logo
x

Academic Writing (Social Sciences and Humanities)

  • 4.8 Rating
  • (3 Reviews)
  • 0 User Enrolled

Academic Writing (Social Sciences and Humanities)

This course foregrounds the development of academic writing skills. It covers topics including developing an academic syntax, writing research proposals, abstracts and journal articles.

  • 4.8 Rating
  • (3 Reviews)
  • 0 User Enrolled
  • ₨8,000.00
  • Course Includes
  • To be offered online
  • Downloadable resources including handouts in MS Wo...
  • Lifetime access to the learner subject to the univ...
Tags:



What you will learn

  • Develop an academic vocabulary
  • Modify sentence structures and vocabulary
  • Paraphrase, summarise and synthesise information
  • Avoid plagiarism and to become practiced in citing sources
  • Write abstracts
  • Write well-knit essays

Course Content

9 sections • 79 lectures • 05h 14m total length
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 1.5 HRS

DESCRIPTION

This module focuses on distinguishing between formal and informal writing and foregrounds the manifest characteristics of informal modes of writing. Keeping in mind the requirements of learners for whom English is a second language, it also highlights colloquial and slang expressions as elements to be avoided in academic writing.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

In this module, the students will learn to 

  1. Differentiate  between formal and informal writing,
  2. Distinguish between informal, slang and colloquial languages,
  3. Differentiate between texts on the basis of their purposes.

KEY QUESTIONS:

In this module, the students will explore the following key questions:

  1. What do we mean by formal and informal language? 
  2. What sorts of language do they generally have access to on a day to day basis?
  3. How can one avoid using slang and colloquial expressions in academic writing? 
  4. What is meant by error and mistake? 
  5. How can we determine whether a text is formal or informal? 

MODULE CONTENT:

  • Introduction: What not to do in academic writing
  • How to distinguish between formal and informal writing

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES:

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Pdf/PowerPoint/Lecture Notes
  • Worksheets
  • Reference Materials

ONLINE LINKS:

  1. How to Use Formal and Informal English - English Speaking and Writing Fluency - YouTube
  2. Slide 1 (flinders.edu.au)
  3. Formal and informal language - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

ASSIGNMENTS:

The participants of this module will 

  • Discuss with their teacher what problems they face while engaging in academic writing; 
  • Fill a worksheet wherein they will give examples of colloquial, slang and informal expressions prevalent in their respective contexts;
  • Read multiple kinds of texts and identify formal/informal components of writing within them to determine their purpose;
  • Submit an evaluation of the impact of what they learned from Unit 1 will have on their practice as they prepare for Unit 2.
mb
Informal, Slang and Colloquial Language - by Dr. Asma
mb
What is Academic Writing - by Dr. Asma
mb
Online Links - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 1 Recorded Lecture - Part1 - by Dr. Asma
20min
Module 1 Recorded Lecture (Part2) - by Dr. Asma
12min
Module 1 Recorded Lecture (Part 3) - by Dr. Asma
14min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 7.5 HRS

Description:

In this module, the students will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the foundational tenets of accuracy involved in academic writing. These include developing an understanding of the basic rules of grammar in practice as well as an academic flavor in writing through the appropriate choice of vocabulary. It also focuses on developing an appropriate phraseology while maintaining cohesion and caution within the written text.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this module, the students will be able to

  1. Ensure accuracy in writing primarily at the sentential level.
  2. Develop insight into a more context-appropriate and formal usage of vocabulary. 
  3. Write in a grammatically and syntactically cohesive manner.

COURSE CONTENTS:

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. The rules of capitalization
  2. The usage of abbreviations
  3. The deployment of academic vocabulary
  4. Functional grammar (utilizing adverbs, adjectives, word conversions, confusing pairs of words, etc.)
  5. Ensuring cohesion and caution in academic writing

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES:

  • Pre-recorded Lectures
  • Worksheets
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

LECTURE VIDEO:

Links: 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

Bailey, Stephen. Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students (Routledge Study Guides). 2003. London: Routledge, 2006.

