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Course Syllabus

Master 2021/2022

Academic Writing

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type: Elective course (Prototyping Future Cities)
Area of studies: Urban Planning
Delivered by: Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism
Where: Faculty of Urban and Regional Development
When: 2 year, 2 semester
Mode of studies: offline
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Natalia V. Katasonova
Master’s programme: Prototyping Future Cities
Language: English
ECTS credits: 4
Contact hours: 46

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

Goals of the course: The course is designed to assist students in writing their Final Project and preparing them for their project defense. Students will study the conventions of academic writing and submit the final drafts of their research papers by the end of the course. The course will also focus on a set of core speaking skills necessary for describing the key aspects of students’ research work in the form of a formal presentation and defending it in front of a panel of experts. Objectives of the course: After successfully completing this course, students will be able to: – Identify the main stylistic features pertaining to academic papers; – Structure their Final Projects according to the conventions of the academia; – Use a wide range of academic vocabulary and grammar structures for writing scholarly texts; – Articulate the main aspects of their research in the form of an academic presentation; – Use a set of effective rhetorical strategies for maintaining the audience’s attention and answering questions from the defense panel. Brief description of the course: Seminars At seminars, the course instructor makes presentations of new content. After that, students consolidate their knowledge and develop their academic writing and speaking skills with the help of a set of individual, pair or group tasks. In academic writing classes, students are expected to produce short preliminary texts related to their final projects. Evaluation occurs in the classroom or using interactive feedback tools. Writing Tutorials To engage more deeply with their work, its rhetorical goals and strategies, appointment-based writing tutorials are held on a one-on-one basis and involve reading and discussing students’ draft papers and final texts. The tutor provides feedback for improving the content, structure, language means and mechanical accuracy of students’ papers by commenting on their work and using scoring instruments (Final Project Assessment Rubric) and feedback forms (Writing Tutorial Feedback Form). Students are expected to participate actively in tutoring sessions by asking and answering questions, discussing different perspectives, reflecting on their texts, making connections between the tutorial and the course, and taking thorough notes of the tutor’s recommendations. Tutorials add value to the course and their attendance should not be considered as an alternative to attending classes. Students’ participation in writing tutorials is part of the cumulative grade and is assessed according to 3 criteria: preparation, active participation, feedback integration.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • The course is designed to assist students in writing their Final Project and preparing them for their project defense. Students will study the conventions of academic writing and submit the final drafts of their research papers by the end of the course.
  • The course will also focus on a set of core speaking skills necessary for describing the key aspects of students’ research work in the form of a formal presentation and defending it in front of a panel of experts.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Articulate the main aspects of their research in the form of an academic presentation
  • Identify the main stylistic features pertaining to academic papers
  • Structure their Final Projects according to the conventions of the academia
  • Use a set of effective rhetorical strategies for maintaining the audience’s attention and answering questions from the defence panel
  • Use a wide range of academic vocabulary and grammar structures for writing scholarly texts
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Constructing a Final Project: Project Brief
  • Constructing a Final Project: Introduction
  • Constructing a Final Project: Literature Review
  • Constructing a Final Project: Research Design and Methods
  • Constructing a Final Project: Results, Conclusion, Abstract
  • Constructing a Final Project: Project Proposal
  • Individual Writing Tutorials: First Draft Review
  • Individual Writing Tutorials: Final Draft Review
  • Preparing a Final Draft Presentation: Introduction, Main Body, Transitions, Describing Visuals
  • Preparing a Final Project Presentation: Discussing Results, Conclusion, Handling Questions
  • Preparing a Final Project Presentation: Effective Rhetorical Strategies
  • Preparing a Final Project Presentation: Three Minute Thesis Presentations
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Problem Statement Assignment
  • non-blocking Introduction Assignment
  • non-blocking Literature Review Assignment
  • non-blocking Research Design and Methods Assignment
  • non-blocking Results and Conclusion Assignment
  • non-blocking Writing Tutorials
  • non-blocking Final Project Paper and Three Minute Thesis Presentation)
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2021/2022 2nd semester
    0.1 * Introduction Assignment + 0.1 * Literature Review Assignment + 0.4 * Final Project Paper and Three Minute Thesis Presentation) + 0.1 * Problem Statement Assignment + 0.1 * Research Design and Methods Assignment + 0.1 * Writing Tutorials + 0.1 * Results and Conclusion Assignment
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Academic writing for graduate students : essential tasks and skills, Swales, J. M., 2012
  • Cambridge academic English: advanced: student's book : an integrated skills course for EAP, Hewings, M., 2012
  • Cambridge academic English: upper intermediate: student's book : an integrated skills course for EAP, Hewings, M., 2012
  • Wallwork, A. (2010). English for Presentations at International Conferences. New York: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=338325
  • Wallwork, A. (2016). English for Writing Research Papers (Vol. Second edition). Cham: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1175370

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Roberts, C. M. (2010). The Dissertation Journey : A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and Defending Your Dissertation (Vol. 2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=527838

Authors

  • KATASONOVA NATALYA VLADIMIROVNA