Writing in English at University

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Writing in English at University

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About this course: Acquiring good academic research and writing skills early on is essential for your success both at university and in your professional life. This course aims: - to give you an understanding of the conventions of academic writing in English and to teach you the components and benefits of what is called process writing. - to help you to put together your own “toolbox” of academic writing skills, as well as to give you a chance to test out these tools and to reflect on your own development as a writer. - to encourage reflection on discipline specific conventions; although the course deals with generic skills, you will be able to apply these generic skills to meet the par…

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Didn't find what you were looking for? See also: Reading & Writing, English (FCE / CAE / CPE), Exam Preparation, C/C++, and French.

When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan

  • Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
  • Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.

About this course: Acquiring good academic research and writing skills early on is essential for your success both at university and in your professional life. This course aims: - to give you an understanding of the conventions of academic writing in English and to teach you the components and benefits of what is called process writing. - to help you to put together your own “toolbox” of academic writing skills, as well as to give you a chance to test out these tools and to reflect on your own development as a writer. - to encourage reflection on discipline specific conventions; although the course deals with generic skills, you will be able to apply these generic skills to meet the particular needs of your own discipline. The course consists of four modules: 1. Writing in English at university: An introduction 2. Structuring your text and conveying your argument 3. Using sources in academic writing 4. The writer’s toolbox: Editing and proofreading In each module you will find video lectures and reading assignments and assignments, such as quizzes, reflective self-assessment questions, as well as some peer review exercises in which you will have an opportunity to interact with other students taking the course.

Created by:  Lund University
  • Taught by:  Satu Manninen, Professor

    Centre for Languages and Literature
  • Taught by:  Ellen Turner, Senior Lecturer

    Centre for Languages and Literature
  • Taught by:  Cecilia Wadsö Lecaros, Senior Lecturer

    Centre for Languages and Literature
Level Beginner Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.6 stars Average User Rating 4.6See what learners said Trabajo del curso

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Lund University Lund University was founded in 1666 and for a number of years has been ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has 47 700 students and 7 500 staff based in Lund, Sweden. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Writing in English at University: An introduction



Welcome to the MOOC course Writing in English at University! This course has been designed as a resource for university students who are currently involved in writing assignments or degree projects as well as for students who wish to learn about academic writing in order to prepare for future writing at university. Although the course will provide guidance and useful tips and tricks to all student writers, it is specifically useful to those who are writing in second language contexts and whose native language is not English.


5 videos, 15 readings, 6 practice quizzes expand


  1. Video: Introduction to academic writing
  2. Leyendo: Course aims
  3. Leyendo: Expected workload and working methods used within this course
  4. Leyendo: Course structure
  5. Leyendo: Course material
  6. Leyendo: Teachers
  7. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Meet and greet
  8. Leyendo: Before you start
  9. Video: What is academic writing?
  10. Cuestionario de práctica: What we mean when we talk about “academic writing”
  11. Leyendo: Further reading
  12. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Reflection task
  13. Leyendo: Before you start
  14. Video: Interpreting the task
  15. Leyendo: Further reading
  16. Cuestionario de práctica: Instruction words
  17. Leyendo: Introduction
  18. Video: The writing process and process writing
  19. Cuestionario de práctica: The writing process
  20. Leyendo: Reading assignment
  21. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Pause and reflect
  22. Leyendo: Introduction
  23. Cuestionario de práctica: Pause and reflect
  24. Video: Feedback and peer review
  25. Leyendo: The review process
  26. Revisión por el compañero: Peer review exercise - part 1
  27. Cuestionario de práctica: Peer review exercise - part 2
  28. Leyendo: Finding the right words
  29. Cuestionario de práctica: Using dictionaries
  30. Leyendo: Online self­-improvement exercises


WEEK 2


Structuring your text and conveying your argument



In module 1 we looked at some of the aspects that you will need to consider before embarking on an academic writing project. In module 2 we will build on this knowledge when we explore issues of building and shaping an academic text. In this week’s module you will learn about argument, types of essay structure, and also how to structure information within paragraphs and sections. Structuring a text so that it is coherent and makes sense to your target audience requires a great deal of thought, and we will guide you through the decisions that you will have to make in composing a text. Though the information in this module will be of interest to anyone looking to improve their academic writing competencies, you will find the material here especially helpful if you have a particular writing project of your own in mind to reflect on, and to which you can apply the ideas that we present here.


6 videos, 16 readings, 5 practice quizzes expand


  1. Leyendo: Introduction
  2. Video: Structuring an argument
  3. Cuestionario de práctica: Argumentative writing
  4. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Identifying reasons and unstated assumptions
  5. Leyendo: Further reading
  6. Leyendo: Introduction
  7. Video: Research questions and thesis statement
  8. Leyendo: Thesis statement
  9. Cuestionario de práctica: What makes a good thesis statement?
  10. Leyendo: Further reading
  11. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Research questions and thesis statement
  12. Leyendo: Introduction
  13. Video: Structuring a text around the three-part essay
  14. Cuestionario de práctica: The three-part essay structure
  15. Leyendo: Further reading
  16. Leyendo: Choosing an appropriate structure
  17. Video: Structuring information
  18. Leyendo: Structuring information in academic texts
  19. Leyendo: Reflection exercise
  20. Leyendo: Introduction
  21. Video: Structuring paragraphs
  22. Cuestionario de práctica: Structuring paragraphs
  23. Leyendo: Introduction
  24. Video: IMRaD
  25. Cuestionario de práctica: IMRaD Structure
  26. Leyendo: Reflection exercise
  27. Leyendo: Further reading
  28. Leyendo: CARS: Creating a research space
  29. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: How well does the CARS model apply in your discipline?
  30. Leyendo: Introduction
  31. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Five moves of an abstract


