Lecture 2 academic writing in english scrap

Academic Writing

Lecture 2

Structure of this lecture

• Some practicalities

• What is “English”?

• Discussion of Chapter 2 (Including some notes on plagiarism)

• Discussion of Chapter 3 (including a discussion on introductions)

Presentations course

- Wrapping up the Presentations course

The expository essay

Goal: “to acquaint the reader with a body of knowledge” (book page 29).

Argumentative essay

- Goal: “to show the reader that they have a valid argument” (book pg 33)

Deadlines revisited:

• Introduction to Area Studies: 23 November, at 15.59, upload via Safe Assign.

• Academic Writing: three paragraphs in week of 5 November (not mandatory, but highly recommendable). Hand in: hard copy AND upload in Blackboard

• 17 December at 15.59, one hard copy in a box provided (we will tell you where); also upload in Blackboard.

What is English?

Definition:

English language noun an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries [syn: English]

(Dictionary.com)

English as an official language (British Council)

Speakers

English as a first language:approximations vary between 350 million and 400 million

English as a second language:up to 375 million speakers

English as a foreign language:around 750 million speakers

(According to the British Council)

Academic English

Also: English for Academic Purposes (EAP):

“refers to the language and associated practices that people need in order to undertake study or work in English medium higher education.”

(http://www.uefap.com/bgnd/whatfram.htm)

A New type of English?

- “International English” (EIL) (Seidlhofer 2003)

- Refers to the international USE of English

- Also: Lingua Franca (Gnutzmann 2000); global language (Crystal 1997); world language (Mair 2003), medium of intercultural communication (Meierkord 1996)

Chapter 2Pre-Writing and the Rhetorical Situation

Academic Language Centre

How to begin writing a paper?- Setting the goal: expository essay- Topic: choose a particular world area for the

Introduction to Area Studies and the Areas course

- Brainstorming: generating ideas, and then narrowing the topic to the specific perspective you would like to explore in your paper

- Scope: the amount of detail will depend on the length of your paper and the knowledge of your audience

Do task 9, p. 63


Developing your topic (1):Read actively (and efficiently):1.Read critically2.Look at the structure of the tekst3.Read the topic sentences4.Understand and interpret the author’s message5.Analyse how it relates to your topic6.Develop your own response to the author’s messageDo task 10, p. 65


Developing your topic (2):Take notes while you are reading, and include:Bibliographic informationSources, page numbersParaphrase the author’s message, unless you want to quote verbatimUse the chart on p. 67

Do task 12, on p. 67; task 14 on p. 69; and task 21 on p. 79.


Paraphrasing:

- Find synonyms using a thesaurus- Find antonyms- Change the grammar (passive to

active voice, and vice versa)However,a much better strategy is to write an

outline with key and supporting points, put the original away, and write down what you have understood.


Is this plagiarism (1)?

Copying some of the work of one of your classmates without giving a reference

YES

Examples 1-7 in this lecture are heavily based on: Bailey, Stephen. Academic Writing, A Handbook for International Students. London and New York: Routledge, 2011. Print. (From page 32-33.)


Copying and pasting from a source, citing the source, but not using quotation marks

YES


Copying from an essay you wrote earlier and which was marked by a tutor, and giving a reference to that essay

NO


Copying and pasting from a source, changing a few words and giving a citation

YES


Miss-spelling a citation

YES


Using information that constitutes general knowledge, and not giving a citation

NOBut check to be sure


Discussing an issue (for example an essay topic) with a group of classmates and using other classmates ideas in your essay

Usually noBut take care!

More on register- Anglo-Saxon verbs are informal, and

easy to recognise (all are irregular)- Latinate words were introduced after

1066, when French was the language of the courts (royal and legal). This was therefore the formal language.

Do task 22 on p. 82; task 23 on p. 83; task 26 on p. 85 (if time).


Types of peer feedback- Directive feedback, suggesting a

specific change- Praise, a positive description of

something the author has done well- Summary comments review main

points of a text (organisation, clarity, etc.)


Chapter 3Planning

Introduction:- gives the topic of the essay- gives (historical) background

information- shows concession (although,

despite)- may include a definition- may contain interesting statistics or

an anecdote - usually ends with your thesis

statement

How to begin?

