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The course introduces students to the practice of academic writing and reading in social sciences. In the realm of reading, students will be provided with guidance on understanding and working with various kinds of academic texts, as well as on finding relevant academic texts for their own research. In the realm of writing, students will be acquainted with characteristics and approaches to academic writing, not limited to style, argumentation, and work with sources.
Last update: Hájek Martin, doc. Mgr., Ph.D. (26.06.2024)
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Syllabus: Academic Writing and Reading for Social Sciences II (AWARE II)
Basic Information
Course description AWARE II introduces students to the practice of academic writing and reading in social sciences. In the realm of reading, students will be provided with guidance on understanding and working with various kinds of academic texts, as well as on finding relevant academic texts for their own research. In the realm of writing, students will be acquainted with characteristics and approaches to academic writing, not limited to style, argumentation, and work with sources.
Learning Objectives and Outcomes The main aim is to equip students with an understanding of the practice of academic reading and writing, as well as strategies for interpreting and for writing their own academic texts. Specific objectives are to engage students in critical thinking, argumentation, systematic work with scholarly literature, and to support the development of a variety of reading and writing strategies, as well as encourage active participation. Students will learn how to analyze and interpret various types of academic text, improve their argumentation, make use of relevant scientific sources and refer to them in an appropriate way, as well as hone their academic writing techniques and presentation skills.
Reading Obligatory reference book: Bailey, S. (2022). Academic Writing for University Students (1st ed.). Routledge. (Available for reading online via our library; parts available in course Moodle)
Recommended: Dawidowicz, P. (20010). Literature reviews made easy: A quick guide to success. Information Age Publishing. (Available for reading online via our library; parts available in Moodle)
Shon, P. (2012) How to read journal articles in the social sciences: A very practical guide. Sage publishing. (parts available in Moodle)
Assignments and Grading Policy Students will have the following assignments for this course:
Four Writing tasks: Students will be assigned four short writing tasks to complete at home, worth 10 points each.
Writing project: Students will be asked to prepare a writing project (a literature review of a topic previously agreed-upon with the instructor) of 1,500 words.
Draft writing project presentation: Students will present the research proposal in a short Powerpoint presentation (5+ slides) to their peers. Presentations will not take place in front of the entire class but will be done in pairs.
Peer review of draft writing project presentations: Students will be asked to critically review the presentation of the literature review. They will ask critical questions after a student’s presentation and subsequently submit a 1-page peer-review report, outlining the course of the presentation.
Clear evaluation criteria for each assignment will be shared on the course Moodle page before the start of the course.
ATTENDENCE IN THIS COURSE IS MANDATORY. Three absences can be tolerated, but they must be communicated with the course instructors ahead of class.
Course schedule:
Seminar 1 (20 February): The writing process. The structure and requirements of different types of academic outputs. Writing alone, with a co-author or with a machine. (MJ)
Seminar 2 (27 February): Coherent (reader-friendly) writing techniques. (SM)
Seminar 3 (6 March): Effective reading strategies. Choosing the focus of a writing project (MJ)
Seminar 4 (13 March): Finding support for arguments. Writing literature reviews (MJ)
Seminar 5 (20 March): Conducting critical analysis (SM)
Seminar 6 (27 March): Effective introductions and conclusions (SM) NOTE: 3 APRIL IS A PUBLIC HOLIDAY. Seminar 7 (10 April): Navigating sources, using citations and paraphrasing. (MJ)
Seminar 8 (17 April): Peer Review: What is and how is it done? (SM)
Seminar 9 (24 April): Writing project: peer feedback on first drafts (MJ)
NOTE: 1&8 MAY ARE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.
Seminar 10 (15 May): Writing an effective discussion and avoiding logical fallacies (SM)
Seminar 11 (22 May, make-up week): The editing process. Preparing for future academic publishing & publication opportunities. (MJ) Compensation for another make-up lesson due to public holidays: An essay on the use of AI in the research, writing and editing process. Last update: Jusić Mirna, M.A. et M.A., Ph.D. (02.02.2026)
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