Department of Languages and Culture

English 9B: Writing for Humanities and Social Sciences

COURSE - SECTION: Leng 1160-02

TYPE OF COURSE: Lenguas
COURSE LEVEL: Undergraduate
CREDITS: 2
YEAR – SEMESTER: 2020-1A
PROFESSOR: Jacob Krueger
CLASS SCHEDULE: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (8:00-9:20am)
+ 1.5 hours (online)
E-MAIL: j.krueger@uniandes.edu.co
OFFICE: GB 513
OFFICE HOURS Mondays and Tuesdays (2:00-3:30pm)

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Program Description
The Academic English Support Program provides undergraduate students at Los Andes with
the English instruction they need to complete academic tasks in English within the
university, as well as to use English effectively in academic and professional situations
outside the university. It is also designed to help students acquire the strategies they need
to continue learning English independently beyond the classroom. The Academic English
Support Program has eleven levels and two cycles: basic and intermediate/advanced. The
purpose of the basic cycle is to prepare students for an English-language academic
environment and to be able to read academic texts, which are required in their university
classes. Successful completion of the basic cycle fulfills the university’s English reading
requirement, and prepares students to take cursos I. The purpose of the
intermediate/advanced cycle is to provide students with specific focused instruction in oral
and written communication, including aspects of both fluency and accuracy. Successful
completion of the intermediate/advanced cycle fulfills the university’s second language
requirement.

Basic LENG
English Fundamentals
1150
LENG
English 1
1151
LENG
English 2
1152
LENG
English 3 Integrated Academic Skills
1153
LENG
English 4
1154
LENG
English 5
1155
LENG
English 6
1156
Intermediate English 7 LENG Intermediate Academic Speaking
1
 1157
LENG
English 8 The Basics of Writing Academic English
1158
Advanced LENG
English 9A Students Writing for Science and Engineering
1159
Choose
LENG Writing for Humanities and Social
English 9B One
1160 Sciences
English LENG
Students Speaking for Academic Purposes
10A 1161
Choose
LENG
English 10B One Speaking for Professional Purposes
1162

This English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course allows students to engage with, analyze and
produce different texts commonly found in academic writing, namely definitions,
problem/solution, summaries and paraphrasing, process analysis and data commentary. The
writing process will be approached first through the concept of genre analysis so students can
better understand the global features and rhetorical conventions within their fields of
writing. Then students will focus on the organization, clarity, cohesion, linguistic aspects, and
presentation of their ideas. The aim of this course is to equip students with writing and
language learning skills and resources which can be directly applied to their field and aid
them in their future English writing.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
DESCRIPCIÓN GENE
Content/Objectives
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
● demonstrate awareness of rhetorical genre by analyzing and discussing different
genres within their field
● analyze academic articles as shown through the ability to identify and discuss the
following: Context, Audience, Purpose, Register, Tone, Style, Format (visual
design/template), Structure (a set of topics that are expected), Organization,
Cohesion.
● apply the above features to their own texts
● produce several clear, detailed texts specific to their field of study and academic
writing in general
● produce a longer research text based on original research and data collection
● understand and produce a short annotated bibliography
● obtain information, ideas and opinions from sources within their fields
● communicate their written ideas with clarity and cohesion
● use correct formatting in an academic essay/article
● describe visual and numerical data logically and coherently in a paragraph or longer
text
● describe conclusions they have drawn from graphs and charts
● write a detailed description of a simple process in the form of a methods section of a
text
● write a concise summary of the main ideas of a longer structured text
● summarize simple research findings in an academic text
● signal cause and effect relationships when writing an academic text by using
discourse markers
● write a chronological paragraph on an academic topic
● revise and review their work in order to improve it
● maintain good grammatical control
● maintain high lexical accuracy
● effectively participate in a classroom discussion on an academic topic.

