COURSE OUTLINE
29.595*N
Fall Term 2002-2003
Special Topics in Applied Language Studies:
Inquiry into Advanced Academic Writing
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SLALS), Carleton University, Ottawa
215 Paterson Hall, 520-6613; Fax: 520-6641
Class Schedule:
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office hours:
Monday 4:30 – 7:30 p. m., Room 246 PA
Natasha Artemeva
261 Paterson Hall
520-2600, ext. 7452
natasha_artemeva@carleton.ca
Monday 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.; Tuesday 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., or by
appointment
http://www.carleton.ca/~nartemev/29595.htm
Course website:
Course Description
This course is designed to meet two objectives. First, it offers an opportunity for
students to conduct a collective inquiry into the theory and practice of academic writing.
Second, it allows students to practise, explore, and experiment with various strategies for
enriching their own writing.
To meet the first objective, students will draw on social theories of writing when
discussing approaches to the study of academic writing presented in the course readings.
To meet the second objective, students will experiment with writing strategies,
drawing on Janet Giltrow’s Academic Writing: Writing and Reading across the
Disciplines, 3d edition (2002). Course assignments will allow students to practise
academic writing while focusing on areas of their interest. Students will be asked to
select and analyze texts produced in the contexts of particular academic situations and
present the results of these explorations in oral presentations and written assignments.
Students will be asked to go through drafting and peer review and revision processes
while working on the course assignments. In-class time will be provided for peer review
sessions.
Required Readings

Giltrow, Janet (2002). Academic Writing: Writing and Reading across
the Disciplines. 3d. ed. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press.

Course pack
Course Requirements and Evaluation1
Attendance and Participation: The workshop format of the course requires regular
attendance and active participation. In-class work will consist of discussions of assigned
readings, brainstorming, peer review of drafts, work on own and each other’s texts,
preparation of presentations, and so on. Students are expected to bring enough copies
of their work to each class to give their classmates an opportunity to engage in a
productive review process.
1
Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations are encouraged to contact a
coordinator at the Paul Menton Centre (PMC) for Students with Disabilities to complete the necessary letters of
accommodation. After registering with the PMC, these students need to make an appointment to meet and discuss their
needs with the instructor as soon as possible (preferably within the first two weeks of classes).
Readings: Students are expected to study assigned articles and chapters from the
course text and to complete selected exercises introduced in the text. It is essential that
students keep up with their reading, since some part of each class will be devoted to
discussions of the assigned chapters and articles. Students are expected to write and bring
summaries of their selected readings to class to initiate a discussion.
Assignments: Students will be responsible for completing selected exercises from
the course text; writing brief summaries of selected readings, and writing several
reflective journals. Students will complete one or two seminar presentations based on the
readings assigned; one presentation based on individual course research; and two written
assignments, i. e., a proposal and a course paper.
Note: Deadlines for drafts are firm and must be observed. Drafts must be
written and brought to classes as indicated in the tentative course plan. Failure to
bring a draft to class on the due date will result in the deduction of 10% of the grade
for the assignment.
At the end of the term, students will submit for marking a portfolio
consisting of selected exercises and summaries; all reflective journals; all presentation
materials; and two written assignments. Note: it is expected that students draft and revise
their written assignments in consultation with their peers.
Marking Scheme
Seminar presentations
5%
Seminar presentations based on assigned readings are considered essential for the
development of academic presentation skills. Group activities based on assigned readings
are encouraged. Visual materials (handouts, overheads, and so on) are expected to be
prepared and used in the presentations. Active participation is expected from the student
audience during these presentations.
Proposal
10%
Each student will be asked to write a 300-word proposal for a study into academic
writing she/he will conduct for the course. The proposed study should explore an
academic situation and a text produced in this situation. Directions for the studies will be
discussed with each student individually.
It is expected that this proposal should be written in such a way that it might be
submitted to an organizing committee of a learned conference as an abstract of a paper a
student may wish to present at the conference. The goal of this assignment is twofold:
first, it allows students to focus on a specific area of research into academic writing,
which presents a certain interest to them, and second, it provides students with an
opportunity to practise writing a tightly condensed persuasive academic document.
Note: The mark for the proposal may not be considered final should the student
wish to revise the proposal and include the revised version in the portfolio. The revised
version may then be marked and the mark for the revised version may be considered final
and included in the calculation of the course grade (a student must explicitly express a
wish to revise the proposal in order for this process to take place).
Course Paper
45%
This major assignment of the course requires that students write a 15 - 17 page
course paper that explores an academic situation and texts that are produced in this
situation. In this assignment, students are expected to draw upon theories and approaches
discussed in class. This assignment will grow out of the proposal. It will evolve through
2
group and class discussions, drafting, peer revision, and feedback on oral presentations
throughout the term.
Note: Preferred citation style is APA.
Course paper is due on December 19 as part of the portfolio.
Portfolio
30%
A binder with Portfolio will include
 a title page;
 a table of contents;
 at least two selected exercises from the course text;
 at least three selected summaries of course readings (two summaries of the course
pack articles and one summary of a chapter from the course text);
 at least one complete reflective journal based on course readings written in
preparation to seminar presentations;
 all seminar presentation materials;
 a copy of the marked proposal and a revised version if desired (each version should
be indicated in the table of contents);
 course paper accompanied by peer comments.
Exercises from Academic Writing.
Students are expected to complete at least one exercise of their choice from each
chapter of the required text. At the end of the term, students will be asked to submit at
least two exercises of their choice as part of the portfolio. Note: When completing the
exercises, students are advised to select and use texts directly related to their course
paper.
