Advanced Writing in English

Course

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/L_ETMAALG007

Course Objective

After successfully completing this course you will be able to write an academic text in English at the C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference [CEFR] both in terms of relevant communicative competence and grammatical accuracy and vocabulary control; you will be able to spot the major coherence problems in the drafts of your own and other people's texts, and edit the text to improve coherence; you will also have a clear sense of where your English is strong and of what areas you can work on to develop your expressive potential.

Course Content

This course focuses on resolving linguistic issues that individual students still have in their English, and on further refining (academic) style and textual coherence. On the one hand the idea is to resolve issues that participants still have with their English, and on the other hand it is about learning to use structures that can make one's writing more 'interesting'. This course allows students to highlight and understand their individual problems better and to work on current and past writing for other courses, including their theses (if relevant).

Teaching Methods

Lectures and seminars each week

Method of Assessment

Shared editing assignment (30%); edited versions of a text you've written before this course (70%).. In order to pass the course, all components have to be graded 5.5 or higher.

Literature

Hannay, M. & J.L. Mackenzie (2009). Effective Writing in English. 2ndedition. Bussum: Coutinho. There will also be separate materials postedon Canvas.

Target Audience

Master and research master students who are relatively experiencedwriters and who wish to further develop the quality of their written academic English.

Additional Information

The course has an 80% obligatory attendance.

Recommended background knowledge

This course is only open to master students who already have experience in writing academic texts in English.
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level3.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Master