XENB002 Academic Writing for Master's Students: Writing that Flows (2 cr)
Description
Content
How do you get an academic text to flow, so that it not only communicates to the reader what you want to say, but also provides an enjoyable reading experience? This course provides you with useful writing strategies to make your Master's thesis more readable and increase the flow that characterizes a good piece of writing. You will learn how to:
- use certain expected rhetorical moves in your thesis writing so that it is academically acceptable
- create paragraphs which follow a predictable structure
- use pronouns and noun phrases more deliberately to link sentences and paragraphs
- use conjunctions and transitional words and phrases carefully to highlight the logic and sequence of ideas
- use sentences to preview and summarize the organization of a scientific text
- check that lists in your text are parallel
Completion methods
This course has a workshop format, with short lectures and in-class application and practice. Students will work individually, in pairs and in small groups. Homework will include writing assignments and practice tasks.
Assessment details
Attendance in all sessions, active participation in class and successful completion of all assignments is required. Continuous assessment and self-assessment.
Learning outcomes
- Recognize and understand how the principles and strategies of cohesion and coherence affect the clarity, communicative effectiveness and social acceptability of an academic text
- Use metatext to guide the reader through their thesis
- Use expected rhetorical moves to deliberately highlight the logic and sequence of ideas in Master's thesis
- Connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs by using cohesive markers
- Create paragraphs that follow a predictable structure
- Use online tools to support the above.
Additional information
The XENB-modules are not for students in international English medium master’s programmes that have XENX009 Integrated research communication, XENK006 Academic Reading and Writing 1, or XENK007 Academic Reading and Writing 2 as a required course. The course is NOT for exchange students.