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Instructors: Michael A.C. Claridge
Event type:
Practice class
Displayed in timetable as:
05.008.520
Hours per week:
2
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | 45
Requirements / organisational issues:
Advanced Academic Writing II: “No (wo)man is an island…”
The name for this class is adapted from John Donne, a poet and theologian, a contemporary of William Shakespeare: “No man is an Island, entire of it self.” Donne comments how one person’s actions and fate can affect each of us, as fellow-members of “Mankind” – a key idea when we consider how the world, political blocs, and countries are – or should be – governed, and our role in this as citizens and voters. He underlines the need for people to work together for the general good, to collaborate – something that is also necessary for effective communication, since it only when we work together with our listeners and readers that we will be focussed on genuine communication, on dialogue, rather than producing a one-sided monologue or even rant (as in the SMS, Twitter and email communication of certain people!). We will be considering in this course specifically how, as writers of essays and speakers in presentations and discussions, we can enter into an effective ‘dialogue’ with our reader(s)/listener(s) such as will enable us to persuade them of our central thesis.
This course will have two interwoven threads, one language-skills-related and the other developing out of the thematic context which will provide us with the underlying subject matter, a topic requiring participants to think carefully about ‘audience’ focus when writing and speaking in the academic (and other!) context. Thus, the course will provide a chance to refresh your thinking about academic essay-writing shortly before you begin work on your MA dissertation.
What constitutes a good, persuasive essay? How can a writer most effectively structure it: what elements are needed? What are the key considerations with regard to content: how to check for relevance but also sufficient support? Why is the tone so important: how to avoid offending/alienating (but also patronising) the reader? At the language level, how can resources of vocabulary and syntax be best mobilised to make sense easily understandable and unambiguous? We will study sample essays and their constituent elements to tease out answers to these questions – which will sometimes involve analysing why we might consider a given example a bad essay! This will lead to written work of your own, via peer feedback.
The source material for our considerations will come via a mini-simulation in which you will be members of a commission responsible for deciding on a practicable form of government for a new (fictitious!) country, created through the agreement of two former enemies to unite and form one single state. Thus, each party will be seeking to persuade the other. There will be informal and formal discussions as well as professional mini-presentations both leading to and resulting from the writing and studying of formal position papers, reviews of policy statements, and real-life documents from a variety of sources.
Essentially, discussions and position papers will be seeking a solution to the question whether ‘direct democracy’ and ‘representative democracy’ are irreconcilable opposites, or whether a middle way can be developed that allows genuine, meaningful participation by ‘us the people’ but also ensures that the state functions nationally and internationally. And further: Is true equality possible in such a system of governance, or will the majority always ‘outgun’ the minority?
In short, this will be a content-based integrated-skills class, involving speaking, (carefully!) listening, reading and writing. The two strands – primarily advanced essay-writing skills and the attempt to find a solution for our new country – will ultimately come together in a final argumentative essay that will form the basis of the module examination.
Materials will be provided: more in the first class session!
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