Graduate Program (& Advanced Certificate) Status
Course delivered by CAW
The aim of this course is to help you develop as a writer within the English speaking academic community by raising awareness of, practicing, and reflecting upon the conventions of written texts. In addition to addressing issues related to academic writing, the course will also focus on other skills you will need to complete your graduate level work in English.
Aims
During the course, you will:
- become familiar with the genres of and enhance the skills related to research-based and policy writing;
- improve your ability to use effectively the discourse patterns of academic English;
- have the opportunity to develop your writing process through phases of generating ideas, drafting, peer evaluation and individual writing consultations;
- learn to take into consideration the expectations of your readership with regard to discourse conventions in different communities;
- learn to incorporate the work of other authors into your own writing within the requirements of English academic practice;
- gaining confidence in expressing yourself in speaking and writing in English.
Course Outline
In the fall term:
Section A — Policy Writing
This section will introduce you to the key genres in policy writing and in the Public Policy program, and enable you to apply the insights gained to the writing of a policy brief.
1. Introduction to the Course
Aims: To introduce you to some of the underlying issues of academic writing, including the writing process, contrastive rhetoric and genre theory
2. Policy Writing and the Policy Brief
Aims: To provide you with an awareness of various types of policy papers and to help you to recognize the different purposes, audiences and structural features of policy briefs
3. Policy Writing and the Policy Brief
Aims: To provide you with an awareness of various types of policy papers and to help you to recognize the different purposes, audiences and structural features of policy briefs
4. Policy Writing and the Policy Brief
Aims: To provide you with an awareness of various types of policy papers and to help you to recognize the different purposes, audiences and structural features of policy briefs
5. Giving Seminar Presentations
Aims: To give you the chance to present policy issues and receive feedback on your presentation skills and the content thereof
6. Giving Seminar Presentations
7. Giving Seminar Presentations
8. Giving Seminar Presentations
Section B – Writing in response
9. Writing an Op-Ed
Aims: To introduce the op-ed as a genre, its purpose, audience and structural features
Section C – Research writing
In this part of the course you will develop an awareness of structural and discoursal features of research writing. You will become familiar with how to use the work of other authors effectively in academic writing, and how to develop your own voice.
10. The Nature of Research Writing and Developing Arguments in Research Papers
Aims: To introduce you to research writing and familiarize you with strategies and techniques for developing written argument in academic texts, both at macro and micro level, and to increase your awareness of the structure and development of paragraph-level argumentation
11. Supporting your Argument – Using Sources
Aims: To help you to understand the role of sources in academic writing, how they underpin argument and how they can be used, and to introduce the concept of the literature review as an element of many academic papers, its purpose and structure and techniques for making a literature review effective
12. Using the Work of Other Writers Effectively
Aims: To equip you with knowledge and strategies to enable you to cite correctly, use summary, paraphrase, quotation and reporting verbs effectively when referring to sources
13. Introductions to Research Papers
Aims: To familiarize you with the conventions of academic writing as regards the structure of introductions and titles of research papers
14. Concluding your Research Papers
Aims: To familiarize you with the conventions of academic writing as regards the structure of conclusions to research papers
+1 Information literacy session (CEU Library) – Relevant databases and Zotero
Aims: To inform you about advanced search techniques in the most relevant disciplinary databases that you can access through the CEU Library for research purposes, and how to use the freeware ‘Zotero’ for managing your sources when writing a research paper or a thesis
In the winter term:
Section D – Thesis writing
15. The Thesis Proposal
Aims: To familiarize you with the conventions of academic proposal writing as regards their structure
16. The Thesis Proposal - Peer feedback session
Aims: To receive feedback from your peers on the first draft of your thesis proposal
17. The Thesis
Aims: To familiarize you with departmental thesis requirements and examine elements of structuring the thesis
18. The Thesis
Aims: To examine previous theses from the department and to start the thesis writing process by creating a writing plan or drafting one of the chapters
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- identify the purposes, typical components and features of various genres in your field;
- structure a policy brief, an op-ed, a research paper, the thesis proposal and the thesis at the macro and micro level;
- think and write more clearly and incisively;
- draw on a variety of skills and approaches when writing different papers;
- write for various audiences, adapting your writing to the expectations of these audiences;
- properly incorporate the work of other authors into your own writing, and understand the CEU policy on plagiarism;
- edit and refine your own written work.
Academic Writing is a required course, which you need to pass in order to complete your degree. Although it will appear on your transcript, it is not for credit and we do not grade any work you do for us. Attendance is mandatory and you can only miss 2 classes. During the course, you will have to complete one piece of writing for the Center: a policy brief. You will be required to come for three mandatory consultations: in the fall term, you will have an introductory consultation on the assignment we give you (policy brief); and in winter term you will have to come for one mandatory consultation on your thesis proposal and the thesis respectively.
