Writing Skills Week 1

Writing Skills
Introduction to course
Module I – Organizing ideas into text (1)
Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Course Introduction

Course Objectives
In this course, you will learn efficient and effective techniques

of academic writing in English In regard to:
1. Typical structure for common English essay types

2. Laying out an effective argument
3. Presenting your argument clearly
4. Elements of style

Materials needed
Required book:
Writing in English: A Guide for Advanced Learners
SECOND Ed. (UTB 2011)
Monolingual English dictionary (of course)
Recommended books:
The Mistakes Clinic for German-Speaking Learners of English
(Englang Books 2001) -- Semesterapparat
Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students
(Routledge 2011) – Semesterapparat
Journal: Online or On Paper?

Course Requirements
Writing Skills is a GRADED course!
( Writing Skills + Translation ) / 2 = Modul 6 Gesamtnote
• Regular participation (9 of 11 class meetings)

• Journal writing 25%
• Academic Book Review 75%

Moodle page
http://elearn.uni-flensburg.de/moodle/course/view.php?id=1779
Password: BLARNEY
• Slides from class

• Handouts / Assignments with answers
• Extra resources

Regular Participation
Come to class PREPARED to:

• Review and discuss the reading assigned
• Work on exercises related to the reading
• Write journal entries, and read and comment on others’
journal entries
• Bring in your own past academic work for review and editing
practice

Journal Writing – 25%
• Online or On Paper?
• Short weekly(?) writing assignments (graded / ungraded)
• Additional writing / commenting welcome!
• Should have time in class each week to write

Why journal writing?
• More writing means better writing

• Better student-teacher dialogue
• Creates a feedback loop
• More creative outlet

The Academic Book Review – 75%
• Choose a book you are interested in reviewing

• Choose a journal in which you could theoretically publish the
review
• Get approval of book and journal (Week 5 / 06 May)
• Final review due 01 August 2013

Semester plan
Week Date Content Week Date Content
1 08 April Module I 8 27 May Module III
2 15 April Module I 9 03 June Module IV
3 22 April Module II 10 10 June Zukunftswoche – No class
4 29 April Module II 11 17 June Editing Workshop
5 06 May Module II ** 12 24 June BA-2 Oral Exams – No class
6 13 May Module III 13 01 July Editing Workshop
7 20 May Module III 14 08 July BA-6 Oral Exams – No class
Book Review Due 1 August!

Module I: Text organization

General writing strategies
1. Write in English from the start.

2. Think of your reader.
3. Do your writing in stages.
4. Reread and rewrite.
5. Revise.

Computer Resources
MS Word
• Grammar and Spellcheck
• Thesaurus and Dictionary
• Automatic hyphenation
• Readability and Word Count
Similar in Open Office?

Computer Resources
Online Resources:
• Dictionaries and Concordances
• Grammar and Style Guides
• Reference Management Software (Citavi)
BUT BEWARE!
• Non-academic sources
• Term papers for sale
• Plagiarism and Collusion

The academic term paper is…
…an argued text governed by its own set of rules for

content, length, and appearance, which is typically not
intended for publication, but rather the culmination of
your work in a course for a single term.

Writing as a process
Plan
Write
Edit
Submit

The Process Wheel
Plan Write
Final? Edit

Planning
Do all your planning in English!!
1. Generating the content

2. Grouping and selecting points
3. Establishing a perspective
4. Determining an intention
5. Dividing the material into sections
6. Entitling sections and paragraphs

Generating the content
• What do I write about?

• Will I have enough ideas for the paper length?
• Is the topic determined by the instructor?
• What are my options?
• Overview of the field
• Comparison of opposing viewpoints
• Text or data analysis
• Historical survey
• Where do I turn?!

The solution lies in interaction
…with yourself
• inner dialogue, jot down ideas
…with others
• brainstorm!
…with written documents
• use background reading as a springboard
…with the internet
• Here there be dragons!
**Note also vocabulary / constructions used in your sources!

Grouping and selecting points

Establishing a perspective
What is your “lens” through which you approach this study?

• Theoretical or empirical?
• Qualitative or quantitative?
• Diachronic or synchronic?
• Informed by political / religious / moral beliefs or ‘objective’?

Determining an intention
“Where do I want to get to?”

• Present one side of an argument?
• Give equal weight to both sides?
• Theory alone, or examples?
• Persuasion, or statement of facts?

Dividing material into sections
Creating the basic framework

• How will my Introduction reflect my
perspective and my intention?
• How will my Conclusion respond to
the expectations created by my
Introduction?

Entitling sections and paragraphs
Grouping ideas into sections

• Construct body sections around
points of high-density linkage
• Devise section headings and key
points for each component
paragraph
Length breakdown:
Introduction / Conclusion 20-25%
Body sections 75-80%

Exercise: Planning an essay
Step 1: Analyze the question

How and why has the market for international tourism
segmented since the middle of the twentieth century? What
are the economic and social forces that have driven this
process?
• What is the question asking you to do? Note key words.

Step 2: Brainstorm (work with a partner)

process?
• Write down any ideas you may have, in any order.

How and why:

• Package holidays make foreign holidays popular
• Internet allows travelers to plan their own holidays
• In 60s jet aircraft permit faster travel – long and short haul
• In 90s budget airlines lower costs – short breaks
Economic and political forces:

• Rising disposable incomes permit more spending on travel
• Developing countries see tourism as route to growth
• Older, retired people spend more on travel

Step 3: Structure (2000 word essay)

process?
Section Word count

Introduction
Segmentation of the market (how)
Segmentation of the market (why)

Step 3: Structure (2000 word essay)
Section Word count

Introduction 200
Segmentation of the market (how) 300
Segmentation of the market (why) 500
Economic forces 400
Social forces 400
Conclusion 200
Total words 2000

Homework
• Register for Moodle!

• Read Module I
• Journal Entry:
When I look critically at my writing in English, the one thing
that stands out to me is… (200 words max)


Writing Skills Week 1

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Исходное описание:

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Writing Skills Week 1

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Writing Skills

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

In this course, you will learn efficient and effective techniques

1. Typical structure for common English essay types

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Journal: Online or On Paper?

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Writing Skills is a GRADED course!

( Writing Skills + Translation ) / 2 = Modul 6 Gesamtnote

• Regular participation (9 of 11 class meetings)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

• Slides from class

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Come to class PREPARED to:

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

• More writing means better writing

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

• Choose a book you are interested in reviewing

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

2 15 April Module I 9 03 June Module IV

3 22 April Module II 10 10 June Zukunftswoche – No class

4 29 April Module II 11 17 June Editing Workshop

5 06 May Module II ** 12 24 June BA-2 Oral Exams – No class

6 13 May Module III 13 01 July Editing Workshop

7 20 May Module III 14 08 July BA-6 Oral Exams – No class

Book Review Due 1 August!

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

1. Write in English from the start.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Similar in Open Office?

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

…an argued text governed by its own set of rules for

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Do all your planning in English!!

1. Generating the content

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

• What do I write about?

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

**Note also vocabulary / constructions used in your sources!

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

What is your “lens” through which you approach this study?

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

“Where do I want to get to?”

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Creating the basic framework

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Grouping ideas into sections

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Step 1: Analyze the question

• What is the question asking you to do? Note key words.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Step 2: Brainstorm (work with a partner)

• Write down any ideas you may have, in any order.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

How and why: