Academic Writing Course - Application and Needs analysis (.doc)

Objectives

• Improved ability to produce clear and correctly written academic texts
• Practice in writing academic English
• Overcoming English language errors common in academic writing
• Increased confidence in an English-speaking academic context
• Enabling contact between researchers across faculty lines in college
• Developing ‘Internationalisation at home’, a central part of sthe strategic plan at OUC/HiO.

Target group

Researchers amongst the academic staff at HiO who are reasonably fluent in written and oral English and familiar with academic requirements.

Content of Course

-Academic writing as a genre: rigid or flexible?

-Academic style- Variations

-Generalisation, qualification, caution

-The KISS (keep it short and simple) principle

-Directness/indirectness

-Levels of formality/tone

-Proofreading

-Grammar topics where necessary

-Discussions: oral English is part of this course

-Text analysis

-Journal analysis

-Discussing in an academic context

Preparation

Together with their registration, participants submit

i) A self-written, unedited 2-3 page manuscript from their research, eg an excerpt from an article under preparation.

ii) A filled out needs analysis form

These manuscripts serve as working papers for the writing teaching, with input from the group and from the teacher. In this way one is continually assured of relevance in that participants’ current written language needs are met.

iii) Participants should be prepared to work on their academic English between sessions and attend all sessions.

Organisation

• One course is held each semester with maximum 10 people per course.
• The course language is English throughout.
• The course is task-based.
• Participants are active throughout the course and will be given feed-back as and when appropriate.
• Five fortnightly sessions lasting five hours each will be held on Fridays, (except 13.03, Thursday) at fortnightly intervals

Dates:	11.01., 25.01., 08.02., 22.02., and 13.03. 2008
Application:	Ongoing, on first come, first served basis
Place:	All days at Pilestredet 46, 2nd floor, OUC's Course- and Conference center. Room PA 314.

• Lunch in English at the personnel canteen during each session, on 2nd floor, P46 from 12 noon will ensure some practice in spoken English for General Purposes, which is useful in academic contexts.
• The first hour of each session will be task-based teaching, focusing on problems typical for Norwegian writers of academic English.
• The subsequent four hours each session are spent working in the group on manuscripts sent in by the participants. One hour will be spent on each paper submitted, although needs may vary somewhat.
• For continuity and optimal learning outcome full attendance is required.

Timetable for each session: (slight changes may be necessary)

9 am until 9.45	Task-based teaching, common rules for academic writing
10 am until 11.30	Paper 1, group discussion and rewriting using big screen/computer
11.45 – 12.30	Lunch in English
12.30 pm - until 14.00	Paper 2, same procedure as paper 1

Teaching materials, amongst others

There are several good websites dealing with academic writing, some of these will be accessed and recommended on the course.

• Per Lysvåg, The English Language, a Text-Based Resource Book: from increased awareness to improved writing (Kristiansand: Høyskoleforlaget, 2005)
• Texts on academic writing eg R.R.Jordan, Academic writing Course: study skills in English (Essex:Longman, 1999)
• Diana Hacker, Rules for Writers (Boston:Bedford St. Martin’s 2000)
• Swales, John M. and Feak, Christine, Academic Writing for Graduate Students:essential tasks and skills, 2nd edn., (Ann Arbor: Univ, Michigan, 2004)
• Swales, John M. and Feak, Christine, Commentary for Academic Writing for
  Graduate Students:essential tasks and skills, 2nd edn., (Ann Arbor:
  Univ, Michigan, 2004)
• Murray, Rowena and Moore, Sarah, The Handbook of Academic Writing: a Fresh Approach (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2006)
• Murray, Rowena, Writing for Academic Journals (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2007)
• Using English for Academic Purposes http://www.uefap.com/

Course Leader

Dr. Art. Ann Torday Gulden, Associate Professor, Department of Health Sciences, OUC. She is a native English speaker with background in both the humanities and health sciences (a doctorate in English literature, and radiography training), international research and conference experience, experience in teaching academic English at HiO and UiO at several faculties (Humanities, Science, Medical) and long experience of living in Norway. Ann Gulden has been developing new courses in EAP for OUC/HiO. She now teaches a range of specially devised English courses for academic purposes as part of HiO’s internationalisation strategy.

More information is available from Ann Torday Gulden,

e-mail: AnnTorday.Gulden@hf.hio.no .

Registration

Hege Skahjem Hege.Skahjem@hio.no Department of Organisation and Human Resouces (Organisasjons- og personalseksjonen). Please send the following by e-mail , by at least 15 days before the course begins, i.e. Thursday December 27th:

1) A self-written, unedited 2-3 page manuscript from your research, eg an excerpt from an article under preparation, and

2) A filled out needs analysis form (see menu to the top right).

NB! Academic writing courses are taught in small groups. Late cancellations will therefore affect course quality and may even necessitate courses having to be cancelled. Latest deadline for cancellation is therefore 3 weeks before the first course day, so we can offer vacancies to people on the waiting lists.