We would aim to make a decision and inform the successful applicant be the end of July, 2012, at the latest. * or (2) en email as the first contact to the university to ask whether you would be a suitable candidate for them (see the email activity above) TAPESCRIPT: Task: Listening for the main idea My name is ….......... I am a third-year student at the University of Western Ontario. My research is concerned with answering the question of What should we do with water? The main policy experts in the world are increasingly turning towards the influence of moral and philosophical values in trying to understand the conflicts that arise around limited water resources and increasing social demands whether they be industry, energy and agriculture; and so my research looks at these problem in the context of the Canadian problem of Alberta. The reasons I came to Western are quite a few. First, when I visited the campus I was treated very professionally, and that would get a sort of financial and academic support that I needed; was also attracted to the city of London, which is small, I can live close to work, I can live close to a river, I live downtown without owning a car, and so far all of my expectations have been greatly exceeded. I’ve had a number of excellent opportunities in the department for teaching, for being a teaching assistant, and also have had an incredible amount of support from people not necessarily involved in my project, whether it be professor dropping off /up books they think I might be interested in, or just taking interest in my research and providing perspectives that I may not necessarily have or haven’t thought of. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Since arriving at Western the funding that I have been able to gain from external fellowships and scholarships has been tremendous. The scholarship committee here at the department worked closely with me on my application to the Trudeau Foundation, which is Canada’s highest award for the doctoral scholarships in the humanities and social sciences and I was very fortunate to have their support and advice … and the internal support of the university to support my travel for interviews and also other aspects of being awarded the Foundation scholarship I feel that Western has a excellent reputation in this regards, especially our department for getting researchers in the department who not only care and are at the top of their disciplines or in their specific field areas, but who also take the time to collaborate with students and to show students how to become that type of researcher and I would say that’s the most added value aspect of the department.