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES:

  1. A comprehensive worksheet  that covers exercises pertaining to the rules of capitalization and abbreviation, deployment of articles, adverbs and academic vocabulary. It also focuses on developing cohesion, caution and appropriate vocabulary along with functional grammar as is required in academic writing.
mb
Lecture Presentation - by Dr. Asma
mb
Lecture Notes - by Dr. Asma
mb
Lecture Notes II - by Dr. Asma
mb
Transcript II - by Dr. Asma
mb
Preposition and Phrases - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Material - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 2 Recorded Lecture (Part 4) - by Dr. Asma
10min
Module 2 Recorded Lecture (Part 5) - by Dr. Asma
8min
Module 2 Recorded Lecture (Part 3) - by Dr. Asma
10min
Module 2 Recorded Lecture (Part 2) - by Dr. Asma
16min
Module 2 Recorded Lecture (Part 1) - by Dr. Asma
22min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 6 HRS

DESCRIPTION:

In this module, the students will learn how to write meaningful sentences with particular emphasis on word order and cohesion. Beginning from identifying the basic elements of sentence structure, ranging from voice and tenses, to constructing different types of sentences, this module moves on to paragraph writing, elaborating how sentences can be smoothly and cohesively interconnected in  a paragraph. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

In this module, the students will learn to 

  1. identify and connect clauses and phrases in meaningful sentences
  2. write simple, compound and complex sentences and learn about conversions across all these categories
  3. structure questions, statements, assertions, etc., in terms of word order, with particular emphasis on correct tenses and voice
  4. apply the basic requirements of paragraph writing
  5. place transitions and signposts to establish cohesion through context-based grammatical accuracy

MODULE CONTENTS:

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. Clauses and phrases
  2. Tenses and Active and Passive Voice
  3. Simple, compound and complex sentences
  4. Adding details in sentences
  5. Avoiding clunky and run-on sentences
  6. The structure of a paragraph: topical unity and grammatical correctness

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES:

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Handouts
  • Worksheets
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

ONLINE LINKS:

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

Oshima, Alice & Ann Hogue. Writing Academic English. Longman, 2006

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES:

  1. Worksheet 1 covers the elements of sentence construction along with types of sentences with particular emphasis on grammatical accuracy and cohesion.
  2. Worksheet 2 covers the basic elements of paragraph writing in terms of its structure.
  3. Worksheet 3 reinforces the earlier basic lessons by integrating paragraph writing with a short literary text, wherein the students will write a response to the text in the form of a paragraph.
mb
Lecture Slides - by Dr. Asma
mb
Lecture Handouts - by Dr. Asma
mb
Sentence Structure - by Dr. Asma
mb
Passives and Tenses - by Dr. Asma
mb
Passive Voice Rules - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Material - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 3 Recorded Lecture - by Dr. Asma
23min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 6 HRS

DESCRIPTION

This module focuses on three vital skills that are of paramount importance in academic writing, specifically with the purpose of avoiding plagiarism. These skills include paraphrasing, and summarising information. This module focuses on illustrating the difference between good and bad paraphrasing, converting quotations into indirect quotes and writing dumbed down summaries through carefully designed worksheets. This module is a precursor to the next two modules that focus on citation styles. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students will be able to

  1. Learn the basic skills for avoiding plagiarism
  2. Convert direct quotes to indirect quotes
  3. Paraphrase texts 
  4. Identify key points in texts and using them as buttresses for summary writing

MODULE CONTENTS

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. Identifying and avoiding plagiarism
  2. Paraphrasing techniques
  3. Summary writing techniques

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Handouts and Worksheets
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

    • Bailey, Stephen. Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students (Routledge Study Guides). 2003. London: Routledge, 2006.
    • Oshima, Alice & Ann Hogue. Writing Academic English. Longman, 2006

ONLINE LINKS:

  1. Avoiding Plagiarism: Writing With Integrity - YouTube
  2. English Writing - Paraphrasing - YouTube
  3. The Art of Paraphrasing: Avoiding Plagiarism - YouTube
  4. PTE Writing: Summarize Written Text | SUPER METHOD! - YouTube

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES

The students will attempt 2 worksheets with multiple exercises ranging across the simple to difficult range pertaining to the skills involved in avoiding plagiarism, conversion of quotes, paraphrasing and summarising.

mb
Lecture Slides - by Dr. Asma
mb
Lecture Handouts - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Material - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 4 - Recorded Lecture (Part 1) - by Dr. Asma
5min
Module 4 Recorded Lecture (Part 2) - by Dr. Asma
10min
Module 4 Recorded Lecture (Part 3) - by Dr. Asma
11min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 6HRS

DESCRIPTION

This module focuses on introducing students to the conventions of citation especially in the Humanities. Through various worksheets, it enables the students to develop a practical understanding of the conventions of MLA in terms of formatting long and short quotes, in-text citations and preparing a comprehensive works cited list. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students will be able to 

 

  • Utilize citations in academic writing.
  • Minimize plagiarism.

