Academic Writing Course Curriculum
Status: Working document
Date: 11.8.08
6 ECTS/Studiepoeng
Further education/Videreutdanning
Faculty of Education and International Studies
Oslo University College
2008
Endringer vedtatt av:
(dato, og år)
Introduction
Internationalisation implies the increasing importance of transnational discussions and projects, and
to this end it has become essential that communication in academia take place in English. The target
group for this course is researchers among the academic staff at HiO who are actively engaged in
writing articles, papers or dissertations in English. The course will focus on familiarising participants
with the academic writing conventions, as well as addressing the most common problem areas
confronting Norwegians when writing academic English. It should be stressed that this is a practical
rather than a theoretical course, and time will be spent discussing participants’ draft texts, as well as
general principles of genre. Contact time is limited in relation to the scope of the subject, so regular
attendance is crucial. In addition to 25 hours’ contact time, independent study is required.
This course is a part of the staff development programme, providing participants with the
opportunity to practice academic English and develop competence in working with texts. The
course also contributes to the wider university college milieu by developing a forum for work-inprogress discussions and facilitating participation in international fora as well as internal
internationalisation projects. Furthermore, the course enables academic/research contact across
faculty lines.
Target Group
Staff at Oslo University College/HiO.
Course entrance requirements
A Master’s Degree is required.
Employment at OUC/HiO is usually required.
Participants should be reasonably fluent in written and oral English and familiar with academic
conventions and requirements.
A completed application/needs analysis form, and an academic text (an unedited manuscript, approx.
5 pages, double spaced font sized 12) is to be submitted at least 14 days prior to the first course
session.
Admission is based on individual application approved by the applicant’s Head of Studies/Head of
Division.
The maximum number of participants is 10.
Learning outcome and competence
Participants demonstrate their ability to apply the relevant criteria required for the preparation of
publishable academic texts.
Aims
The participant is responsible for acquiring a grasp of academic writing conventions through active
participation in discussions at sessions and studying between sessions.
Through work on this course, participants will acquire the necessary skills to enable:
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Improved clarity, cohesion and other criteria required for the production of academic texts
-
Improvement of English language errors common in academic writing
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Identification of their own problem areas in writing, and strategies for dealing with these
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Critical analysis and assessment of academic texts
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Increased confidence in an English-speaking academic context
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Contribution to the internationalisation process at HiO/OUC
Content
The central theme is academic writing as a genre, with subgenres.

Variations in academic style

The writing process

A good argument

Academic language

Vocabulary, grammar, sentence, paragraph and text

Coherence and cohesion

Directness and formality

Practice in English for General Purposes

Common pitfalls: e.g. over-generalization, lack of documentation, poor argumentation, logical
gaps due to tacit knowledge …

Analysing, discussing and responding to academic texts

Proofreading

Elements of journal analysis
Organisation and working methods
Participants can apply for R+D time (FoU) if they wish to take the course.
The course is held each semester.

The course language is English throughout

The course consists of five fortnightly seminars, each of 5 hours’ duration.

Approximately one hour of each session will be task-based teaching, focusing on problems
typical for Norwegian writers of academic English.

In each session the group will work on two draft documents submitted by participants. The
group works together on improvements.
Participants are expected to work on their papers between sessions, assimilating into their own
work topics raised during class.
Participants will be responsible for distributing their manuscripts to the group at least a week before
the session dealing with their work.
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Course requirements
-
Attendance:
For continuity and optimal learning outcome, full attendance is important. The group dynamic
in small groups is vulnerable and stability is a crucial factor. If a participant must miss a session
s/he may attend the equivalent seminar in the next writing course and postpone the
examination to that semester. This is advisable since the subject matter is so comprehensive.
-
Compulsory tasks:

Course preparation, see page 2 in this document: ‘Course entrance requirements’

Active participation in all group sessions

Resubmission for assessment of the originally submitted text, rewritten to meet criteria for
academic writing (5pp.). In addition to this, participants also prepare a 3 pp. independently
written reflection statement in academic English, containing a description of their own
learning outcomes (Font sized 12, double spaced). The total of 8 pp. submitted texts is
expected to meet academic criteria prior to registration for the oral examination.
Submission date a fortnight before the oral examination.
Course evaluation
Oral examination:
A 15 minute power point presentation (4-5 slides maximum), in formal academic style, containing
examples of their writing before/after the course, with oral commentaries on their specific
improvements in terms of course content. The power point presentation is based on the submitted
texts. Ability to deal with academic questions will be tested during the presentation.
Grade: Pass/Fail
Examiners: Internal examiner.
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Syllabus
Course book:


Swales, John M. and Feak, Christine, Academic Writing for Graduate Students:essential tasks and
skills, 2nd edn., (Ann Arbor: Univ, Michigan, 2009), 300 pp
Swales, John M. and Feak, Christine, Commentary for Academic Writing for
Graduate Students: essential tasks and skills, 2nd edn., (Ann Arbor:
Univ, Michigan, 2004), 100 pp
Useful references:


Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference 6th edn. (Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s 2007)
Using English for Academic Purposes http://www.uefap.com/
There are several good websites dealing with academic writing, some of these will be
accessed and recommended on the course.
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