Admission requirements
8101ASACE Academic English I
Description
This course targets the improvement and refinement of students’ academic writing skills in English, the language of instruction at LUC The Hague. Over seven intense, interactive writing seminars, the course covers the stages of composition of an academic argument, including close reading of sources, summary, citation and reference, identifying a critical aspect or question in a text or a flaw in reasoning, developing a thesis, finding and using textual evidence, organizing ideas with clarity, “signposting” an essay, and finally, strategies for revision. Addressing questions of register, structure, clarity, coherence, and cohesion through workshop discussions, students can expect to develop their own voice and style in academic writing, as well as learn to examine and evaluate their peers’ writing habits and provide constructive feedback.
Course objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
master close-reading skills, identify the trajectory/structure of a text, understanding the author’s rhetorical moves, have the reflex to summarize the main argument of a text in a concise and nuanced manner;
write a clear and cohesive academic essay with a strong central argument based on evidence;
give useful peer feedback and offer constructive criticism, become their own critical readers
conduct library research, gather and assess academic sources, and acknowledge academic work done by others by referencing sources in accordance with recognised academic citation protocol.
Timetable
Block 3
Group A, Tuesday 9:00-11:00
Group B, Thursday 16:15-18:15
Group C, Tuesday 14:00-16:00
Block 4
Group D, Tuesday 9:00-11:00
Group E, Thursday 16:15-18:15
Group F, Tuesday 14:00-16:00
Mode of instruction
Close-reading, discussion and analysis of texts, as well as interactive writing workshops form the main body of this course, with one 2-hour session per week from Weeks 1 to 7. Students will write two essays, of which the first one will offer an original interpretation of a primary source (weeks 1-3), while the second one will incorporate secondary sources (weeks 4-8). All students will be involved in offering feedback to their peers, both in class-workshops and in teams of two or three students in conversation with the instructor. Additionally, based on excerpts from essays on writing pedagogy, we will discuss the differences between oral and written expression, rhetorical moves, strategies for revision, and other writing-related topics. Two aspects are central to the pedagogy of the course: that students arrive at every session prepared to engage with one other’s ideas and written work; that they take seriously the feedback offered by peers and instructor and revise their writing accordingly.
Assessment method
- Engaged understanding of course content, interactive engagement with material: assessed through In-class participation, timely submission of drafts, final essays, and feedback to peers (25% of final grade): Ongoing Weeks 1 – 7
- Close-reading, summary, identifying “problem” in primary source, developing a thesis, writing an academic essay based on the personal interpretation of textual evidence: assessed in Essay one (1000 words; 25% of final grade):Weeks 1 – 3 Due week 4 (TBD for each individual group)
- Engaging with the work of others, evaluating critically competing claims, developing an argument, integrating sources: assessed in Essay two (3000 words: 40% of final grade):Weeks 4 – 8 Due Wednesday, 17h, week 8 (e-copy)
- Quality of feedback to peers, tactful manner of offering it: assessed in drafts of essays one and two (10% of final grade): Ongoing Weeks 1 – 7
Blackboard
This course is supported by a blackboard site
Reading list
Each of the three iterations of this course in blocks 3 (groups A, B, C) and 4 (groups D, E, F) will focus on one major theme, as follows:
Groups A, D: Franz Kafka’s Modernism
Groups B, E: Political Dissidence and the Fantastic: the Case of Abram Tertz
Groups C, F: Politics of Friendship
Primary and secondary texts will be made available to students, for purchase or to consult. All course participants will have to own a copy of Gordon Harvey’s Writing with Sources, 2nd ed., of which we’ll read and discuss a few chapters in class.
Registration
This course is only open for LUC The Hague students.
Contact information
Please email the course instructor, Dr. Corina Stan, for any information related to the course at: c.m.stan@luc.leidenuniv.nl
For more information on the individual iterations of Academic Writing II and links to writing resources, please visit the Brill-Nijhoff Writing Institute Webpage: http://www.lucresearch.nl/writinginstitute.html
Weekly Overview
Weeks 1-3 ESSAY 1
Week 1 – Close reading; speaking versus writing
Week 2 – Identifying a “problem” in a primary text; the structure of a well-written essay
Week 3 – Developing a thesis, evidence and counter-evidence; workshop body of essay; peer feedback
Weeks 4-8 ESSAY 2
Week 4 – Working with secondary sources (understanding, evaluating, taking a stance); academic protocols of engaging with the work of others, from library research guidelines to citation practices
Week 5 – Integrating multiple secondary sources
Week 6 – Outlining a paper, reverse-outline, essay map; revision strategies (workshop)
Week 7 – Revision continued: personal voice, style, compelling rhetoric (workshop)
Preparation for first session
Since this course meets only once a week, it is important that students come to the first day of class prepared to discuss the primary text in detail. Please read and bring your own copy of the text to our first meeting.