Academic writing I

obligatory courses

Classroom

This Academic Writing course is designed to help students develop the essential skills required for effective academic writing. Through a combination of lectures, writing exercises, peer feedback, and discussions, students will learn how to plan, draft, revise, and polish their academic papers. The course will cover various aspects of academic writing, including research, citation, argumentation, and style, with a focus on producing well-structured and persuasive pieces of writing

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The course intends to equip graduate students with the necessary knowledge, abilities, and proficiencies to work effectively with their MA supervisors on research projects, as well as creating formal texts for career development. This involves enhancing their grasp of critical comprehension and proficient presentation of theoretical and empirical content in a research context.

Additionally, the goal is to either strengthen or further develop the language skills vital for constructing, drafting, and revising. Another aim is to deepen students' understanding of scientific research and academic writing, including the specific genre of the MA thesis. This involves recognizing these forms as arguments built upon a central thesis and reliant on a data analysis. It also encompasses adhering to the established norms of expression within the context of graduate-level work.

FORMS OF WORK:

Through a combination of lectures, writing exercises, peer feedback, and discussions, students will learn how to plan, draft, revise, and polish their academic papers.

Topics (may be adjusted to the individual needs and interests of the course participants):

Differences between academic and non-academic writing

Evaluating sources for reliability and relevance

Using academic databases and libraries

Punctuation

Proper formatting and citation guidelines

In-text citations and reference lists

Developing central ideas / thesis statements

Proofreading and editing techniques

Peer review and feedback

Incorporating quotations

Avoiding plagiarism and citing sources correctly

If classroom learning is impossible, the classes will be conducted with the help of distance communication tools: Zoom, Google Meet and others recommended by the University.

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance, satisfactory in-class work, satisfactory performance on the final test.

The form and conditions of retakes of tests are the same as those for course credits obtained at the usual time, unless it is impossible due to organisational reasons (in such a case, the form of obtaining the course credit is subject to change).

Recommended books:

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. FitzGerald (2016) The Craft of Research. University of Chicago Press

Strunk, William I. (1999) The elements of style (4th ed.). Pearson

Swales, John M. and Christine B. Feak. 2004. Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. (2nd edition.) Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Turabian, Kate L. (2013) A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations. University of Chicago Press

Wallwork, Adrian (2016) English for Academic Research: Writing Exercises. Springer

Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:

in-depth, fundamental problems of language use as an interlingual and intercultural phenomenon

in-depth, the role of language in communication between people and cultures, and linguistic phenomena in a broader cognitive, communicative and social context

the work environment as well as economic and legal conditions of work in the profession of a linguist, researcher, software tester, copy editor and copywriter.

Skills: the graduate is able to:

use in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge to carry out research work and solve complex problems in linguistics (theoretical, computational, cognitive, corpus, social/text linguistics) using appropriate methodology

to an in-depth degree, search, analyze, evaluate and select information in the native language and foreign languages

use a foreign language to an advanced degree (C2 level) in specialized terminology in the field of linguistics (theoretical, computational, cognitive, corpus, social/text linguistics)

communicate in native and foreign language in various professional situations with specialists, using various channels and communication techniques and strategies

communicate in an understandable way, including with non-specialists, on topics related to linguistics (theoretical, computational, cognitive, corpus, social/text linguistics) and adequately justify the decisions made and language strategies used

express one's own views and opinions orally and in writing in foreign languages and the native language, and present the views and arguments of third parties in foreign languages and the native language

independently plan and implement their own education and lifelong learning thanks to the knowledge of various centers related to linguistics (theoretical, computational, cognitive, corpus, social) and thanks to the knowledge of sources that can be used to improve their competence in linguistics.

Social competences: the graduate is ready to:

recognize the importance of the latest linguistic knowledge and critically evaluate research in linguistics (theoretical, computational, cognitive, corpus, social/text linguistics), especially those published in scientific journals and monographs and popular science sources

recognize the importance of linguistic knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems and to consult with experts

adequately identify and resolve problems of interlingual, intercultural and social communication

initiate and carry out linguistic research, in particular to improve accessibility in the dimensions of language, information and communication.

Grade for the in-class assessments; continuous assessment (on the basis of regular attendance, preparation for class, participation in class discussions); grade for the final written test. Each requirement, if assigned, must be fulfilled independently.

The criteria of grading assignments:

99% – 100% – 5!

98% – 91% – 5

90% – 86% – 4.5

85% – 76% – 4

75% – 71% – 3.5

70% – 60% – 3

below 60% – 2 (unsatisfactory).

Two absences per semester are permitted.