Academic Writing. Advanced English

2023/2024

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

6

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Undergraduate Programmes Curriculum Support

Course type:

Elective course

When:

4 year, 1, 2 module

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course is designed for the advanced learners of English and it sets its goal to improve students’ argumentative and writing skills, essential for taking content-based courses conducted in English, as well as for succeeding in future academic career. After the completion of this course students should improve their overall English language proficiency: their writing, reading, listening and speaking skills. Yet, the principle focus of this course is not on the mechanics of language, but rather on the ‘mechanics’ of thinking and argumentation. During the course students will learn how to evaluate, construct, and orally present arguments in a compelling manner; how to analyze and document sources, how to employ various rhetorical strategies to express their ideas effectively and persuasively. While we will practice writing in and outside of class, the classroom activities would also engage students in discussions and debates. These activities should encourage students to listen to and to respond respectfully to opposing views, as well as to correct, revise, elaborate on, or further affirm their own argumentative positions. Most importantly though this class will emphasize writing not simply as a product of a semester-long work, but rather as a personal process of thinking, inquiry, and transformation.

Learning Objectives

• The aim of the course is to help you develop the skills necessary to understand, break down, and critique someone else’s argument while also helping you develop a process for constructing and presenting your own ideas in a persuasive form. Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Upon completion of this course, students should have progressed in their ability to analyze the arguments of others with reference to basic rhetorical principles, such as logos, ethos, and pathos, argument types, and rhetorical fallacies.• Deliver an argument-driven presentation in English.
• Formulate an interesting research question Locate, evaluate, and cite sources in the scholarly, journalistic, and popular domains
• Write in common academic genres such as the proposal and the literature review Write well-organized, argument-driven papers that demonstrate awareness of exigency and audience and deploy appropriate modes of persuasion Identify and correct common grammar and vocabulary mistakes in English Revise in response to feedback from peer readers as well as the instructor Participate in oral discussion and debate in English, though, it should be stressed, this is not predominantly a speaking course

Course Contents

• Finding and Understanding Arguments
• Analyzing Arguments
• Making Arguments

Assessment Elements

• Major Essay 1
• Major Essay 2
• Major Essay 3
• Final Presentation
• Writing Workshops, Discussion Boards, Acivities on Canvas
• Research summary 1
• Research summary 2
• Short analysis 1
• Short analysis 2

Interim Assessment

• 2023/2024 2nd module
  0.1 * Final Presentation + 0.1 * Major Essay 1 + 0.1 * Major Essay 2 + 0.1 * Major Essay 3 + 0.1 * Research summary 1 + 0.1 * Research summary 2 + 0.1 * Short analysis 1 + 0.1 * Short analysis 2 + 0.2 * Writing Workshops, Discussion Boards, Acivities on Canvas

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Bailey, S. (2015). Academic Writing : A Handbook for International Students (Vol. Fourth edition). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=862062
• Mathilde Janier, & Patrick Saint-Dizier. (2019). Argument Mining : Linguistic Foundations. [N.p.]: Wiley-ISTE. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2274843

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Richard Feldman. (2013). Reason and Argument: Pearson New International Edition. Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1418757
• Witzlack-Makarevich, A., & Bickel, B. (2019). Argument Selectors : A New Perspective on Grammatical Relations. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2029881

Authors

• Антонова Екатерина Сергеевна
• PETROVA NATALYA BORISOVNA