For many students, writing is fundamental to succeeding in their studies, yet writing is one of the least practiced language skills, surrounded by much confusion and uncertainty. Term papers or reports written in English are even more challenging, due both to the foreign language and different text conventions of English. Luckily, writing is a skill that anyone can learn, and in this course these skills will be demystified and developed in an English academic context.
Specifically, we will review the writing process in order to structure, plan and draft your own academic paper. This includes proper use of paragraphs, writing for different functions, writing introductions and conclusions, using cohesive language, writing clearly and concisely, differences between humanities and STEM writing, plus selecting appropriate sources and making accurate citations. Just as importantly, we will also practice building up your academic vocabulary and tone. Finally, certain advanced key grammar topics necessary for academic writing will be reviewed and applied in your texts.
Learning to write is impossible without reading. Thus, in this course you will also practice reflective and critical reading of other’s texts to develop efficient reading strategies, and to see how well-written texts are structured and written. Peer-review is a natural part of this, and students should expect to occasionally share their own written material with classmates. The course grade is based on a portfolio of graded writing assignments, including a researched topic proposal, a draft introduction, annotated bibliography. Other smaller, ungraded writing assignments will also be part of the course. These culminate in a final short research paper or essay, the topic of which will be assigned to students.
The course is conducted exclusively in English and you are required to have completed a course at level 4. This is a 6 Credit Point course.
