Academic Writing I
Intro to the Course
Victor Shen (沈添鉦)
9/14
Teaching Outline
 Definition of academic writing
 Course objectives
 Course outline
 Evaluation policy
Definition 1/2
 Academic writing refers to a particular style of
expression that scholars use to define the
boundaries of their disciplines and their areas of
expertise.
 Characteristics
 a formal tone,
 use of the third-person perspective (usually),
 a clear focus on the research problem under
investigation,
 precise word choice.
Definition 2/2
 A specialist languages adopted in
professions (cf: law)
 Designed to convey agreed meaning
about complex ideas for a group of
scholarly experts.
(USC LibGuides
http://libguides.usc.edu/content.php?pid=83009&sid=645284)
Course Objectives
 To develop an understanding of academic
discourse.
 To develop writing skills for communicating
ideas and information for academic
purposes.
 To know and practice the APA guidelines
for writing research paper.
Course Outline
 The lexical and grammatical characteristics of
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academic discourse
The structures and discourse modes of
academic writing
Finding and stating the research problem
Commentary writing
Summary writing
The APA style
Drafting, formatting, revising, and editing
research papers
Teaching Methods
 Lecturing
 Sharing and discussion
 Reporting
Evaluation Policy
 Quizzes, Exercises, Papers, Read-alouds,
Participation: 60%
 Midterm Exam: 15%
 Final Exam: 25%