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

The methodology of this course is eclectic and is mainly based on (but not limited to) the
methods below:

Process Writing
Students are encouraged to focus on the process of writing by learning how to plan,
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outline, write and then edit a piece of work. In and out of the classroom, students are
encouraged to participate in different activities that will help them improve their writing
skills as well as increase their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. Students take part
in both controlled and free writing tasks. The controlled tasks are meant to address the
micro skills of writing (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, etc...)
while the freer tasks are meant to address more macro skills (content, organization, and
coherence).

Genre and Rhetorical Analysis

Academic writing is strongly connected to being able to identify and reproduce the most
salient features of the texts in a particular field and genre. These features range from
visual formatting, number of sections, and paragraph length to sentence structure, verb
tense, and vocabulary choice. The genre analysis approach to academic writing begins by
looking at the global features of a text (organization and cohesion) before looking at
language (grammar and vocabulary). This is to encourage students to see academic writing
as firmly situated within a broader field and not simply defined by the lexical-grammatical
features.

Task-Based Learning
In order to build process writing skills, research skills and autonomy, students will
undertake several tasks which emulate tasks they might have to do when writing in their
field. These tasks will also require students to revisit and revise smaller pieces of writing
they do during the course. These tasks will require both independent and group work.

Independence and Autonomy

This course uses an inductive learning and error analysis approach throughout the writing
process. Therefore, students will improve their autonomy and ability to self-correct their
written work as they work both individually and collaboratively. This student-centered
course facilitates pair and group work by calling on traditional and flipped teaching
approaches. During students’ independent work time, they are expected to apply what
they learn in class to specific tasks or complete any unfinished work. Students are also
required to study and prepare material independently and then present and apply it in the
classroom.

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL):

As this course is blended (both in class and online) students are also required to perform
technology-enhanced tasks both inside and outside the classroom. Students will also be
introduced to and encouraged to use online resources that will assist them in their
language learning process.

Blended Courses
This is a blended course. This means that you will complete coursework both in class and
online (Sicua), and your instructor will take attendance for both. Each week, you will have
4.5 hours in class, and 1.5 hours online. Online work is important to successful completion
of the course, and classroom activities will often depend on doing online tasks first. Your
instructor may set deadlines and assign grades for this work. Note that this is NOT
'homework'. It is classwork that you complete in your own time, separate from any
homework that may be assigned.

ASSESSMENTS

Students’ work is marked on a scale of 0 to 5. 5.00 is the highest possible grade, and 3.00
is the lowest passing grade. The final official grade is reported as either A
(aprobrado/pass) for grades of 3.00 and above or R (reprobado/fail) for grades below 3.00.
Exams and coursework have the following values:

Online Work
5 Language and Text Analysis Quizzes (25%)

Written Assessment Tasks (WATs)

Extended Definition Paragraph Task (10%)
WAT 1 Problem/Solution Outline, Presentation & Text (20%)
WAT 2 Synthesizing Sources (15%)
WAT 3 Roundtable Discussion and Final Research Paper (30%)
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IMPORTANT: Assessments submitted after the deadline will receive a score of zero (0)
unless you have extenuating circumstances you have discussed with the teacher IN
ADVANCE of the deadline and the teacher has agreed to give you an extension. Under most
circumstances, only emergency medical appointments and/or death will be considered a
reason for not completing an assessment.

Please keep in mind that THERE IS NO LOS ANDES POLICY FOR AUTOMATICALLY ROUNDING
COURSE GRADES. The lowest passing grade is 3.00; any grade lower than 3.00 WILL NOT BE
a passing grade.

In the event that you wish to dispute a grade, please refer to the procedure explained in
articles 62 and 63 of the undergraduate student handbook (reglamento de estudiantes de
pregrado).

