English Courses

The Approach of the English Department

Teaching Methodology

In the classroom we see our role as being informative; discussing the students’ previous experience of academic writing and drawing out perceptions of what the expectations of the reader are. We then ask students to analyze possible different approaches from subject specific published sources to specific parts of a paper, and discuss their strengths and weaknesses and the effect of those choices on the reader. To achieve these aims we follow a process-genre approach. This combination of approaches is effective for three reasons: First, it informs the student of textual features associated with specific genres (Johns 1997, Kay and Dudley-Evans 1998, Dudley-Evans 1995, Bhatia 1993, 2002). Secondly, this knowledge then empowers the student to develop and use their analytical skills when reading different genres, to see what options they have when writing their own texts and thus, thirdly, allow students the creativity to craft their own informed writing through a process of drafting, reviewing and revising. The input we offer aims to provide these opportunities, but is also carefully timed to mirror the writers’ progress as they go through their writing process towards the end product.

Consultations

In support of the teaching we spend much time on individual consultations. In the consultation we ask questions and discuss alternatives but leave the writer to make the decision on what changes they then wish to make. We offer advice, or raise issues which we feel the writer needs to address. Much consultation time is spent on students talking us through these decisions on the various parts of their papers in terms of organization, coherence, style etc. We often respond by asking a lot of questions for them to consider based on their decisions. e.g.

• How have you shown the justification for your research?
• How could this claim be given greater support?
• How could this point be made clearer to someone who has not read any of your sources?
• In what way is all the evidence provided relevant to the claim being made?
• How could we rearrange this section to make it more comprehensible to your reader?

We often find that students have very logical reasons for the decisions they have made, especially in the technical and methodological sections that we cannot give professional advice on. However, we always provide guidance, help and advice on the specific areas they come to see us about if they are having problems or if we feel specific areas need more work on them to make them academically more acceptable. We do not want students to leave the consultations negatively in a sea of questions that they feel have not been addressed. However, the final choices and decisions are always the responsibility of the student.

The Courses

Preparatory Semester

Students attending the English preparatory course* will gain experience of the type of approaches used and skills covered during the first year Academic Writing Courses. The skills include critical thinking, reading and writing and the approaches include individual consultations and peer evaluation. Each student will receive input from two members of the English department and will have to write an assignment for each teacher, which will contribute to the overall assessment at the end of the course.

*some students may be exempted from the course depending on the results of a placement test taken by all students at the beginning of the preparatory semester. The exemption is applicable only to the preparatory course.

First Year: Academic Writing

In the first year the main emphasis is put on writing because this is the skill with which students need most help and because this is the most important skill in academic discourse as academics are judged by their writing more than anything and also because academics mainly communicate their ideas through writing.

The first year academic writing courses are designed to develop students’ critical thinking reading and writing skills. We find this an appropriate place to begin as many of our students are weak in critical thinking and reading skills and have little experience in voicing their own thoughts or having critical opinion. This is a major requirement of the Anglo-American approach to academic study and an area many students, despite good English language level, often have problems with.

During the fall semester there will be a concentration on developing summarizing skills leading to critical summary writing to enable you, by the end of the semester, to critically evaluate at least one Economics journal article. The spring semester is devoted mainly to writing a position paper in which you will be able to build on the skills covered in the first semester to critically evaluate several source on the same topic area plus add your own voice and position. Students will be expected to provide their own topic area and find relevant related sources to critique. The course provides necessary practical preparation for the second year of study when you will need to take a critical stance in developing your own research ideas and writing your own research papers.

Academic Writing One

The main aim of this course is to develop students’ critical thinking, reading, writing skills, and summarizing skills so that by the end of the course students will be able to critically summarize an Economics journal article. Topics to be covered include: functions of a summary, levels of prose, abstraction, note taking /collapsing a text, framework for a summary, developing a critical stance, locating the critical stance, consideration of the reader and the writer.

Academic Writing Two

Building upon the analytical reading and summarizing work in Academic Writing I, students will focus on writing a position paper. In a position paper the writer takes a position on a topic in economics based on a critical reading and understanding of various positions on the topic taken by other sources. Topics to be covered include: argumentation, definition, comparison, outlining, style, abstraction, use of citation, distinguishing writer’s voice from sources analyzed.


