This document provides an overview of the goals and agenda for the first week of a course on academic writing. It includes: - Reflecting on current beliefs about academic writing and gaining a fresh understanding of the nature of academic writing. - Exploring student beliefs about academic writing and considering the notions of dialogism and "correctness" in writing. - Introducing an activity to reflect on beliefs about academic writing and examples of journal article structure. - Discussing a video about word choice in writing and insights into writing as a dialogic process aimed at achieving the author's goals. - Presenting homework assignments of reading chapters from "They Say/I Say" and completing a

1. Course Introduction
(Week 1)
W R I T I N G I V
(HE285)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
drronmartinez@gmail.com

2. Goals for the week
• Reflect on and question current beliefs about
academic writing
• Gain a fresh understanding of the nature of
(academic writing)

3. Today’s agenda
• Present some highlights from class survey
• Explore your beliefs and current knowledge on
academic writing
• Consider dialogism in writing, and the notion
of “correct”
• Introduce next week’s homework

5. ‘Other’

9. (Optional) What other activities
would you like to do in this class?
“I would like to practice writing parts of essays
separately. For example, how to write a good
introduction, how to conclude an essay
written or prepared by someone else, etc.”

10. Please rate the likelihood of the following
happening sometime in the future.

11. Online: Beliefs about academic writing
• Activity is meant to guide reflection on current
beliefs you hold on academic written
discourse.
• Meant to be collaborative (i.e. generate
discussion in pairs), but answers should be
submitted individually. Ideally, discuss each
question first, then provide your answer.
• When finished, you may take a break.

12. OK, let’s go over your results!

13. Grammar and Vocabulary as a matter
of “choice” (not “correct”)

14. Examples of journal article structure

15. Examples of journal article structure

16. Examples of journal article structure

17. “Subtext” video
Discuss in pairs:
• Can you relate?
• What insights does it provide (if any) into the
nature of the writing process itself?
• Bonus: How was he able to choose his words?

18. User comments on “Subtext” video

19. User comments on “Subtext” video

20. Some “Subtext” insights
• Lev (the writer) has a specific “agenda” in mind
before he begins writing.
• The whole process of writing involves him trying
to maximize the effect of his discourse to
achieve that agenda.
• The writing process is “dialogic”: in dialogue
with himself, in dialogue with the intended
reader.
• Lev is (painfully) aware that word choice is of
paramount importance; the right choice of
words can mean the difference between his
“goal” and flat-out rejection.

21. Lexical Priming (Hoey, 2005)
“As a word is acquired through encounters with
it in speech and writing, it becomes
cumulatively loaded with the contexts and co-
texts in which it is encountered, and our
knowledge of it includes the fact that it co-
occurs with other words in certain kinds of
context.” (p. 8)

25. Summary for Week 1
• In the context of genre, language is about choice, not
necessarily “right” and “wrong”.
• Academic writing is laden with a number of
institutionalized conventions (e.g., journal article
structure, academic abbrevations, referencing), and
these conventions can actually be of help to non-native
(of English) writers.
• Especially in argumentative-type essays (the most
common academic genre), it is the author’s “position”
that drives the discourse. Before anything else, this is
the sine qua non of the writing process.

26. HOMEWORK FOR
NEXT CLASS (MON.
MARCH 14)

27. Homework
• (If you haven’t done so already) Please read
the “They Say/I Say” chapter (“I take your
point”);
• Read Chapter 1 (“They Say”);
• Complete grammar worksheet, “The Grammar
of Introductions” (online), print, and bring to
class Monday.

29. Read the two articles online
1. Read the New York Times article on Zika first
2. Then read the article written by a Brazilian
3. When finished, discuss the different points of
view with 2 other classmates. For example,
are there points that you disagree with?
Points that you especially agree with?