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2012/2013  BA-BLC_1ACW  Academic Writing

English Title
Academic Writing

Course information
Language English
Exam ECTS 6 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration Two Semesters
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture, BSc
Course coordinator
  • Kevin McGovern - Department of International Culture and Communication Studies
Main Category of the Course
  • Language and Intercultural Studies
Last updated on 14-08-2012
Learning objectives
At the end of the course students should be able to:
  • master the writing conventions of academic English,
  • structure and frame appropriately a piece of academic writing,
  • use linguistic styles and register appropriate to particular genres of academic writing,
  • summarise and criticise the findings of projects in a coherent and cohesive manner,
  • write about complex topics in a cogent manner, and
  • demonstrate proficient use of appropriate vocabulary and syntax.
Examination
Academic Writing:
Type of test Written Exam
Marking scale 7-step scale
Second examiner External examiner
Exam period May/June, This sixth semester course will build upon the Writing English course (first semester) and British and American Studies (first and third semesters) and develop students’ academic writing skills for new tasks. The course will run parallel with and feed into the third year project.
Aids Closed Book
Duration 3 Hours
At this examination the students are required to write a critical review of their third year project. No electronic aids are allowed. Only aid accepted is paper dictionaries.
Course content

This course is designed to improve the abilities of students to write academic papers in English, primarily projects presenting the findings of problem-oriented research. The sixth semester course in Academic Writing thereby supports students in the process of writing their third year project, and in so doing will enhance the skills of writing accurately, fluently, and using styles and register appropriate to written academic English. Students will also learn to summarise and take a critical distance to their findings in the form of an article, critical review, application, etc.

 

The broad aims of the course are thereby twofold: First, to develop language competences needed to write projects and present the findings thereof in short papers, as indicated above. A functional approach to language instruction is taken, whereby students are taught to an advanced level the vocabulary and phrasing needed to fulfil a range of necessary tasks; for example, how to formulate a research problem, how to hypothesise, discuss trends, explain causality, summarise, criticise, etc. The second aim of the course is to develop abilities to organise the writing process, herein understanding of the structure, elements and composition of sections of projects, such as the introduction, theory section, case study and conclusion. In addition, there will be instruction in how to frame and organise shorter pieces of writing that summarise and critique findings. Emphasis will be placed on the style, register and structure of particular written genres.
Teaching methods
The course will begin with a series of lectures/classes in which the students receive instruction in the language functions and principles of organising academic writing in formats appropriate to the task and genre. There will initially be error analysis based on students’ previous work (first year projects, second year essays), followed by individual and collective feedback on course assignments, such as a critical review of an academic paper. Following the lecture/class series, students will produce some pages in the preliminary stage of their third year project, such as an introduction and/or literature review, which will form the basis of opponent sessions in small groups where students discuss and offer constructive criticism of work-in-progress, while instructors provide individual oral and written feedback.
Expected literature

Bailey, Stephen (2006) Academic Writing. A Handbook for International Students. Routledge

 

Bitsch Olsen, Poul & Pedersen, Kaare (2008). Problem-Oriented Project Work, Frederiksberg:

Roskilde University Press

 

Brookes, Ian and Marshall, Duncan (2004) Good Writing Guide, Chambers, Edinburgh:

Chapters on: Plain English, Writing Style, the Writing Process, Academic Writing

 

Cresswell, John W. (2002) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods

Approaches,2nd Edition, London: Sage Publications, Inc.

 

Emmerson, Paul (2002) Business Grammar Builder, Oxford:Macmillan Education

 

Marschan-Piekkari, R: & C. Welch (2005) Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for

International Business, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing

 

Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. (2005), Writing Academic English, 4thEdition, New York: Pearson Education

 

Silverman, David (2010) Doing Qualitative Research, 3rd Edition, London: Sage Publications

 

Swan, M (2005), Practical English Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Last updated on 14-08-2012