Professional Academic Writing

This course focuses on the fundamentals of academic writing and is designed to accommodate differing levels of expertise, from undergraduates who are new to academic writing, to those who are returning to college to complete their degrees and need a refresher, and to those who work with academic writers or are engaged in professional academic writing and seek individualized guidance and feedback. The course will introduce participants to the key knowledge domains in academic writing, including a review of academic genres. We will explore planning, reading, and research writing strategies, modes of academic reasoning and rhetoric; writing in the disciplines; context-specific writing processes; collaborative writing, and giving, receiving, and revising in response to professional-style peer review. All students will receive individualized feedback from the instructor as well as peer reviews from colleagues as a means of applying and accelerating skills by working with diverse readers and writers. Assignments will include readings drawn from different genres across the disciplines; writing assignments will be a mix of short, targeted pieces along with some source-based work.