Academic Honesty
Students at this level are expected to understand the basics of academic honesty, and to
be proactive and responsible members of the university community. If you are uncertain if
something might constitute academic dishonesty, it is your responsibility to ask your
instructor to clarify. No student may claim that they did not understand what academic
dishonesty is, or use ignorance as a defense or excuse for dishonest conduct. Likewise, it is
the student’s responsibility to act honestly, not the instructor’s responsibility to prevent
dishonest behavior. Failure to adhere to general standards, or violation of standards
described here, given by your instructor, or in any course materials may result in a grade
reduction, up to and including a grade of zero (0). All work submitted for evaluation is
subject to verification of sources, process, and the student’s ability to produce similar
work unaided. Academic dishonesty may be reported for further action.

The following are expressly prohibited:

• Writing an assignment or any substantial portion of an assignment in a language other
than English and then using automatic translation software to translate that text to
English
• Using tools or sources beyond those provided, unless otherwise instructed
• Writing any part of an assessment response outside of the exam period
• Using any portion of someone else’s writing without proper quotation or paraphrase
and citation
• Using work created for or in another class
• Presenting work that someone else created as your own
• Providing information about an assessment to others
• Soliciting information about an assessment from others

When in doubt, ask your instructor.

Refer to section 10 (Capítulo X) of the undergraduate student handbook (Reglamento de
estudiantes de pregrado) for further information on university policies regarding academic
honesty.

Attendance
From the undergraduate student handbook (reglamento de estudiantes de pregrado):

Artículo 42: La Universidad considera que la inasistencia a clase impide un

rendimiento académico adecuado. Es facultativo de cada profesor controlar la
asistencia de sus alumnos y determinar las consecuencias de la inasistencia, si
esta es superior al 20%.

Artículo 43: Los parámetros para controlar la asistencia les serán informados a los
estudiantes el primer día de clases, junto con el programa del curso, con el fin de
que se comprometan a respetarlos desde ese momento.
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 All courses in the program will follow these regulations. Students who miss more than 20%
of classes, including required online class sessions in blended courses, will fail the course
and will receive a grade of R (reprobado/fail). Instructors will inform students of the
procedure for checking attendance on the first day of class.
DESCRIPCION GENERDIPGENERDESCIP
COURSE STRUCTURE

Week 1
Content Themes: Introduction/Genre Analysis/Definitions/Extended Definitions
Language Themes: None
Autonomous Work: as assigned by teacher
Assessments:
● Quiz 1 (Ungraded but mandatory)

Weeks 2-3
Content Themes: Problem/Solution Texts
Language Themes: Complex sentences; Relative Clauses; Cause and Effect Language
Autonomous Work: as assigned by teacher
Assessments:
● Extended Definition Paragraph Task (10%)
● WAT 1 Problem/Solution Outline, Presentation and Text (20%)
● Quiz 2 (5%)

Weeks 4-5
Content Themes: Revising your work and integrating sources through summarizing and
paraphrasing
Language themes: Reporting Verbs
Autonomous Work: as assigned by teacher
Assessments:
● WAT 2 Synthesizing Sources (15%)
● Quiz 3 (5%)

Weeks 6-8
Content Themes: Working with Data and Process Description
Language themes: Language of movement and change; passive voice
Autonomous Work: as assigned by teacher
Assessments:
● Quiz 4 (5%)
● Written Assessment Task 3 Part 1 (Data Commentary Roundtable Discussion)
● Written Assessment Task 3 Part 2 (Research paper) (30%)
● Quiz 5 (10%)

REFERENCES

Complete and excerpts of academic articles will be used throughout the course. These will be
referenced as they are used by individual professors.

The following is a list of main sources used in this course.

● Bailey, Stephen. 2011. Academic Writing for International Students 3rd Edition.
Routledge
● Strunk & White. 2000. The Elements of Style 4th. Edition.
● Swales, J. & Feak, C. 2012. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. 3rd Edition. Ann
Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press
Websites
● Purdue OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
● Styles guides in the Arts & Humanities
https://library.mcmaster.ca/guides/stylegui.htm
● Styles guides in Sciences:
● http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/science
● http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/sciences/
● https://cgi.duke.edu/web/sciwriting/index.php