PhD English Studies

Academic Writing in English for Ph.D.

The course in Academic Writing in English for Ph.D. candidates meets a strongly-felt need for developing researchers' independent writing ability in English, for the purposes of publicizing their work in international journals and at conferences. This opportunity to communicate about their work in their own words allows them to express their desired meanings more exactly, presenting an effective alternative to the often-used translating services, which they find frustrating.

The course offers the opportunity for each student in the group to write about an aspect of his/her own research work, at his/her own level of proficiency. This sample of writing can range, depending on the level of English proficiency and on the degree of advancement of the research, from a few introductory paragraphs or a tentative exploration of bibliographical sources to a full-length article. Each student receives individualized instructional feedback on his/her writing, which is used as the basis for revisions, and which has a carryover effect to further writing. This training is combined with class instruction in basic principles of academic writing, using authentic models, as well as in a limited number of grammar points which are chosen to meet the specific needs of academic writers. In addition, students are given the opportunity to gain active knowledge of the terminology in their specific fields, for which only passive knowledge has been available to them so far.

Course structure: Frontal lessons and individualized feedback.

Course requirements: homework assignments, in-class assignments, oral presentation, sample writing. There is no exit exam.

Attendance: students are required to participate in all the lessons.  Students who miss any lesson without appropriate documentation (e.g., sick leave, military reserves) will not be able to make up the work.