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English Writing

English Writing. For English Majors. Final Scoring:. * Regular Attendance: 10% * Class Participation: 30% (Including Group Discussion and Assignments) * Final Presentation: 60%. What is writing?.

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English Writing

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  1. English Writing For English Majors

  2. Final Scoring: * Regular Attendance: 10% * Class Participation: 30% (Including Group Discussion and Assignments) * Final Presentation: 60%

  3. What is writing? • Writing is one of the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. • In some way, it is similar with speaking for they both belong to productive skills. That’s to say writing also involves producing language rather than receiving it. In our everyday life, we need to write mainly in order to communicate a message.

  4. What do we write? Now think about your daily writing and make a list of things that come to your mind. When you finish, share your ideas with your partner.

  5. letters (E-mails);journals; shopping list; a postcard; a birthday card;job application letter; message; posters; address;answering a questionnaire; filling in a form; layouts; composition;play scripts; advertisements; summary; bank report; social study reports; story;poem; instruction;diary;notes;memos;

  6. Do you see anything in common within all these written text types? For the common features of all written text types, two words can be rather conclusive: 1) Something: or better to say a message. Every written text is to communicate a particular message; 2) Somebody: People write in order to communicate a message to somebody;

  7. What will this course deal with?

  8. Chapter 1 Application Letters 个人陈述 Admissions Essay; Personal Statement ; Statement of Purpose 个人简历 Résumé 研究计划 Research Proposal; Study Plan 推荐信 Recommendation letter

  9. 1.1 What is admissions essay? Graduate admissions essay is meant for college students, written to college graduate admissions committee about who you are, what has influenced your career path so far, what your professional interests are and where you plan to go from there.

  10. 1.2 The purpose of admissions essay Your admissions essay reveals a great deal about your ability: • to write • to determine the purpose of the essay • to stick to the task at hand • to “sell” yourself and explain why you're a good match to the program

  11. Hello, here I am!

  12. 1.3 Two main types of graduate admissions essay questions * General question: relatively open topics, leaving the applicant free to address a wide range of matters about himself. e.g. What’s the most important thing the admissions committee should know you about? * Specific question: assigned topics, requiring specific information of the applicant in the intended area of study within a graduate program. e.g. What are two or three of the academic accomplishments, which have well prepared you for the concerned graduate study?

  13. Sample Essay Questions Looking at sample questions is a good way to get a feeling for the types of questions that graduate schools ask in their applications. Writing answers to some of the questions is one way to improve your essay writing. Here are some essay questions similar to those used by actual schools.

  14. General Questions for Masters and Doctoral Programs Please tell us your reasons for applying for graduate study, your particular area(s) of specialization within your field of study, your professional career plans, and any additional information that you want the admission committee to know. Your answer should not be longer than two pages. Please tell us your reasons for pursuing graduate study and the strengths and weaknesses of your preparation for graduate study in your proposed field. Limit your answer to one page. Please submit a statement of your academic and future career plans as they relate to the field which you wish to study. Your statement may not exceed 1000 words.

  15. Specific Questions for Masters and Doctoral Programs “What are the value and importance of community service in our society and tell us what it means to you.” “What educational and personal experiences have led you to want to investigate these topics, problems, or areas in our university?” “How would you describe yourself as a human being? What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least?” “Identify your specific interest in communication and talk about why you are interested in our program.”

  16. Questions for Business Schools (between 500-1000 words) Why do you want an MBA? What do you expect to gain from this degree? What are your career objectives for the next five years? fifteen years? Describe an ethical dilemma you once had to face and how handled it.What has been your single, most important achievement to date?What are your main interests outside your job or school? Why do you enjoy them?Other than business management, what are some other jobs or careers that you have considered?What do you consider your strongest personality traits? What traits would you most like to change?Describe a significant managerial or other work experience that you have had.

  17. 1.4 Past, present, future, how to stay focused? • Personal background: just personal reasons for your interest in the related area; • Professional background: state your ideal career and list the reasons for take it as well as some preparatory work you have already done, specify your future plans; • Educational background: important classes or specific project which has enhanced your interest and stimulated your desire for graduate study; • Related researches: specify well-known partners, the title of project, your responsibility; • Outstanding achievements: relevant ones;

  18. 1.5 How to write graduate admissions essays? A process of self-exploration 1) Work out the controlling idea or the theme of your essay; 2) Try to analyze and reflect upon your experiences, the evidence of your achievement, the events shaping your attitude, focus, and most of all, your intellectual vitality; 3) Sit down and craft the beginning, the body and the conclusion of your essay;

  19. The modeling structure of a typical two-page graduate admissions essay An introductory paragraph that presents your essay’s controlling theme 3—4 body paragraphs that develop your theme through examples and detailed experiences and build upon each other A conclusion that widens the lens and wraps up your essay without summarizing or repeating what has already been written

  20. 1.6 What Graduate Schools Look for in Application Essays? They expect clearly and logically written essays that reveal thought and creativity, maturity and focus. They expect essays that bring together the separate parts of an application (e.g. transcript, test scores, work experiences, extracurricular experiences, interests, etc.) and prove an applicant is qualified and motivated for graduate study.

