Basic types of academic writing / Основные виды академического письма

Yury Zaretskiy



Course Outline:
•	The course aims at introducing the main forms of academic writing in
contemporary universities and at mastering basic academic reading and writing
skills. The forms discussed: Academic Correspondence, CV, Cover Letter, Essay,
Research Proposal. All classes are in English and all course materials are
developed by US and British universities. The course contains lectures and
seminars, 40 academic hours in total.

Prerequisite:
Unified State Exam score in English Language: not less than 50 (for Russian
citizens)
Course Requirements:
Regular class attendance, participation in discussions, daily reading, class
presentations, take-home assignments.

Course Grading:
Attendance of the classes: 20%
Participation in discussions: 40%
Take-home assignments: 40%

Course Syllabus:
•	First session (lecture). Introduction: Course content, study materials,
course requirements and working schedule.
•	Second session (lecture). Basic forms of student writing in contemporary
universities: Academic Correspondence, CV, Cover Letter, Essay, Research
Proposal.
•	Third session (seminar discussion). Analyzing basic forms of academic writing
in the Anglo-American academic tradition - I.
•	Fourth session (seminar discussion). Analyzing basic forms of academic
writing in the Anglo-American academic tradition - II.
•	Fifth session (lecture). Basic types of academic correspondence, its
composition and key phrases.
•	Sixth session (seminar discussion). Composing an information request (work in
groups).
•	Seventh session (lecture). Basic forms of CV and their peculiarities.
•	Eigth session (seminar discussion). Composing a CV (individual work).
•	Ninth session (lecture). What is Cover Letter, what is it for and of what
components it consists of.
•	Tenth session (seminar discussion). Composing a Cover Letter for admission to
a foreign university (work in groups).
•	Eleventh session (lecture). Essay as the basic form of student academic
writing. Types of essays.
•	Twelfth session (seminar discussion). Analyzing essays of American and
British students (defining types and ways of formatting).
•	Thirteenth session (lecture). Essay structure: Introduction, Main Body and
its components, Conclusion, Bibliography.
•	Fourteenth session (lecture). Essay: Organization of the material and logics
of narration; key phrases.
•	Fifteenth session (seminar discussion). Developing an essay structure and
composing its plan (work in groups).
•	Sixteenth session (seminar discussion). Writing a short essay (work in
groups).
•	Seventeenth session (lecture). Research Proposal as a form of academic
writing. Types of Research Proposals.
•	Eighteenth session (lecture). Structure and inner logics of the Research
Proposal.
•	Nineteenth session (seminar discussion). Composing a Research Proposal (work
in groups).
•	Twentieth session (seminar discussion). Discussing Research Proposals +
concluding remarks.

Examination type:
Written: Thee pieces of academic writing upon students’ choice from the above
list (home assignment)
Late presentations will be evaluated with 20% penalty.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is considered a strong violation of academic ethics and, beside poor
assessment, may result in disciplinary actions. Plagiarism is understood as
copying phrases, structure of the writings, writings as whole or specific ideas
of others and presenting them as somebody’s own. Plagiarism includes improper
citation and/or use of sources. All words or ideas of another (either published
or unpublished) presented in the writing submitted to the evaluator must be
fully acknowledged by foot- or endnotes. To avoid unintentional plagiarism be
especially careful while working in the electronic environment.