Fachspezifisches Englisch (Level 3) (Wintersemester 2015/2016)

Lecturer: Dr. Sharon Therese Nemeth

General Information

• Weekly Hours: 2
• Credits: 3
• Graded: yes
• Enrolment Deadline: 24.10.2015
• Teaching Form: Seminar
• Enrolment Type: Compulsory Elective Module
• Maximum number of participants: 12

Programs, Module Groups & Modules

Description

Course Statement/Objectives:

“… scientific writing is not a science. It does not contain laws obtained through derivations and experiments. Scientific writing is a craft. It consists of skills that are developed through study and practice. Moreover, scientific writing is not mystical. In fact, scientific writing is straightforward. Unlike other forms of writing … scientific writing has two specific goals: to inform readers and to persuade readers.”

- Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing

This course aims to take the mystery out of scientific writing by teaching the skills needed to produce a well-written paper in English. In this sense, we will concentrate on language in this course - how words are used and how to aim for the best writing possible. Through practice you will learn to express yourself in a clear, concise, and effective manner – qualities crucial to the reception of your work.

You will acquire the ability to differentiate between strong and weak scientific writing, to recognize the essential qualities of good writing and to apply what you have learned to your own work.  We will focus on many of the typical writing problems of advanced writers of English and learn how to resolve them. An important goal of this course is to enable you to edit your own work effectively.

Participants have the chance to analyze and practice writing skills and get feedback on their work. For this reason, in the second or third meeting, you are required to submit to me 2-3 pages of your own recent writing; this could be a work in progress, pages from a seminar paper, etc. These pages should be a typical example of your work in English. You will receive critique in a peer review, in written form, and in a student-teacher conference.

In the course you will also be asked to give a short presentation based on your assessment of a piece of scientific writing.

Examination

In-class participation, performance, and progress. A mid-term quiz and short final exam, based on points covered in the course, will be given.

Dates

Thursday, 9:15-10:45, room A-1.2

Please note that it is necessary for me to cancel our class on Oct. 22, 2015. An alternate meeting will therefore take place on Friday, Nov. 20 in room A 1.2 at 9:15-10:45.  Thank you for your understanding.

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