  21. Cover Letter When mailing out your résumé to a prospective university, you always want to include an original cover letter. The cover letter is used to transmit your résumé (or other documents, such as transcripts). More importantly, it gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself to a school, express your interest in a field, offer the admissions officer insight into your personality through your writing style, and impress them with your communication skills.

  22. A checklist of the cover letter • Explain why you are writing to the school and indicate a professional attitude, the amount of preparation you have done and additional efforts you have made. • Whenever possible, the letter should be addressed /tailored to a specificperson, with the full name and title. Make sure the name of the person addressed is spelled correctly. This person could be the dean of the department or the specific professor you plan to study after. This shows you are familiar with the school and that you have carefully researched this specific area.

  23. Analyze your specified knowledge and skills, and then make every effort to match your skills with those emphasized by the specialty you are applying for. • Make every effort to explore the background of the prospective school, its specified area and contribution to its development; if possible, some detailed information about your target supervisor to permit you to match your accomplishments with the goals and objectives of the organization. • In closing, express a desire to arrange a time for an interview (mostly telephone interviews with oversea schools) and state that you will telephone to request a time for an appointment.

  24. Résumé Your résumé is one of the most important part of your application for further study. A résumé is a summary of your education, work experience and accomplishments. Your résumé is important. Admissions officers often use résumés to decide whether to accept you among thousands of applicants and whether you are qualified to be join in them. Therefore, you should highlight your best attributes.

  25. Tips on writing a résumé • Arrive quickly at the important points. • Be clear and concise. • Keep vertical lists and use action verbs. • Decide what information to count in. • Make your résumé easy on the eyes. • Double check your grammar and spelling.

  26. A suggested format of résumé Heading Your name Your address Your contact phone number (s) /Your email address Summary (A brief concise statement describing you, your strongest skills, experience and your strengths Professional Experience (Start with your present / latest employment, internship, research experience, part-time job, social practice; Education Honors and awards (List any awards or distinctions you received, such as Excellent Leader Award, Honor Student, and notify the time and place of them. Skills and Training

  27. Chapter 2 the Research Paper Broader definition: a careful, systematic and patient study or an investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles. Narrower definition: a typewritten paper in which students present their views and research findings on a chosen topic.

  28. Why research paper? Familiarize with the conventions of scholarly writing; Familiarize with the library through the “learning by doing” method; Reflect a student’s study in college, possibly realizes a sublimation or innovation upon what he/she has learned from textbooks; Learn to think critically and organizing lengthy material, and assemble the information uncovered into an original and creative paper by doing research on a certain topic.

  29. Features of a research paper Formal: standard language & formal style Substantial: academically significant subject & lengthy Well-documented: rules of citation and documentation

  30. Types of research 1.Primary research is also called “laboratory” research or “empirical” research. Surely, the library is still a very important avenue for this type of research, since it is in the library where you will be able to determine what has been found on the proposed subject. Aside from this and the gathering of general background information, the experimental paper focuses more on firsthand investigation or experimentation, such as designing a questionnaire; interviewing learners about their personal experience of using multi-media classroom; setting up an English language teaching experiment and interpreting the results.

  31. involves gathering together and analyzing the research findings from previous studies. It is sometimes called “library” research. This research is usually limited to books and articles that are readily available in the library. Most graduation these for BA graduates are secondary or library research paper. Students are expected to develop their abilities through planning and writing their graduation theses to learn: how to investigate, review, collect and analyze data, evaluate ideas and views of other researchers, present their particular thoughts, analysis and conclusions persuasively. 2. Secondary research

  32. Component Parts Of a Research Paper • The title page • Acknowledgements • Abstract • Table of contents • The paper proper • Bibliography

  33. Features of Effective Research Paper • indicates careful, comprehensive reading and understanding of the topic • establishes, in its introduction, a thesis to be developed in the course of the paper • is clearly organized • employs the principles of good composition • includes direct quotations, paraphrases, or précis that support the thesis • includes documentation in the form of parenthetical notes, endnotes, or footnotes • includes a list of works cited • exhibits careful, thorough documentation of sources of ideas • follows a carefully prescribed format • is always typed and printed on a letter-quality printer

  34. Steps of writing a research paper Step 1. choosing a topic Step 2. Reviewing related literature and evaluating materials Step 3. developing a thesis statement Step 4. analyzing the information, organizing ideas, and working out an outline Step 5. writing the first draft Step 6. revising the draft and finalizing the paper

  35. STEP 1 Selecting a Topic • The selection of a topic is the first important step in preparing a research paper. An inappropriate decision about a research topic may lead to failure of the whole project, or at least a waste of time and energy. • From general to specific • Selecting a general topic; • Reading and thinking; • Narrowing down the scope of your topic to a specific aspect; • Formulating the final topic.

