Course Name: Academic Writing, Research and Presentation Skills Class & Level: NGA 3A Meeting Times: Mondays 14:10-15:25 & Wednesdays 12:45-14:00 Instructor: Charles Rothwell E-mail: rothwell_c@auca.kg Office hours: Wednesdays 14:10-15:25 E-course: 3A Academic Writing (Enrollment Key: Rothwell) I. Course description This course is designed to prepare you for the academic writing and research skills necessary to succeed in university-level classes. You will learn about the purposes of research, how to conduct a literature review, different styles of academic writing, and how to decipher writing prompts in assignments. You will use the research skills to develop your own research question and annotated bibliography in MLA style. Techniques to improve your writing skills will include reviewing paragraph structure, writing essay drafts and giving each other feedback via peer editing processes in class. You will also practice sharing your research in an academic presentation format, learning and practicing basic presentation skills in order to share work with a university-level audience. II. Textbook and materials There is no set textbook for this course. We will use a range of current, real-world materials, including videos and articles. These will either be provided in class or posted online on the ecourse. III. Outcomes & Objectives After having completed this course, you will be able to: 1. Develop a research topic and thesis statement 2. Create an annotated bibliography in MLA style Share your research in a variety of formats, including through presentations and online tools such as StoryMap, Timeline and Google Sites. 3. IV. Grading Grades are given based on: Type of activity Worth 1 Attendance & In-Class Participation 25% 2 Homework & In Class Quizzes/Activities 25% 3 Coursework Assignments 25% 4 Final Written Examination 25% TOTAL 100% A 100-95% C 69-65% A- 94-90% C- 64-60% B+ 89-85% D+ 59-55% B 84-80% D 54-50% B- 79-75% D- 49-45% C+ 74-70% F < 45% V. Course Expectations We will strive to build a community where everyone is respected and accepted. Although you may not always agree with your classmates, it is important to recognize that people hold different opinions and world views and come from different backgrounds. In all of your communication, please be respectful and polite. Online Access Each student should have access to the Internet and must register for the e-course. All classrelated email communication will be done through the e-course platform. Attendance You are expected to attend all classes as your final grade includes participation. Being regularly late or absent affects your final grade. It is your responsibility to notify the Instructor if you are going to miss a class. This can be done by email. 6 unexcused absences will result in an F for the course. Participation It is not enough to just attend classes; you are expected to actively participate in activities: asking questions in English, answering othering students’ questions, and expressing your viewpoints in discussions. All of this together makes up your grade for participation/classroom activities. All subjects occurring in the course of this program are to be discussed in English only. In-Class Assessments In-class assessments for this course will usually take the form of quizzes on material and concepts covered in class. Not all in-class assessments will count for marks (some may be for practice) and students will be notified when marks will be counted. Students will typically be given at least one class notice in advance of an upcoming assessment, but the instructor reserves the right to give pop quizzes that count for marks should they be deemed them necessary. Homework & Graded Assignments Homework will be assigned on the day of class but will not necessarily be graded as it will be mostly used to give students additional practice. Students will be informed of graded assignments in advance and these will be posted on the e-course. All assignments must be submitted by the due date. Late assignments will be accepted but will lose 5% of the grade per day late, up to a maximum of five days. After five days, students cannot receive a mark for the assignment. You will be informed of how to submit the assignment. If you do not understand a homework assignment, you can get clarification from your instructor, tutor, or the WARC. Cell Phones All cell phones will be turned off or set to “silent” for the duration of the class. Personal Issues If you have any problems concerning the course material or the classroom instruction, you are encouraged to discuss it with your instructor or your advisor. Please feel free to email with questions at any time, allowing 2 working days for a response. Academic Honesty Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. All work submitted by a student must represent her/his own ideas, concepts, and current understanding. In view of this, the course has a ZERO-tolerance policy for the use of any assisted or generative AI and other AI tools in all students’ work and assignments. Developing strong competencies in writing prepares and equips students with rigorous academic experience and high ethical standards. Thus, ANY work or submissions that use any AI-tools are NOT ALLOWED and will be treated as academic misconduct or plagiarism. Any content that is referenced or has small amounts of material quoted should be cited using APA format. Images or other media used in projects should be original, used with permission, cited, or come from public domain. You will find resources for the APA style on our e-course site. Help with writing skills: Writing and Academic Resource Center (WARC) If you have trouble understanding the material learned, you may want to obtain free tutoring in Writing or English Help at AUCA’s Writing and Academic Resource Center (WARC). You can book sessions at warc.auca.kg. It is strongly recommend that you take advantage of their services and book your tutoring sessions early on. VI. Lesson Schedule This course is 15 weeks long. Homework assignments and deadlines will be given in class and posted on the e-course page. The below schedule is subject to change. Weeks Content 1-2 Course introduction and review of semester 1. Paraphrasing, summarizing. 3-5 Data write-ups, presentation skills, and idea generation methods. (Topics: Biographies, Environment, Artificial Intelligence) 6-8 Evaluative writing, review of essay structures (Topics: Hospitality, Culture) 8-9 Peer feedback, editing process, identifying sources, annotated bibliographies. Coursework Assignment: Annotated Bibliography 10 Spring Break 11-12 Analyzing purpose and structure of different types of writing (Topics: History, Sport) 13-14 Writing and presenting a business proposal Coursework Assignment: Business Proposal + ‘Dragon’s Den’ Presentation 15 Course review Final Written Examination
