[F19] Academic Research and Writing Culture

This is an introductory course in academic writing and research culture, with a focus on undergraduate dissertations and other reports produced by undergraduates. The course also provides an introduction to writing an original research paper for publication in an academic journal. Students will learn the key features of different genres of academic writing. They will learn how to plan the macro-structure (overall argument and sections) and the micro-structure (topics, paragraphs and sentences). The course will expose students to a wide range of authentic texts illustrating these different genres and their features. Students will also learn how to write effective abstracts and how to deal with criticisms from peer reviewers during the publication process. Being part of a discourse community, familiarity with the current literature, and writing literature reviews are also explored. Students will learn practical skills which they can apply in writing their dissertations.