SubjectsSubjects(version: 945)
Course, academic year 2023/2024
   Login via CAS
Academic Writing - JTB104
Title: Academic Writing
Guaranteed by: Department of Russian and East European Studies (23-KRVS)
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual: from 2023
Semester: summer
E-Credits: 6
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:0/2, C [HT]
Capacity: unknown / 8 (15)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Teaching methods: full-time
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
Guarantor: Pamela Danielle Cotte, M.A.
Teacher(s): Pamela Danielle Cotte, M.A.
Class: Courses for incoming students
Incompatibility : JTB001
Is incompatible with: JTB001
In complex pre-requisite: JTB114, JTB115, JTB116, JTB117, JTB118, JTB119, JTB120, JTB121, JTB132, JTB133
Annotation
Last update: Bc. Sára Lochmanová (31.01.2024)
The course merges academic writing with European current affairs, focusing on East-Central Europe.
Current affairs materials and topics will be used to teach academic English. These will include
written and broadcast news and news analyses, academic journal articles and book chapters,
lectures, videos and other current affairs sources. The focus will be on academic English use,
grammar, vocabulary, style and structure.
Aim of the course
Last update: Bc. Sára Lochmanová (31.01.2024)

- Enhance students' knowledge of East-Central and European current affairs and issues through reading, writing, listening and discussion. 

- Develop students' academic writing skills, including academic style, grammar, structure, signpost and generic language. This will enable

them to express their ideas and arguments effectively and accurately.

- Build students' analytical and critical thinking skills and ability to clearly argue for or against a position, supporting claims with relevant evidence. 

- Equip students with skills in proofreading for academic style and grammar and editing for structure and content.

Course completion requirements
Last update: Bc. Sára Lochmanová (31.01.2024)

Assessment will be based on the following:

I Attendance and class participation.

-Attendance is mandatory. 

-If a student is absent, it is his or her responsibility to check the homework to be prepared for the next lesson,

including submitting any written assignments due.

II Successful completion of 4 writing assignments

-The assignments will be short with an emphasis on quality, not quantity. Details of the written content, submission and due dates

of written assignments will be given. We will work with the writing assignments as part of our lessons. 

-Students will be encouraged to focus on their area of academic interest in their writing. 

-Possible writing assignments: a summary of an academic article, an abstract, review of a book/article/source, a position paper,

an argumentative essay, a policy paper, introduction to a seminar paper, a thesis introduction. 

III Midterm test 

- One hour test on academic style and grammar. Test date to be emailed. To be given online or in person depending on the covid situation. 

- Content: academic style, use of articles, qualifying and hedging, passive voice, nominalisation, conjunctions and sentence connectors

and subject-verb agreement. If a student does not pass the test he or she can retake it.  

- The test will consist of fill ins, grammar exercises (e.g. Change the sentence to passive voice.), and editing exercises (e.g. Find and correct

the mistake in the sentence. Underline the part that is not in academic style and change it to academic style.). 

 

Evaluation

Written assignments will receive feedback on strong points and areas for improvement. 

Literature
Last update: Bc. Sára Lochmanová (31.01.2024)

Current affairs sources may include: The BBC; The Economist; written and broadcast news and news analyses; academic journals; European Union

reports and analyses; chapters from academic books; videos; Oxford and Cambridge debates and lectures

 

Academic writing sources: Cambridge Academic English Upper intermediate and Advanced; Oxford EAP Advanced (English for Academic Purposes);

British Council English for Academics course; current CJP Academic English courses; IMS thesis information (e.g. “manual” for MA thesis seminars;

Methodological Seminar syllabus)

 

Manchester Academic Phrasebank. This is an excellent reseource for generic academic phrases. 

https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

Teaching methods
Last update: Bc. Sára Lochmanová (31.01.2024)

Lessons will be taught in person. 

Academic writing and European current affairs will be taught using a content-based approach with a focus on East-Central Europe. 

Expressing and communicating ideas are seen as integral parts of the writing process so the focus will be on active use of academic English

through activities including academic writing, listening, debates, discussion, analysis, grammar and style exercises and peer review of writing.

Active participation of students will be emphasized using pairwork, groupwork and individual work. 

Requirements to the exam
Last update: Pamela Danielle Cotte, M.A. (31.01.2024)

For details see Podmínky zakončení předmětu. 

More in SMĚRNICE S_SO_002: Organizace zkouškových termínů, kontrol studia a užívání klasifikace A–F na FSV UK.

Syllabus
Last update: Pamela Danielle Cotte, M.A. (30.01.2024)

EACH LESSON WILL FOCUS ON ONE CURRENT AFFAIRS TOPIC RELATED TO CEE. TOPICS WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AND

ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON CURRENT EVENTS. 

 

Lesson 1 

Trust in the EU; Euroskepticism; inequality 

Academic writing: What is academic English?; describing trends

Lesson 2

Czech society and politics 

Lesson 3

Is populism a threat to democracy? The EU response to rule of law violations in Poland and Hungary

Lesson 4 

Ukraine: European security and defence 

Lesson 5 

United in diversity? economic, social, cultural, North-South

Lesson 6 

United in diversity? Are post-communist Member States different than other Member States?

Case study: stereotypes in football 

Lesson 7 

The European Green Deal: transition from coal in Central Europe 

Lesson 8 

EU structural and investment funds: purpose, solidarity, impact of Brexit, effectiveness, corruption

Lesson 9 

EU enlargement: Ukraine, Moldova, the Western Balkans  

Lesson 10 

Ageing population as a key economic challenge; immigration

Lesson 11 

Comparison of the first and second Czech EU presidencies; analysis; lessons learned 

Lesson 12

Neverending Brexit? Potential Polexits, Hungexits?

 

 

ACADEMIC WRITING CONTENT WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

Academic English style and grammar conventions

- academic style principles; qualifying and hedging; use of passive voice; nominalisation; use of articles; subject-verb agreement

Essay types and structure; Signposting language; Structuring paragraphs

Critical thinking; Supporting claims with evidence; In-text references

- connectors (conjunctions), e.g. to express cause and effect; punctuation, e.g. colons, semicolons and commas

Content editing and proofreading; Summarizing and paraphrasing; Reporting verbs  

- editing for structure, academic style, grammar, supporting claims with evidence

- Reporting verbs and reporting verb tenses 

Choosing paraphrase or quotation

Introduction to thesis writing; Seminar papers

Writing about methodology and data; Academic presentation skills

- Explaining methodology and rationale; Discussing and interpreting data in figures, graphs and tables 

Writing resources: Seminar paper guidelines; The Manchester Academic Phrasebank

Thesis structure, parts and exercises

Academic presentation skills: presenting a thesis or academic research

     

 
Charles University | Information system of Charles University | http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-329.html