ED cross-departmental

Description:
Combining instruction on stylistically correct writing with weekly work on participants’ own texts, this course will substantially improve the academic writing of its members. Material from experts on academic and scientific writing such as Dr. Helen Sword, Prof. Steven Pinker and Prof. Joseph Williams will be used to help particpants learn best and most current practice for editing their work and fixing common problems.

Those who are currently working on papers for publication or dissertations will find this offer especially useful. Group members can use both their own current and past writing as material. The course will take place over ten weeks for a total of twenty hours of instruction.  Additionally, the course will include a good deal of valuable material on the typical punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary questions asked by advanced ESL writers.

Content:

• Weeks 1 & 2: Nominalizations and how to use them in academic writing
• Weeks 2 & 3: Use of the Passive vs. the Active voice
• Week 4:  Revising to limit overuse of prepositional phrases
• Week 5: Paraphrasing and in-text citations—vocabulary, tips, and techniques
• Weeks 6 & 7: Cautious language and Concision
• Weeks 8, 9, &10: The six keys to writing with with style