学术英语写作Academic Writing

• Let’s get to know each other…– Major – Interests– Career outlook– Learning aim– Expectations: course, teacher, self

Why academic writing?

• Terminology– Academic English– Writing defined

• Status quo of college students’ writing proficiency– No systematic learning.– Depressingly low proficiency

• Benefits – “Writing makes an exact man.”– Output-driven second language learning: 写长法

– Practical purposes• Exams • Employment • Certificate

Input

Reading– textbooks– Newspapers & Magazines: online versions

(New York times; Washington Post; Wallstreet

Journal; the Economist; Reader’s Digest etc. )– Novels: bestsellers (The Audacity of Hope; A

thousand splendid suns; Sophie’s world etc. ) and classic readings (essays; Jane Eyre; Pride and Prejudice etc.)

Vocabulary

• How many words do I need?• The basics of vocabulary

– Accuracy: 水平；文化；文明 ; oldster; ameliorate– Variety: synonyms

• Affixation: sight• Word bank

– Natural disasters– Diseases– Personality description

• Phrases/ Idioms: hold water; fall flat

Sentence

• Grammaticality• Idiomaticity/naturalness

– 发现了错误一定要改正。– 我突然有了一个主意。– 革命不是请客吃饭。

• Learn from writing and reading

Output

• Speaking: priority– Presentation– Group discussion– Role play– Debate

• Writing • Translation

Syllabus

Lecture 1: Intro

Lecture 2: The writing Process

Lecture 3: Paragraph Skills

Lecture 4: Stating Thesis

Lecture 5: Body Paragraphs

Lecture 6: Beginnings & Endings

Lecture 7: Effective Sentences & Word use

Lecture 8: Drafting & Revising

Lecture 9: exemplification

Lecture 10: Cause & Effect

Lecture 11: Comparison & Contrast

Lecture 12: Definition

Lecture 13: Division & Classification

Lecture 14: Argumentation

Lecture 15: Summary Writing

Lecture 16: Review: article, book, film

Lecture 17: Writing for Exams

Readings

• Textbook – College Writing Skills with Readings (6th

edition)

• Recommended Readings – About Language: A Reader for Writers– Writing Analytically (5th edition)– Steps to Writing Well (8th edition)– The generation of ideas: a thematic reader–论说文入门（曲卫国）

Requirements

• Attendance

• Participation

• Journal

• Assignments

• Final

AWL

Journal

• Why?

• How?– No less than 150 words each. – What to write?– How to submit?

Assignments

• How many?

• When to write?

• How to submit?

• How to score?– language+content+mechanics+organization

• Feedback & Revising

Plagiarism

• What is plagiarism?– Plagiarism is the improper borrowing of another person's words,

ideas, or methods. If you use another person's material, you must acknowledge your source. When you cite a source properly, you have given credit where it is due, and you have also given your readers a way to locate the original material on their own.

• What is wrong with plagiarism?– Plagiarism is a direct violation of academic code: whether you

borrow a single idea, a sentence, or an entire essay, if you pass someone else's work off as your own, you risk expulsion. Also, plagiarism undermines the work you are doing as a student.

• So your final score is determined by:– Assignments (40%)– Final exam (40%)– Other (20%)

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Teaching philosophy

Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn.

The Basics of Reading & Writing an Essay

• Questions to ask: – What is the topic?– What is the purpose?– Who is the audience?– What is the thesis or central idea?– What evidence supports the thesis?– How are the ideas organized?– What do the ideas mean?

• Thesis

• Direction of development– Introduction – Thesis statement– Support – Conclusion

1-3-1 essay

• An appealing introduction

• A solidly developed body

• A well-rounded conclusion

Analyze the model essay

The writing process

• Prewriting: readiness stage

• Drafting and organizing: exploratory stage

• Rewriting: revising and editing

Smart thinking

• Be critical– Critical thinking helps you go beyond learning

facts to discover what the facts mean and how you can apply the information

– Critical thinking is logical, analytical, conscious, purposeful, active, and self-reflective thinking.

• Critical thinking in writing – Find a purpose for writing – Define your audience’s characteristics– Write an outline for your paper– Choose an organizational pattern to arrange

your ideas– Analyze your topic from all sides– Reflect on what you have written and on ways

to improve it.

• Be creative– Imaginative, inventive, open-minded, risk-taking,

observant, inquisitive

• Creative thinking in writing:– Choose a topic that challenges your thinking– Question your assumptions and be open to change– Write an intro that engages your readers– Select words to create vivid images– Imagine yourself in the audience to better understand

their needs

Topic 1

• It is said that work is the most important thing of people's life. Without the success of career, life will become meaningless. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the opinion？

Thank You!