Reading Summaries
Students should write brief summaries (half a page to a page) of selected readings.
At least one summary of a textbook chapter and at least two summaries of the
course pack articles must be included in the portfolio at the end of the term.
Reflective journals
Students involved in presentations based on the assigned readings will write
reflective journals based on the readings (insights, discussion of certain important points,
questions, and so on). Several copies of one-paragraph excerpts from these reflections
based on the readings should be brought to class and used there as a basis for discussion.
At the end of the term, students will include in their portfolios at least one selected
complete reflective journal based on (a) presented reading(s).
Portfolios should also contain a complete student self-assessment and an
assessment of the course, questions for which will be provided by the instructor. Note:
Please number all pages in the portfolio. Please double space the text of the
assignments (proposal and course paper).
Portfolios are due on December 19.
Oral Presentation of Course Research
10%
At the end of the term, students will be asked to make presentations of their
course research. In these presentations, students will briefly discuss their research sites,
theoretic background of their research, methodology, findings, preliminary conclusions,
and any questions and problems encountered. The purpose of the presentations is to
allow students to practise research presentation skills and to elicit comments from peers
and the professor that may help produce a better course paper.
3
Tentative Course Plan
Class#
Class 1
Date Theme; Class Content, and What to Prepare for the Following Class
Introduction to the course. Strategies for Academic Writing.
Sept. 9
Readings for class 2: Giltrow; Preface, Ch. 1, 2
Class 2
Sept. 16
Discussion of readings; summaries
Discussion of possible directions for research
Readings for class 3: Giltrow; Ch. 3, 4
Class 3
Sept. 23
Discussion of readings; summaries
Discussion of possible themes for course research
continued
Readings for class 4:
Giltrow; Ch. 5, Chapter 6 (special focus on pp. 381
384 proposals and pp. 384 – 389 – oral presentations)
Class 4
Sept. 30
Class 5
Oct. 7
Class 6
Oct. 21
Class 7
Oct. 28
Discussion of readings; summaries
Readings for class 5:
Hunt “Could you put in lots of holes?”
Selected students prepare seminar presentations
and write reflections on the reading
Preparation of draft proposals (due Oct. 7)
Theoretic Background
Draft Proposals DUE
Peer review of draft proposals
Discussion of proposal writing
Seminar presentation of Hunt “Holes”
Readings for class 6:
Hunt “Texts, Textoids and Utterances”
Selected students prepare seminar presentations and
write reflections on the readings
Revision of draft proposals (Proposals are due Oct. 21)
Proposals DUE
Seminar presentation of Hunt “Textoids”
Readings for class 7: Freedman
Selected students prepare seminar presentation and
write reflections on the readings
Work on individual research; preparations for the
course paper
Discussion of proposals
Seminar presentations of Freedman
Writing in the disciplines
Readings for class 8: Herrington
Selected students prepare seminar presentations and
write reflections on the reading
4
Class 8
Nov. 4
Seminar presentation of Herrington
Readings for class 9: Giltrow and Valiquette
Work on the draft outline for the oral presentation
Class 9
Nov. 11
Class 10
Nov. 18
Seminar presentation of Thralls
First drafts of the research paper are DUE
Peer review of drafts
Work on individual oral presentation
Class 11
Nov. 25
Oral presentation of research
Work on second drafts of the research (due Dec. 2)
Class 12
Dec. 2
Second drafts of course paper due
Peer review of second drafts
December 19
Portfolios are due
Draft outlines of oral presentations are due
Discussion of outlines for oral presentation
Seminar presentation of Giltrow and Valiquette
Collaboration
Reading for class 10: Thralls
Work on first drafts of course papers (due Nov. 18)
5
Readings included in the course pack
Selected Readings for 29.595:
Special Topics in Applied Language Studies: Inquiry into Academic Writing
Section 1. Strategies
Hunt, Russell A. (1987). "Could you put in lots of holes?" Modes of response to writing.
Available at http://www.stthomasu.ca/~hunt/batpoet.htm [accessed July 08, 2002]
Section 2. Theoretic Background
Hunt, Russell A. ( 1993). Texts, textoids and utterances: Writing and reading for
meaning, in and out of classroom. Available at http://www.stthomas.ca/~hunt/ttu.htm
[accessed July 08, 2002]
Freedman, Aviva (1994). Chapter 12. ‘Do as I say’: The relationship between teaching
and learning new genres. In Aviva Freedman & Peter Medway (Eds.). Genre and the new
rhetoric. pp. 191 - 210. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Total in source: 236.
ISBN: 0 7484 0257 8
Section 3. Writing in the Disciplines
Herrington, Anne J. (1985). Writing in academic settings: A study of the contexts for
writing in two college chemical engineering courses. Research in the teaching of English, 19 (4),
331- 361. Complete article.
ISSN 0034-527X 0035-527X
Giltrow, Janet and Valiquette, Michele (1994). Chapter 3. Genres and knowledge:
Students writing in the disciplines. In A. Freedman & P. Medway (Eds.) Learning and teaching
genre. pp. 47-62. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Total in source: 266.
ISBN: 0-86709-344-7
Section 4. Collaboration.
Thralls, Charlotte (1992). Chapter 4. Bakhtin, Collaborative partners, and Published
Discourse: A collaborative view of composing. In Janice Forman (Ed.) New visions of
collaborative writing. pp. 62-81. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Total in source: 200.
ISBN: 0867092955
6