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| Semester | fall semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Olivia de Graaf (olivia.degraaf@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Academic writing in English differs from the German tradition not only in terms of language, but also in terms of organization and style. Besides writing English as a non-native speaker, the challenge for the author is to convey a clear message in a comprehensible yet academically precise manner. This workshop offers you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the conventions of writing research articles and proposals for an English-speaking audience. To adhere to these conventions in your own writing, you will learn stylistic and linguistic strategies based on inputs, practical examples, exercises and useful tips. Furthermore, you will have the chance to experiment with these strategies in your own texts. During the course, we will answer the following questions (among others): - Which text genres are most commonly used in the humanities and social sciences? - What is considered good academic writing in the English-speaking research community? - What does an anglophone audience expect from my research articles and proposals? - How do I convey a clear message to my readers? - How should I organize my paper? - How can I create a clear line of argumentation? - What stylistic and linguistic strategies can I use as a non-native speaker of English to improve my academic English? - What are common words and phrases used in academic English? - Where can I find further information on this topic? - … The topics of day 1 include: -What makes good academic writing -Conventions of academic writing in English -Genre awareness -Organization of empirical and theoretical research articles and proposals -Scientific line of argumentation The topics of day 2 include: -Peer feedback on part 1 of your home assignment -Writing in English as a non-native speaker: common language mistakes and how to avoid them -Improving flow and style in your own texts -Language workshop with lots of helpful exercises You will also receive a lot of material on ADAM and during the sessions for further reference, (optional) reading and practice. |
| Learning objectives | - Participants are familiar with the most common genres of academic texts in the educational sciences, namely research articles and research proposals. - Participants understand the conventions of English academic writing. - Participants understand how clarity in English academic texts can be achieved by different linguistic and stylistic strategies. - Participants work on and improve their own academic English. - Participants can write a convincing research proposal in English that relates to their dissertation project, paying attention to genre, organization, argumentation, style, flow, presentation and language. |
| Bibliography | Recommendation: Swales, John & Feak, Christine B. (2012). Academic Writing in English: Essential Tasks and Skills. 3rd Edition. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. A literature list will be handed out in class. |
| Comments | This course will be held in English and is open to doctoral students from other disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. If you have any questions about this workshop, please feel free to contact me via olivia.degraaf@unibas.ch. |
| Admission requirements | - Participants have a good grasp of the English language (level B2 or higher recommended) |
| Course application | Enrollment via Online Services (MOnA). |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Doctorate Educational Sciences: Recommendations (Doctoral Studies - Institute for Educational Sciences) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | - Active participation and reading - Writing a research proposal (1000 words) in English about your PhD-project |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Institute for Educational Sciences, bildungswissenschaften@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Institute for Educational Sciences |