  36. Step1.1 Selecting a general topic • At this initial stage, you should first choose a topic that you are interested in and know something about. It would be much better if you already have some ideas about the topic and you feel that you can develop these ideas into a research-paper. • Now think of a general topic in which you are interested and on which you think you may possibly write a paper. • Now talk with your partner about the feasibility of your topic:

  37. Step 1.2 Reading and thinking • A good library (with electronic catalogue) usually contains excellent sources for finding a topic. • While reading, you should ask yourself whether the topic in your mind has already been explored quite thoroughly, and whether you can develop it further by offering something new. If the answer is negative, you should drop that topic. • Task: What sources may you turn to for ideas? • 1…2…3…4…

  38. Sources You May Turn to for Ideas 1) Encyclopedias Advantage: excellent, authoritative, suggestive; Disadvantage: broad, fundamental, basic; 2) Periodicals More current information, opinions and up-to-date reports More specific and detailed, better facilitates relevant research A brief glance at the title and the key words will often appeal to the students’ interests. 3) Internet Resources Helpful both for finding a topic and searching for specific information. 4) Books: best sources to discover a topic for research.

  39. Step 1. 3 Narrowing down the scope of your topic to a specific aspect * Keep it simple; you don't need an enormous topic to work with. * Make it specific. It's much easier to do research on a narrowly selected topic than a massive idea. Help yourself by sharpening it down. * Consider the target audience: who, whats, why; * Make sure your idea will work. Do a little preliminary research in the library to make sure there's enough available material on your topic.

  40. Let‘s say you are interested in 1)Chinese poetry. Obviously, this topic is too big to be dealt with in your paper. You should narrow down the scope of that topic to something more specific. After you have read some books, you may find that 2)Chinese poetry in the Tang Dynasty, especially 3)the poetry by Li Bai, is worth exploring. So your final research topic may be something like 4)“Nature in Li Bai’s Poems.” Task: Now try to narrow down the general topic you thought of at the first step to something more specific and write it down just below the general topic : The general topic: The more specific topic:

  41. Step1.4 Formulating the final topic • The following points may be used as a set of criteria for your final topic: • It should be a topic that is meaningful and serious: • A research paper should make people think and learn. • 2) It should be a topic which you are able to handle: • You will not be able to write anything significant on subjects in which you do not have the necessary training. For example, you are an English major and if you intend to write your BA paper on nuclear physics or chemistry, very probably the paper you produce may not be of high quality. It may be a big failure!

  42. 3) It should be a topic for which sufficient materials are available. If you can find only one or two books or articles related to your subject and if you draw conclusions only from them, it is highly probable your conclusions will not be well-grounded. 4) It should be a topic that can be treated objectively, a topic that does not involve personal likes or dislikes. Suppose you are thinking of writing a paper on our economic reform and one or more of your family members or relatives or friends have had very unsuccessful experiences in the reform. If you are to write your paper on the economic reform and draw your conclusion on the basis of the experiences of your family members, relatives and friends, you can hardly write a paper of any significance.

  43. 5) It should be a topic that is not too topical. Topical topics refer to the ongoing hot issues in the world. For instance, it would be very difficult for a student to write a conclusive paper on the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. If the topic you have chosen can meet the above criteria, you can move forward to the next step. Otherwise you have to work further on the topic till you think it does meet the criteria.

  44. Sample Now look at the following example which shows how to restrict the scope and work out a suitable topic for a research paper:

  45. Task for Group discussion: • Make a careful study of the following 3 topics, try to narrow down their scope and make them specific topics on which you can possibly write a paper. • 1. General: Food Culture • Restricted: • More restricted: • The topic chosen: • 2. General: ELT Methodology • Restricted: • More restricted: • The topic chosen: • 3. General: Shakespeare's Plays • Restricted: • More restricted: • The topic chosen:

  46. Writing about literary works Analysis of theme: Does the theme reinforce or oppose popular notions of life? Does it furnish a new insight or refresh or deepen an old one? Analysis of plot or structure: Does the plot have unity? Are all of the episodes relevant to the total meaning or effect of the story? Does each incident grow logically out of the preceding incident and lead naturally to the next?

  47. Analysis of character and characterization: What are the minor characters like? How do they interact with the major character? Are they merely furthering the plot or are they helping to characterize the main character? Is any minor character used as a parallel to the main character? Analysis of setting: What is the general environment of the characters, that is religious, moral, mental, social, and emotional conditions through which the people in the novel move. Analysis of language: Is the language appropriate to the narrator? Does his dialect and style differentiate him from the author? Is the speech of characters in the work differentiated?

  48. Writingabout translation studies • You may examine and analyze translation theories with examples. • You may compare and contrast different theories on translation or compare and contrast different versions of translations. • You may discuss and evaluate different translation methods or techniques employed when translating different kinds of texts or genres. • You may study how social-cultural variables influence the style of translations or how translations from foreign languages influence one’s own culture and language. • You may discuss the advantage and disadvantage of machine translation.

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