Strategies for “grabbing” the reader’s attention

Defining a word/phrase

- Identify key term/phrase- Various definitions in the literature?- Define term/phrase as you will use it

Asking questions

- Attract attention

- Answer question(s)

Turn about

- Introduce opposing idea, belief or opinion

- Turn about with a “but” or

“however”

- Present your own point of view

Using an anecdote- Relevant?

- Brief?

- Illustrative?

Using quotations- Clear link with thesis?

- Sums up your argument?

- Illustrates your idea?

ReferenceSource:

http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr/students/the%20essay.htm

This website provides useful information.

Planning stage (1)The thesis statement:-is the guiding main idea or hypothesis-may very well be revised later on the basis of what you have read in order to minimise or expand the scope of your paper-is generally the last sentence of your introductory paragraph expressing what you intend to prove / explain in your paper

Planning stage (2):The thesis statement may be:-a debatable statement (used in argumentative essays in which you try and persuade the reader to your point of view). -a non-debatable statement (used in expository and scientific articles in which you explain a situation based on facts).

Do tasks 11 and 12 on pp. 100 - 101

Effective Thesis Statement:suggests your essay’s direction, emphasis and scope

Widely ridiculed as escape reading, romance novels are becoming increasingly important as a proving ground for many never-before-published writers and, more significantly, as showcases for strong heroines.

Introduction:Organisation: from general to specific•Setting the scene:

- Statements about the subject / background information

- Attention grabber: question, quote, anecdote, example, staggering statistic, etc.•Thesis statement

Do task 14, p. 103.Peer review of your introduction

The funnel method

Sentence 1: broad, general statement

Subsequent sentences: narrower scope,more focused.

Thesis

Example paragraph 1- (1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a great

story that develops around the legend of the Sorcerer’s Stone, a long sought after substance that would transform any metal into gold and bestow immortality. (2) In telling the story of the Sorcerer’s Stone, the novel also touches on many universal themes, such as overcoming difficulties, dealing with conflict, relating to authority and learning new ideas. (3) Choosing just three themes to analyze from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was a difficult task because so many themes are fully developed in the novel. (4) However, the three significant themes that I chose to explain from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone novel are the power of love, the importance of friendship, and courage on the hero’s journey. (source: http://academicenglishcafe.com/ModelEssay5.aspx)

Thesis statement (in bold)- (1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a great

story that develops around the legend of the Sorcerer’s Stone, a long sought after substance that would transform any metal into gold and bestow immortality. (2) In telling the story of the Sorcerer’s Stone, the novel also touches on many universal themes, such as overcoming difficulties, dealing with conflict, relating to authority and learning new ideas. (3) Choosing just three themes to analyze from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was a difficult task because so many themes are fully developed in the novel. (4) However, the three significant themes that I chose to explain from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone novel are the power of love, the importance of friendship, and courage on the hero’s journey. (source: http://academicenglishcafe.com/ModelEssay5.aspx)

Example paragraph 2- (1) Assignment essays are developed from

set questions that give students a period of time to research a topic and produce their answer with references to their sources of information. (2) While there are some disadvantages with using assignment essays as an assessment tool, there are sound educational purposes underpinning this practice. (3) This essay examines the reasons why assignment essays are beneficial for student learning and considers some of the problems with this method of assessment. (source: http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/aso-online/academic-writing/sample-essay.php)

Thesis statement (in bold)- (1) Assignment essays are developed from

set questions that give students a period of time to research a topic and produce their answer with references to their sources of information. (2) While there are some disadvantages with using assignment essays as an assessment tool, there are sound educational purposes underpinning this practice. (3) This essay examines the reasons why assignment essays are beneficial for student learning and considers some of the problems with this method of assessment. (source: http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/aso-online/academic-writing/sample-essay.php)

Integrating sources:- Direct quotation “ ………. “- Author + reporting verb- According to (author), …….- Paraphrasing- SummarisingNB. Punctuation (cf. pp. 114-5)

Do task 20, p. 110; task 23, p. 115; task 25, p. 117

Education

Lecture 2 academic writing in english scrap