aVLAW061 Academic Writing

Faculty of Medicine
Spring 2017
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Robert Helán, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. et Mgr. Zuzana Handlová (assistant)
Joseph Lennon, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Dana Straková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Robert Helán, Ph.D.
Language Centre, Faculty of Medicine Division – Faculty Branches of University Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Contact Person: Mgr. Dana Straková
Supplier department: Language Centre, Faculty of Medicine Division – Faculty Branches of University Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Timetable
Fri 14:00–15:40 C15/113
Prerequisites
Students should have the minimum knowledge of English corresponding to the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
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 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
To familiarize students with selected lexico-grammatical features of English academic style by means of language analysis of exemplary academic texts.
To develop students' strategies for the specific phases of the writing process (prewriting, writing, editing).
To discuss and achieve an understanding of important themes, issues and debates related to academic writing in the context of English as a foreign language.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to Academic Writing: Features of Academic Writing
  • 2. The Writing Process; The Use of Techniques from Creative Writing
  • 3. Using Corpora for Language Learning I
  • 4. Using Corpora for Language Learning II
  • 5. Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts
  • 6. Medical Case Reports
  • 7. Conventions of Medical Writing
  • 8. Constructing a Research Paper I: IMRaD Sturcture
  • 9. Constructing a Research Paper II: Introductions
  • 10. Constructing a Research Paper III: Methods Sections
  • 11. Constructing a Research Paper IV: Results Sections
  • 12. Constructing a Research Paper V: Discussion Sections
  • 13. How To Get Published
  • 14. Final Revision and Consolidation, Final Evaluation
  • Throughout the course, selected points of grammar and vocabulary specific to academic writing will be dealt with such as synonyms, collocations, hedging, metalanguage, passive vs. active voice, linking devices, gerunds and infinitives, etc.
Literature
  • HELÁN, Robert. How to Write Medical Case Reports for Publication. Brno: Language Centre, Masaryk University, 2015, 8 pp. info
  • 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
  • BAILEY, Stephen. Academic writing : a handbook for international students. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2011, xx, 293. ISBN 9780415595803. info
  • HARTLEY, James. Academic writing and publishing : a practical handbook. London: Routledge, 2008, viii, 196. ISBN 9780415453219. info
  • SWALES, John. Research genres : explorations and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, xii, 314. ISBN 0521533341. info
  • The A to Z of medical writing. Edited by Tim Albert. London: BMJ Books, 2000, 145p. ;. ISBN 0727914871. info
  • HUFF, Anne Sigismund. Writing for scholarly publication. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 1998, xi, 185. ISBN 0761918051. info
  • SWALES, John. Genre analysis : English in academic and research settings. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990, xi, 260. ISBN 0521328691. info
Teaching methods
Interactive lectures
Student oral presentations
Individual/pair/group work
Discussions of relevant issues tackled in the lectures
Written reflections on course material
Final written work
Assessment methods
Attendance and active participation in seminars
Oral presentation of assigned chapter(s) from required reading
Final drafts of assigned written work (abstract and research article introduction)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: offered to students from 5th semester
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2016, Spring 2018, spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2017, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/med/spring2017/aVLAW061