Unit 1 Overview: Academic Writing
Academic Writing: Listening and Responding to the Conversation
Our first unit this semester will focus specifically on college composition as both a topic of study and a skill that you can develop. This unit will model the steps academic writers use to join a conversation.
First, we will look at First Year Composition (FYC) and how it helps students understand the conventions of Academic Writing.
If we see “First-Year Composition” as the general topic of conversation, we’ll be addressing three themes within this conversation:
- The Role of FYC
- The Five Paragraph Essay
- Standardized English Grammar
As we read through the essays and resources during this unit, think about how the version of FYC presented in the assigned texts might be similar to or different from your initial assumptions about this course.
- What did you expect to learn in EGL 1010?
- Are the definitions of academic writing in these documents match what you already thought of as “strong” writing?
- Are the methods of teaching writing in these documents the same as how you were taught to write in past courses?
- How do these documents and articles make you rethink your definition of good writing and what it means to be a good writer?
As you read through the materials for this unit, you should start looking for emergent themes. Emergent themes are similarities in ideas, tone, and approach that the articles and documents might share.
- What ideas about writing do you see coming up again and again?
- Where can you draw similarities between voices? Which authors agree?
- Where do you see differences between voices? Which authors disagree?
You should also consider your own response to the topic of FYC and Academic Writing. What confuses you? What do you agree or disagree with? What questions do you still need answered?
In this unit, we will cover the following topics:
- Writing Studies and Threshold Concepts
- Understanding Argument
- Summary: Listening to the Conversation
- Analysis: Responding to the Conversation
- Synthesis: Joining to the Conversation
In this unit, students will practice the following skills:
- Identifying the claims, reasons, and evidence of an argument
- Summarizing texts
- Integrating quotations responsibly
- Paraphrasing information
- Using MLA citation style
- Responding through analysis
- Synthesis
- Unified paragraphing
- Avoiding plagiarism
