Intercultural Market Communication (English)

Brief introduction to academic writing 5th semester, BA-SIV

Academic writing

Planning a piece of writing:  Look out for new terminology and if necessary ask the meaning of terms in different subjects.  Use brainstorming to clarify what you know and what you think before you start any new piece of work    Prepare a mind-map Do not expect that you can get your writing right the first time you do it.

Be prepared to think broadly before you focus in on a question or a particular assignment.

Academic Writing Mindmapping

 Mind mapping resource http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CiLL/mindmap.htm

Exercise: Draw up a mind-map to plan an essay about cultural sensitivity based on Hofstede’s theory

Academic Writing

Key elements of university essay writing   Developing an argument Linking theory and evidence    Drawing a conclusion Analysing Being critical      Developing a central idea Processing information Incorporating facts Correct terminology Logical order

Academic Writing

 Use of evidence to support an argument  Use of primary texts  Use of quotations  Expressing own opinions

Academic Writing

The traditional essay format approach to writing  Introduction: What is this essay going to be about?

 Main body: What are the themes that I am developing to support my argument?

 Conclusion: What are the consequences of what I have written?

Academic Writing

Academic keywords   Discuss Explain    Compare and contrast Describe Analyse      Illustrate Evaluate Outline Critically examine Assess

Academic Writing

Notes  Give yourself plenty of time to analyse the assignment at the beginning  Remember to keep the question in mind at all stages of writing the assignment  Every assignment needs its own analysis  Remember there is unlikely to be one right answer to a question

Academic Writing

Two referencing systems: a) One system uses a numbering system in the text with notes at the end of the chapter or areticle; this system often also uses extensive footnoting, and a bibliography is included of works that have been used during the writing of the text.

Academic Writing

b) The Harvard system. In this system the author’s name and the date of publication are given in parentheses in the text and refer to a section at the end of the publication, headed ’References’, which in turn contains details of all the published works that have been referenced.

Academic Writing

Example, using the Harvard system: It was argued at the time that domestic trining was not only useful in servants to the middle classes, it was also essential in working-class wives (Dawes 1984: 10)

Academic Writing

References: Fairclough, N. (1992)

Discourse and Social Change

. London: Polity Press.

Creme, P. and Lea, M. (2003)

Writing at University. A guide for students

. Maidenhead and Philadelphis. Open University Press.

Lea, M. and West, L. (1995) Motives, mature students, the self and narrative, in J. Swindells (eds.)

The Uses of Autobiography

. London: Taylor & Francis.

Heath, S.B. (1982) What no bedtime story means: narrative skills at home and at school,

Language in Society

, 11: 49-76.