Academic Writing Workshop
Dates offered:
- December 3, 2005 8:30 to 4:00 in Montague 121 (See Sue Damme for registration information)
- December 15, 2005 8:30 - 4:00 at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College (See Amy Bergstrom to enroll)
- January 7, 2006 8:30 to 4:00
Workshop Overview
Purpose
Learner objectives for this workshop are:
- To learn information-organization strategies
- To develop skills with tech-based and text-based tools and methods used in academic writing
- To use editing tools, references, and strategies to correct spelling and grammar
Methods
- This workshop will involve meeting in person for a 1-day (7-hour) intensive session
- This workshop will make use of adult education principles such as situated learning, practical knowledge, drawing upon learner’s knowledge and experiences, and collaborative learning
Agenda
- Introductions
- Who are you?
- What program are you in (M.Ed. cohort, undergraduate cohort, undergraduate)?
- What do you want out of the workshop?
- Warm Up Exercise
- Pre-Writing
- Lunch on your own
- Drafting
- Editing
- Wrap-Up
Assumptions
- Workshop participants will be in the Education program (graduate or undergraduate level)
- Workshop participants will have not had significant academic writing experience or have experienced a significant hiatus in their formal, academic education and wish for supported practice in writing for an academic audience
- Academic writing is neither easy nor natural for anyone and everyone can use practice and feedback
- Academic writing styles are an agreed-upon convention that evolves over time and are not “right” in any objective meaning of the word. They are simply sets of rules that are used for a particular purpose – and anyone can learn and use them. There are, in fact, a variety of academic styles that are used in different disciplines and publications. If you are ever curious, you can see an extensive list at: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/list.html
- "Style" is a word used ambiguously when discussing academic writing. It is used to indicate the more or less agreed upon rules of common grammar and the rules published by various groups or publishers as their standard, i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. It is also used to indicate a writer's, editor's or teacher's preferences regarding word usage and punctuation. Keep this in mind when working with your instructors or advisors, since it can be very confusing and frustrating when there is a mismatch of understanding
- Workshop participants should learn to write in a style that they would use in their future academic career, keeping in mind that various journals and publishers have their unique requirements
- Writing involves many people. An author may hire a typist and/or editor, for example. This is not unusual in the academic world, and it is not cheating. If you are an M.Ed. candidate, you may want to pair up with a partner to do your thesis or curriculum!
- Writing involves negotiation. There is often room for changing the “rules” slightly if you can make a strong case for the adaptation