春季英語學術寫作課

3月期間我們(men) 會(hui) 再加設一個(ge) “學術寫(xie) 作”班，為(wei) 有需要的同學們(men) 在春季學期中同步進行學習(xi) 。

學術寫(xie) 作課

對於(yu) 將來希望留學的同學們(men) 來說，把英文學術寫(xie) 作比喻成任何一門學科的敲門磚，是毫不誇張的，但遺憾的是，太多同學們(men) 都是到了來美國上高中上大學後才認識到這個(ge) 問題，那時才不得不擠課餘(yu) 時間找我們(men) 來補課，搞得同學們(men) 學習(xi) 壓力很大很辛苦。這個(ge) 問題也是美國各大高校對新生十分頭疼的一個(ge) 問題。

NYU紐約大學每年都強製性地要求所有專(zhuan) 業(ye) 的國際留學大一新生，參加半年到一年不等的學術寫(xie) 作課程，學費自理；葉教授所在的大學也是每個(ge) 學期結束時，各個(ge) 院係教授一起專(zhuan) 門開會(hui) ，討論有什麽(me) 新方法能加強學生的寫(xie) 作能力。

學術寫(xie) 作是真正滲入到留學生們(men) 每天日常學習(xi) 工作中的，無論是美高還是美本，碩士博士那就更不用說了。無論是人文學科的閱讀分析，理工科的實驗報告，商科的presentation講稿，還是大到課程或者畢業(ye) 論文，等等，都是學術寫(xie) 作的一部分。

它是一門必不可少的技能，但又與(yu) 記敘文性質的文學創作有著截然不同的要求和規範，並不是口語好，詞匯量大，就會(hui) 學術寫(xie) 作了，它需要專(zhuan) 門的學習(xi) 掌握。國內(nei) 的一些國際高中，還會(hui) 簡單講一下學術寫(xie) 作要求（他們(men) 更重視口語聽力這些利於(yu) 體(ti) 現教學成績的項目），而國內(nei) 的普通高中，那更是提都不提，導致學生們(men) 對一些最基本的概念，譬如什麽(me) 是thesis，都一臉懵圈。這確實讓我們(men) 感到無奈又可惜。

中文不太好的美國長大的同學們(men) ，也可以參看以下鏈接的英文版課程介紹：

“Academic Writing” Course Introduction

Academic Writing is something that truly permeates into our daily studying and working, whether it's in high school or college, and especially in graduate or doctoral programs. Whether it's the analysis of academic articles, the reports of experiments in STEM fields, presentations in business courses, or even theses and dissertations, academic writing is a crucial component. Academic writing is an indispensable skill that has vastly different requirements and standards compared to narrative literature or creative writing. Moreover, having good oral presentation skills and a large vocabulary doesn't automatically translate to proficiency in academic writing; it requires dedicated study to master.

Academic writing is the key that unlocks the door to any discipline and majors in colleges. Unfortunately, many students only realize this after entering colleges, and then have to squeeze in writing classes into their tight schedules, making the learning experience stressful and challenging. This issue has become such a headache for universities and colleges that many of them, like New York University (NYU), mandate academic writing courses to all freshman students of every major, which ranging from six months to a year. At Messiah University where Professor Ye teaches, professors from various departments would convene at the end of each semester to discuss new teaching methods to enhance students' writing abilities.

Our "Academic Writing" course starts from the basics of academic essays, covering all the way from how to brainstorm, draft, revise, to finalize papers, detailing the entire process and framework. Then, we would delve into the critical thinking process involved in writing, the three major elements of academic essays, characteristics and differences of various academic essay genres, and specific writing techniques and tips. Lastly, we would discuss common academic bibliography styles such as MLA and APA, how to correctly cite others' work to avoid unintentional plagiarism, and the specifics of citation guidelines. These are all essential components of academic writing.

Below is the course outline for our "Academic Writing" course. The course consists of 30 hours in total, divided into 15 lessons, with each lesson lasting 2 hours.