 

  1. Practice the conventions of writing quotes in the MLA style 8th ed.
  2. Deploy the conventions of creating a reference list according to the MLA style 8th ed.

MODULE CONTENT

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. Why Cite? To Avoid Plagiarism
  2. What is MLA?
  3. How to format quotations
  4. MLA in-text Citations
  5. How to Prepare Works Cited List

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Handouts and Worksheets
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

  1. MLA 8th Edition Changes // Purdue Writing Lab
  2. What’s New in the Eighth Edition | Modern Language Association (mla.org)

ONLINE LINKS:

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES

The students will attempt a worksheet based on a practical application of the conventions of MLA citation style.

mb
Lecture Slides - by Dr. Asma
mb
MLA: Works Cited - by Dr. Asma
mb
MLA: In-Text-Citations - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Material - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 5 Recorded Lecture (Part 1) - by Dr. Asma
16min
Module 5 Recorded Lecture (Part 2) - by Dr. Asma
12min
Module 5 Recorded Lecture (Part 3) - by Dr. Asma
21min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 6HRS

DESCRIPTION

This module focuses on introducing students to the conventions of citation especially in the Social Sciences. With the help of handouts and worksheets, it enables the students to develop a practical understanding of the conventions of APA in terms of formatting long and short quotes, in-text citations and preparing a comprehensive list of end references works cited list. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students will be able to 

  1. Practice the conventions of writing quotes in the APA style.
  2. Give in-text citations following the APA style.
  3. Deploy the conventions of creating a reference list according to the APA style.

MODULE CONTENT

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. What is APAA?
  2. How to format quotations
  3. APA in-text Citations
  4. How to give a reference list in APA

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Handouts and Worksheets
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

  1. APA Style 
  2. APA Style Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab

ONLINE LINKS:

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES

The students will attempt a worksheet based on a practical application of the conventions of APA citation style.

mb
Lecture Slides - by Dr. Fouzia
mb
Reference Material: APA Referencing - by Dr. Fouzia
mb
Reference Material: APA Referencing II - by Dr. Fouzia
mb
Reference Material: APA Style Sheet - by Dr. Fouzia
mb
Reference Material: APA Style Sheet II - by Dr. Fouzia
mb
Reference Links - by Dr. Fouzia
mb
mb
Module 6 Recorded Lecture - by Dr. Fouzia
15min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 3 HRS

DESCRIPTION

This module focuses on the basics of abstract and research proposal writing. Its emphasis is on highlighting the basic elements of abstracts and proposals and the appropriate structuring of the argument so that the key interventions of the document become clear at the very onset. It also focuses on writing an abstract for research papers to be sent for consideration in international journals. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students will be able to

  1. Write abstracts 
  2. Determine the appropriate structure of a research proposal
  3. Write a cogent research proposal

MODULE CONTENTS

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. Learning how to write an abstract
  2. Determining the structure of an abstract in line with the aims and scopes of different journals
  3. Learning how to write a solid research proposal

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Assignments
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

ONLINE VIDEO LINKS

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

  • Handouts prepared by the instructor

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES

The students will analyse the key elements of a research proposal through sample research proposals.

mb
Abstract Structure - by Dr. Asma
mb
Sample Abstract - by Dr. Asma
mb
Preparing Research Proposals - by Dr. Asma
mb
Research Proposal: Sample I - by Dr. Asma
mb
Research Proposal: Sample II - by Dr. Asma
mb
Research Proposal: Sample III - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Links - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity: Research Proposal to Study - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity: Research Proposal - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 7 Recorded Lecture - by Dr. Asma
32min
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 6 HRS

DESCRIPTION

This module moves towards highlighting the technical aspects of writing an academic essay. It defines the basic requirements of an academic essay, beginning with the note taking techniques that can also be utilized in the preliminary stages of writing a research paper. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students will be able to:

  1. Engage in note taking
  2. Write cogent and coherent introductions to academic essays
  3. Situate themselves and their contexts within their arguments
  4. Organise the structure of their academic essays effectively
  5. Write comprehensive conclusions.

