Academic English Writing

2024/2025

Type: Optional course

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 2, 3 module

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Language: English

ECTS credits: 2

Full Syllabus

Abstract

Designed for senior undergraduate students, this elective course aims to help them develop their proficiency in academic English discourse. Special emphasis is placed on English for research purposes. The course addresses both writing and speaking conventions of research English and teaches students to produce their papers according to the IMRAD pattern which guides the writing of most research articles: examined and practiced are such sections as Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, and Results. Students also practice their academic speaking skills aimed at presenting effectively their research at conferences, seminars and suchlike forums. Particular attention is given to drafting the English-mediated version of the senior thesis referred to in HSE official documents as Project Proposal.

Learning Objectives

The complex development of academic skills: ● to structure various academic texts in a particular professional field (introduction- body-conclusion), with a focus on paragraph division, identifying main and supporting points, and developing an argument with the help of relevant sources; ● to create academic professionally-oriented texts describing the project proposal (2000-3000 words), including an analytical review of the literature in the English language relevant to the topic of the project proposal; ● to create a Project Proposal text in the English language and be able to defend it in a form of oral presentation; ● to familiarize students with the conventions of academic English for research writing, including language features and referencing styles; ● to familiarize students with the IMRAD pattern; ● to teach students how to draft, revise, and edit pieces of a research paper; ● to teach students how to present their research at academic forums (conferences, seminars, symposia, etc.) and formal examination events (project and thesis defense).

Expected Learning Outcomes

● can use an appropriate number of functional academic cliches in the project proposal text
● can use specific vocabulary and grammar relevant for academic texts
● can employ strategies of responding to questions
● demonstrate awareness of the logical order “introduction-methods-results” in the research text
● can employ strategies of reading academic professionally-oriented texts
● can define basic characteristics of descriptive and analytical writing
● can summarize an academic text and define its main idea
● can prepare and deliver an academic presentation
● can create and use the slides for a presentation in compliance with the requirements
● can use appropriate formatting and referencing styles (APA, Harvard, IEEE, etc.)
● can write a project proposal in accordance with the given requirements and assessment criteria

Course Contents

1. Introduction to the course “Academic Writing in the English language.
2. General principles of academic writing.
3. Working with scientific texts in a particular professional field.
4. Preparation for writing a Project Proposal.
5. Speaking for specific academic purposes: giving a presentation.

Assessment Elements

Independent Work
Classroom activity includes activities that students do in the classroom: seminar activities; presentations, discussions, homework discussion etc. The elements of independent work cannot be retaken.
Written Assessment
At least THREE elements of the written assessments have to be completed by the students. The choice of the elements is made by the tutor of the discipline on a corresponding Bachelor Programme and is announced to the students at the first seminar of the course. The choice of elements depends on the Bachelor Programme specifics.
Oral Assessment
At least one element of the oral assessment has to be taken. This can be an academic presentation and/or project proposal presentation. The choice of the elements is made by the tutor of the discipline on a corresponding Bachelor Programme and is announced to the students at the first seminar of the course.
Literature Review

Interim Assessment

2024/2025 3rd module
0.25 * Independent Work + 0.2 * Literature Review + 0.25 * Oral Assessment + 0.3 * Written Assessment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

English for Academic Purposes : supplementary material to "Economics" by Ch. St. J. Yates для студентов 1 курса, Барановская, Т. А., 2010
Академическое письмо. Лексика. Developing academic literacy : учеб. пособие для бакалавриата и магистратуры, Меняйло В.В., Тулякова Н.А., 2017
Гузикова, М. О. Чтение и письмо на английском языке для академических целей = English writing and reading for academic purposes : учебно-методическое пособие / М. О. Гузикова, Н. А. Завьялова. — 2-е изд., стер. — Москва : ФЛИНТА, 2021. — 104 с. — ISBN 978-5-9765-4629-5. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/182016 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.
Руководство по написанию проектов научного исследования на английском языке (для социальных дисци..., Дугарцыренова, В. А., 2020

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Антонова, М. Б. Английский язык для академических целей : прикладная математика, компьютерные науки и вычислительная техника = Academic English: Research Writing for Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering. B2 – C1 : учебник / М. Б. Антонова, А. В. Бакулев. — Москва : ФЛИНТА, 2022. — 356 с. — ISBN 978-5-9765-4638-7. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/186259 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.
Федорова М.А. - От академического письма — к научному выступлению. Английский язык: учебное пособие - Издательство "ФЛИНТА" - 2018 - ISBN: 978-5-9765-2216-9 - Текст электронный // ЭБС ЛАНЬ - URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/116347

Authors

KRYUKOVA ELENA VLADIMIROVNA
BAKULEV Aleksey VALENTINOVICH
KHOMUTSKIY KONSTANTIN IGOREVICH
SEBRYUK ANNA NABIEVNA
GABRIELOVA ELENA VALEREVNA
Dugartsyrenova Vera Arkadevna

Course Syllabus