WEEK 3


Using sources in academic writing



Academic writing does not happen in a vacuum, but rather builds on scholarly work that has come before. When you compose a piece of academic writing, it is necessary to show that you have done your homework and read up on the subject. Sometimes you will be given specific texts to read, and sometimes you will need to go and find these sources for yourself. The kinds of sources that you will be expected to use, and the manner in which you use them, will vary depending on the discipline that you are writing within and the level at which you are studying. Though a Master’s level student will be expected to have acquired a more sophisticated approach to using secondary sources than, say, a student on an introductory undergraduate course, the basic set of skills required is the same. Using secondary sources in your writing relies on developing this particular set of skills. In this module, which has been developed in collaboration with the librarians, we will talk about how to go about acquiring these skills. The competencies that we discuss here are ones that require practice, and you shouldn’t expect to simply acquire them overnight. However, the tasks that we have set are designed to set you on the right path to honing your skills. This module is divided into three separate lessons. In the first lesson you will learn about reading strategies. In the second lesson, called "Integrating sources: positioning and stance," we will explore how to situate your own arguments and ideas in relation to secondary sources. In the third lessons, called "Referencing and academic integrity," we will explore issues surrounding referencing, academic integrity and plagiarism.


4 videos, 9 readings, 4 practice quizzes expand


  1. Leyendo: Reading in the information age
  2. Video: Reading strategies
  3. Leyendo: Further reading
  4. Cuestionario de práctica: Predatory reading
  5. Leyendo: Reflective task: Reading for writing
  6. Leyendo: Other resources on reading
  7. Leyendo: Secondary sources
  8. Video: Integrating sources: positioning and stance
  9. Leyendo: Incorporate secondary sources
  10. Cuestionario de práctica: Reporting verbs
  11. Leyendo: Reflective task
  12. Leyendo: Academic integrity
  13. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Paraphrasing
  14. Cuestionario de práctica: Plagiarism
  15. Video: Why references?
  16. Video: The parts of a reference
  17. Cuestionario de práctica: Referencing
  18. Leyendo: Reference management software


WEEK 4


The writer’s toolbox: Editing and proofreading



Welcome to module 4 of the course. In this module, we will focus on editing and proofreading a text. In our earlier discussion of the writing process in module 1, we have seen that many experienced writers view revising and editing as important parts of the actual writing process, and they intend to revise and edit virtually everything they write. Instead of only correcting mistakes in a piece of text, revising and editing are ways for writers to evaluate their ideas, to generate and test new ideas during the writing process, and to polish and tighten the overall argumentation and presentation. Although revising and editing are parts of the creative process, we recommend that you save them until you have a piece of text – a section, sub­section or paragraph – that you view as complete, in that the ideas you discuss and the organization into an introduction­-part and a body­-part (for sections) or a topic sentence followed by development (for paragraphs) are relatively stable. That way, you do not end up wasting your time correcting mistakes in a piece of text that does not seem to fit in or serve a purpose, and is therefore likely to be deleted later. Before you start revising and editing a passage, you should also have clarified to yourself how important the passage in question is going to be for the essay as a whole. If the passage contains ideas that are directly relevant for your research question and thesis, you should allow yourself enough time to revise and edit and possibly re­write the text several times. A passage that only contains extra information that is not directly linked to your thesis will need less time and attention, and some cases you may get away with only proofreading such passages quickly. This module is divided into three lessons, all of which focus on issues that you should be aware of, when you revise, edit and proofread your text. The first lesson, "The need to revise and edit one’s text," introduces you to issues that require both large-­scale and small­-scale revision and editing. Following, the lesson "Revising and editing for language" focuses on issues that affect the style and tone of your writing. The third lesson, called "Some tips and tricks on common errors," gives you practical advice on issues that are often problematic for writers.


8 videos, 9 readings, 8 practice quizzes expand


  1. Leyendo: Introduction
  2. Cuestionario de práctica: Pause and reflect
  3. Video: The need to edit and revise one's text
  4. Cuestionario de práctica: Revising and editing
  5. Video: Global editing and revision
  6. Cuestionario de práctica: Global editing
  7. Leyendo: Common problems in argumentation and reasoning
  8. Leyendo: Reflection exercise on global revision and editing
  9. Leyendo: Knowing when to stop
  10. Leyendo: Introduction
  11. Video: Editing for register and tone
  12. Cuestionario de práctica: Register and tone
  13. Video: Editing for style
  14. Leyendo: Further reading
  15. Cuestionario de práctica: Editing and proofreading
  16. Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Avoidance of clichés and triteness
  17. Leyendo: Introduction
  18. Cuestionario de práctica: Pause and reflect
  19. Video: First person pronouns and choosing between active and passive voice
  20. Cuestionario de práctica: Active and passive voice
  21. Leyendo: Reflective task
  22. Video: Standard punctuation
  23. Cuestionario de práctica: Exercise on punctuation
  24. Leyendo: Online resources
  25. Video: Spelling and typos
  26. Video: Using a style sheet
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