MODULE CONTENTS

The topics to be covered in this module include:

  1. Learning how to write the introduction, body and conclusion of an academic essay
  2. How to ensure appropriate divisions and transitions among paragraphs

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Assignments
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

ONLINE VIDEO LINKS

How to Write a Formal University Essay - YouTube

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

  • Handouts prepared by Instructor
  • Oshima, Alice & Ann Hogue. Writing Academic English. Longman, 2006

LEARNERS’ TASKS/ACTIVITIES

The students will write an academic essay based on a literary text while adhering to the conventions of the MLA citation style for reinforcement.

mb
How to Write Essay - by Dr. Asma
mb
Notes Taking Sheet - by Dr. Asma
mb
Notes Taking Sample Sheet - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Link - by Dr. Asma
mb
Activity - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 8 Recorded Lecture - by Dr. Asma
31min
Module 8 Activity - by Dr. Asma
mb
Introduction - by Dr. Asma

DURATION: 4.5 HRS

DESCRIPTION

The final module of the certificate course moves towards highlighting the technical aspects of writing research papers. It highlights the key ingredients involved in the more advanced form of academic writing, i.e., research papers for publications in journals. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students will be able to:

  1. Write cogent and coherent introductions to research papers.
  2. Situate themselves and their contexts within their arguments.
  3. Identify the gap for their research paper
  4. Organise the structure of their research papers effectively.
  5. Review already existing research, using bibliographies and footnotes for direction.
  6. Write comprehensive conclusions.

MODULE CONTENTS

The topics to be covered in this module include

  1. Learning how to write the introduction, body and conclusion of a research paper
  2. How to ensure appropriate divisions and transitions among paragraphs
  3. Exploring venues for publication of research papers. 

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Assignments
  • Videos and other audio/visual media 

ONLINE VIDEO LINKS

Writing a journal paper - YouTube

Writing a Research Paper in the Humanities - YouTube

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

  1. Instructional materials prepared by the instructor
mb
Lecture Slides - by Dr. Asma
mb
Lecture Handouts - by Dr. Asma
mb
Reference Material - by Dr. Asma
mb
Module 9 Recorded Lecture - by Dr. Asma
26min

Requirements

  • SSC, O-Levels or equivalent

Description

Duration of the course:

  • 8 weeks (48 credit hours)

Prerequisites:

    1. The candidate must have a secondary schools certificate or completed O-Levels. 
    2. Some preliminary understanding of the English Language

Detail:

The purpose of this course is to focus on developing one’s academic writing skills. It introduces the students to the differences between informal or colloquial modes of writing and the more formal modes of expression that are required in academic writing at the university level. It serves to make one more adept in the usage of the linguistic, rhetorical and argumentative strategies that one would require in their senior academic courses. It remains acutely aware of the linguistic requirements of students situated across a multi-cultural spectrum.

Recently Added Courses

blog
Last Updated 15th June 2023
  • 0
  • ₨8,000.00
blog
Last Updated 12th June 2023
  • 0
  • ₨8,000.00
blog
Last Updated 11th June 2023
  • 0
  • ₨8,000.00
blog
Last Updated 13th June 2023
  • 3
  • ₨8,000.00
blog
Last Updated 1st February 2023
  • 0
  • ₨8,000.00

About the Instructor

instructor
About the Instructor

Student Feedback

4.8
Course Rating
100%  
87%  
100%  

MA
22-11-2022
Manal Arshad

The 'Academic Writing ' course was taught really well. My experience here was exciting and amazing. The instructor has a full grasp on the subject. She is knowledgeable and professional. In short, it was definitely a great learning experience.


AK
22-11-2022
ATIKA KHALID

It has been a great learning experience at Directorate of Distance Learning with my instructor Dr Asma Mansoor. Her updated knowledge in the field, technical know-how, wit and wisdom are truly admirable. It is highly commendable the way she has designed the academic writing course; her live sessions were the best part of the course. She made sure that all our queries regarding academic writing were addressed. I am extremely grateful to her for her constructive criticism of my work.