Second Year: Combined Skills

During your second year you will participate in a one year two semester course on Combined Skills that will build on the critical reading and writing skills covered in your first year and focus on skills that you will need for your current and future studies.

In the fall semester the focus will be on presentation skills and grant proposal writing. Presentation skills are valuable at this point because many students need to give presentations in the various Economics courses. Also students start giving more formal presentations at brown bag seminars or conferences and need to give a presentation of their dissertation proposal in their third year of studies. You will have the opportunity to give several presentations and receive feedback from your tutor and colleagues during the presentations. You will also have the opportunity to observe and critique various oral presentations during the semester. Grant Proposal Writing is included in the fall semester because students at this stage will have the possibility of applying for a World Bank Grant. Also, many students are at a stage where they are considering applying to other granting agencies for financing. Input sessions will be provided on how to write a grant proposal which will help you to write a complete proposal as part of course requirements and to present the proposal as one of the oral presentation requirements.

The spring semester will concentrate on career skills and critical literature review writing, which will also incorporate lectures on research methodology. Career skills will be covered in the first few weeks of the semester. Emphasis here will be on the type of correspondence that students often need to deal with including CV and cover letter writing, interview skills and writing statements of motivation. The major part of the semester will be dedicated to critical literature review writing. It is felt that this is the most relevant time to cover this area as students are starting to read more around the areas of research they are interested in and are beginning to consider dissertations topics. Also students often need to write literature reviews as part of the requirements of various Economics courses and some are writing literature reviews for the own research aims. The research methodology lectures will be given at appropriate times during the course by members of faculty, visiting faculty and relevant experts. At the beginning of the course there will be general input sessions on how to construct the critical literature review, but as the course develops there will be greater emphasis on consultations between the tutor and student, who will decide on an individual plan for the organization and writing of the literature review. Towards the end of the semester students will have the opportunity to practice their oral presentations skills by presenting their reviews to their colleagues or giving a presentation based on the requirements of one of their Economics courses.

The Course Components

Combined Skills One

Oral Presentation Skills

The course will focus on developing and refining oral fluency and presentation skills (including pronunciation) to prepare students for the oral presentations they will be expected to produce as Ph.D. candidates and as economists. Students will be required to give at least 3 presentations during the semester, which will be videotaped and analyzed in consultation with the instructor. As participants in the course, students are also required to give appropriate feedback to their colleagues.

Grant Proposal Writing

The purpose of this component is to prepare students to attain funding for current and future research activities. The input for this part of the course will cover all the basic steps to be taken to secure funding for economic research. Students will be required to write a research grant proposal, following the guidelines of a targeted organization. Evaluation of the proposal will be based on the selected organization’s criteria.

Combined Skills Two

Career Skills

Emphasis will be on the type of correspondence that students often need to deal with for career purposes including CV and cover letter writing, interview skills and writing statements of motivation

Critical Literature Review: for Ph.D. students only

The main aim of this component is to provide an opportunity for students to produce a critical literature review that will form part of a larger piece of academic research; this could be a research paper, research proposal, term paper, dissertation proposal etc. The final course product will be agreed upon between individual students and the course tutor. Students will also be required to give an oral presentation of their reviews or a presentation from the requirements of one of their Economics courses

Research Project: for M.A. students only

The main outcome of this project is a written paper that contains the following sections: Introduction (including, if applicable, Motivation and Statement of the Problem/Question), Literature Review (justifying the problem/question), Methodology, Data (if applicable), Results, and Conclusion. This paper will serve as the written component of the M.A. program, which is required to gain the M.A. degree. This should be a complete and coherent project and paper, not a review or a proposal. In the CS2 course, appropriate input sessions and consultations will be provided to support the completion of the project. Instruction will be tailored as much as possible to the student’s individual needs and desires in completing the project.

Research Methodology Lectures

The Research Methodology lectures are designed to give students input on how to carry out efficient research. The lectures, by being incorporated at appropriate times into the Critical Literature Review component, also provide students with the opportunity for early consideration of possible research areas for their dissertations. The Research Methodology lectures are given by members of faculty, visiting faculty and appropriate experts.

Presentation of Critical Literature Review or Research Proposal

Near the end of the semester, both M.A. and Ph.D. students will have the opportunity to present their research work to date to fellow students and faculty. This presentation is to practice the presentation skills learned in CS1 and also to receive valuable feedback from advisors and peers.