15 Lessons	Table of Contents Total 4 chapters / 77 units
Lesson 1	Course introduction Document design: A gallery of models Sample e-mail message (PDF) Sample Résumé (PDF) Sample MLA formatting: essay (PDF) Sample APA formatting: essay (PDF) C1: Planning C1-a: Assessing the writing situation
Lesson 2	C1-b: Exploring your subject C1-c: Drafting and revising a working thesis statement How to solve five common problems with thesis statements Student writing thesis statement examples analysis C1-d: Drafting a plan
Lesson 2	Homework: EXERCISE C1-3 Purpose and audience EXERCISE C1-5 Thesis statements EXERCISE C1-7 Introductions
Lesson 3	C2: Drafting C2-a: Drafting an introduction C2-b: Drafting the body C2-c: Drafting a conclusion
Lesson 4	C5: Writing paragraphs C5-a: Focusing on a main point C5-b: Developing the main point C5-c: Choosing a suitable pattern
Lesson 4	Homework: EXERCISE C5-2 Topic sentences
Lesson 5	C5-d: Making paragraphs coherent C5-e: Adjusting paragraph length
Lesson 5	Homework: EXERCISE C5-4 Transitions
Lesson 6	C3: Reviewing, revising, and editing Nancy Somers on the Composing Process Video C3-a: Seeing revision as a social process C3-b: Using peer review: Revise with comment C3-c: Using peer review: Give constructive comments How to write helpful peer review comments Strategies for revising with comments C3-d: Highlights of one student's peer review process C3-e: Approaching global revision in cycles C3-f: Revising and editing sentences How to improve your writing with an editing log C3-g: Proofreading the final manuscript C3-i: Formatting the final manuscript
Lesson 6	Homework: EXERCISE C3-1 Conducting a peer review
Lesson 7	Writing guide: How to write a literacy narrative C3-h: Sample student revision: Literacy narrative C4: Preparing a portfolio; reflecting on your writing C4-a: Understanding the benefits of reflection C4-b: student writing: Reflective letter for a portfolio Writing guide: Reflective letter
Lesson 7	Homework: EXERCISE C3-2 Choosing an appropriate point of view
Lesson 8	A1: Reading and writing critically A1-a: Reading actively How to read actively (video 3：01) How to read like a writer A1-b: Outlining a text to identify main ideas A1-c: Summarizing to deepen your understanding A1-d: Analyzing to demonstrate your critical thinking How to draft an analytical thesis statement (video 3:15) How to draft an analytical thesis statement What is an analytical essay? (video 2:41) Writing guide: Analytical essay A1-e: Sample essay: Analysis of an article
Lesson 9	A2: Reading and writing about images and multimodal texts A2-a: Reading actively A2-b: Outlining to identify main ideas How to write a summary of a multimodal text A2-c: Summarizing to deepen your understanding A2-d: Analyzing to demonstrate your critical reading A2-e: Sample student writing: Analysis of an advertisement A3: Reading arguments What is a researched argument? (video 2:41) A3-a: Distinguishing between reasonable and fallacious argumentative tactics
Lesson 9	Homework: EXERCISE A3-1 Logical fallacies
Lesson 10	A3-b: Distinguishing between legitimate and unfair emotional appeals A3-c: Judging how fairly a writer handles opposing views A4: Writing arguments A4-a: Identifying your purpose and context A4-b: Viewing your audience as a panel of jurors A4-c: Establishing your credibility and stating your position
Lesson 10	Homework: EXERCISE A3-2 Evaluating arguments
Lesson 11	How to develop an argumentative thesis (video 2:45) How to draft a thesis statement for an argument A4-d: Backing up your thesis with persuasive lines of argument A4-e: Supporting your claims with specific evidence A4-f: Anticipating objections; countering opposing arguments How to address a counterargument (video 2:45) A4-g: Building common ground A4-h: Sample student writing: Argument Writing guide: Argument essay
Lesson 12	A5: Speaking confidently A5-a: Identifying your purpose, audience, and context A5-b: Preparing a presentation How to deliver a speech or presentation A5-c: Remixing an essay for a presentation
Lesson 12	Homework: Essay Assignment: Analytical and Argumentative Essay
Lesson 13	MLA: MLA Papers MLA-1: Supporting a thesis MLA-2: Citing sources; avoiding plagiarism
Lesson 13	Homework: EXERCISE MLA 1-1 Thesis statements in MLA papers EXERCISE MLA 2-3 Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers EXERCISE MLA 2-7 Recognizing common knowledge in MLA papers
Lesson 14	MLA-3: Integrating sources Citation at a glance (MLA) MLA-4: Documenting sources
Lesson 14	Homework: EXERCISE MLA 3-1 Integrating sources in MLA papers EXERCISE MLA 3-5 Integrating sources in MLA papers
Lesson 15	MLA-4: Documenting sources MLA-5: Manuscript format; sample research paper
Lesson 15	Homework: EXERCISE MLA 4-1 MLA documentation: in-text citations EXERCISE MLA 4-4 MLA documentation: identifying elements of sources EXERCISE MLA 4-6 MLA documentation: works cited
Total: 15 lessons / 30 hours