AWC6000 Academic Writing Course Course description

This course offers basic knowledge about sustainable and unsustainable development and the range of framework for sustainability transitions. Emphasis is put on the relationship between rich and poor countries.

The course will highlight the various uses of the term sustainability, sustainable/unsustainable development, the Anthropocene and the Capitalocene. Students will learn about the problems and challenges that these concepts address, and the main historical trajectories of global development that have brought us to the present situation. A main objective of the course is to introduce the students to insights and tools to critically discuss the broad range of choices about sustainability transitions.

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After completion of the course, the student will have acquired the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate has in-depth knowledge of:

• the writing conventions and rhetorical patterns needed for international publication in their field
• revision, editing and development strategies needed for international publication
• principles of applied textual analysis for writing development

Skills

The candidate can:

• formulate academic texts in English intended for international publication
• transform awareness of textual features into specific writing strategies
• analyse and describe trends and features of their field¿s academic English

General competence

The candidate can:

• can identify and establish connections between writing practices, writing conventions and research traditions in their fields
• discuss and give feedback on a range of academic texts and issues
• can reflect on and document their current practices and how these can be developed

Learning and Teaching Forms

The course is held each semester.

• The course language is English throughout.
• The course will include task-based teaching, focusing on problems typical for Norwegian writers of academic English.
• In each session the group will work on two draft documents submitted by participants. The group works together on improvements.
• The rest of the session will focus on analytical and short writing and thinking tasks, aimed at rooting writing conventions in participants¿ disciplinary knowledge

Participants are expected to work on their papers between sessions, assimilating into their own work topics raised during class.

Participants will be responsible for distributing their manuscripts to the group at least a week before the session dealing with their work.

Attendance:

• In order to take the exam, and be eligible for study points, the participant must have attended at least five of the six sessions.[1]

Compulsory tasks:

• A completed needs analysis form, and an academic text (an unedited manuscript, approx. 5 pages, double spaced font sized 12) must be submitted prior to the first course session.
• Active participation in all group sessions.
• Resubmission of the academic text in progress for discussion in the group.
• Final resubmission of this text, revised further, for the exam.
• A reflective statement, describing the candidate¿s experience of and responses to the course.

[1]Minor amendment 20.02.2017.

Individual oral exam consists of a 15 minute presentation, containing a visual element (e.g. a PowerPoint or Prezi), describing how the participant's article has developed over the course and how they expect it to develop subsequently, followed by a 15 minute discussion with the examiners, testing the reasoning behind the participant's writing decisions, their understanding of concepts covered, and their ability to further develop the text.

Pass/Fail.

The exam will be assessed by two internal examiners.