Expository writing or academic writing is a type of writing that is used to convey information correctly and effectively to those who do not have prior knowledge of the topic. Knowledge and skills for expository writing are essential for students' future career, as professional members in society are asked to write a number of documents and reports. In this course, the instructor will help students learn how to write grammatically correct and coherent, logical texts on a given topic in English in a small class setting. The instructor is a native English speaker with a lot of experience in research and writing papers and patents at academic institutions and in the pharmaceutical industry.
The aim of this course is to help students learn how to write grammatically correct and coherent, logical texts on research topics or any other topics of interest.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. give descriptions of people, machinery and objects in English.
2. give explanations for observations made in experiments in English.
3. compare and contrast objects of interest in English.
4. write grammatically correct and coherent, logical paragraphs in English.
Academic writing, Expository writing
Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
The flow of each class is basically as follows: (1) Introduction to each topic, (2) class or group discussion to unpack ideas and expand ideas on a specific topic, (3) session of technical vocabulary and definitions, (4) impromptu writing, and (5) homework writing assignment.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Level Check Interview/ Orientation/ Class Rules | Students should understand the outline and class rules for the course |
Class 2 | Introduction to Academic Writing | Students should be able to identify differences between academic and non-academic writing |
Class 3 | How to Write an Introduction | Students should be able to write an introduction to describe a new topic or concept |
Class 4 | Definitions, Vocabulary and Word Origin | Students should be able to write simple or extended definitions for technical terms in their study field |
Class 5 | How to Write About a Technical Process | Students should be able to write a description about a technical process |
Class 6 | How to Write Descriptions of Devices or Machinery | Students should be able to write a description about a technical device or machinery |
Class 7 | How to Write Instructions for a Procedure | Students should be able to write instructions for a procedure |
Class 8 | How to Tabulate Experimental Data | Students should be able to write experimentally determined data in tabulated form |
Class 9 | How to Prepare Visual Aids of Tabulated Data | Students should be able to prepare visual aids from tabulated data |
Class 10 | Comparing and Contrasting | Students should be able to compare and contrast two objects or concepts based on characteristics |
Class 11 | How to Write about Results | Students should be able to write about results for a poster or paper |
Class 12 | How to Write a Discussion about Results | Students should be able to write a discussion about results for a poster or paper |
Class 13 | Writing Conclusion Statements | Students should be able to write conclusion statements for a poster or paper |
Class 14 | How to Write an Abstract | Students should be able to write an abstract for a poster or paper |
Class 15 | How to Write a Review or Critique | Students should be able to write reviews or critiques for an article or presentations |
Longman Writing Series 3: Paragraphs to Essays (Alice Oshima & Ann Hogue, Pearson Education) ISBN: 978-0134663326
Specified by the instructor as necessary.
"Students' knowledge of writing skills and their ability to apply the skills to writing situations will be assessed.
Midterm and final exams 60%, exercise problems 40%."
English learners at any level are welcome.