Academic Writing for Graduate Students (CIP)

Good academic writing is clear, precise, and persuasive. It engages critically with source material and communicates ideas effectively. Well-written texts contribute to conversations with peers both within and across disciplines.

This course, delivered through a series of interactive seminars, provides you with the opportunity to write in English within your own field of study, discuss your writing with international peers and receive constructive feedback. Through regular writing practice, you will strengthen both your research and communication skills.

Choose a research problem to investigate (for example, a subject in your major courses). As the semester unfolds, follow the stages of researching and writing as two interlinked processes:
- focus your research question,
- find and review relevant literature,
- collect the best evidence to argue for the importance of your research project.

• Read like a writer. Analyse model texts and sample texts written by your peers to better understand rhetorical strategies and stylistic conventions of selected academic text types. 

• Practise writing and giving feedback. Draft four sections of your research paper: an abstract/summary of your research question/problem, an extended definition of a key concept, a literature review and an argumentative synthesis. You will discuss these drafts with your peers and receive comments from your tutor.

The semester of reading, writing and exchanging ideas with international peers from various disciplines will help you to become a better academic communicator. This course will assist you in your future writing, not only in English, but also in your other languages.

Testimonials

This course has changed my writing in general. It has also had a huge impact on how I read. I notice more often now when something is written very well or how well structured an article is.

Scarlett (MA, Germany)

Thanks to this course I have achieved more confidence in writing and I have started writing also for pleasure, and not only for academic purposes.

Valentina (MA, Italy)

This course definitely helped me with writing in my own field. In Germany we mostly use German literature and therefore don’t take English literature into consideration too much. I think that I am looking at my field of study from a broader perspective now. This has also effects on my writing: I am more conscious about the sources I use and I think more thoroughly about how I write.

Marie-Therese (MA, Germany)

My writing skill is better than it used to be. Also, my vocabulary has developed. I feel very pleased with the course materials, because if I have issues with my next academic assignment, then I know where to look. 

Mart (MA, Estonia)

Questions regarding the course content can be emailed to AcademicEnglish@hum.ku.dk.