27347 - English Writing Laboratory (1)

Learning outcomes

The aim of the workshop is to allow students to gain worthwhile experience of writing in English (both formal and less formal texts), and to do so under ‘controlled conditions'.

‘Controlled conditions' means (i) that the tasks which students will be asked to perform will all have clear communicative aims (clear guidelines and model texts will be provided), (ii) that a tutor will be on hand during the workshop to give advice and deal with linguistic uncertainties; (iii) that feedback and (where appropriate) detailed correction will be offered.

Course contents

The central aim of the workshop is to give students as much practice as possible in producing expository and argumentative text. The ability to write a clear paragraph, either to represent a complex state of affairs or to present a coherent argumentative position, is essential if one's long-term aim is to use the English language to produce texts ranging from academic articles or business reports, through ‘presentation' texts of various kinds, to comments on web blogs. The exercises are designed to be compatible with a range of linguistic levels, but the overall level is B2 (see below). Many of the exercises offer practice that will be useful to students preparing for the writing tasks in the IELTS exam (for UK university admissions). Most of the time during the workshop will be devoted to actual writing activities; very little time will be spent on formal instruction.

Some of the specific types of real-world text that will be produced by students during the workshop:

Mainly expository:

- short article summary/abstract

- ‘presentation text' (‘About me/us', short description of a new music festival, brief introduction to next weeks' public lecture, etc)

- ‘personal statement' text (often requested to accompany applications for university graduate programmes)

- FAQ texts (‘What are podcasts and how do they work?')

- ‘instructions text' (‘How to pack your computer so as to avoid unnecessary damage in the post')

- email circular (‘Informing all clients: 15% reduction on all foreign language books until the end of May')

Mainly argumentative:

- letter to review/newspaper citing and objecting to the position adopted in an editorial

- reader's comment on newspaper article

- web blog comments

Journalistic:

- brief news story

- ‘interview/profile' text (profile based on interview with brief extracts from interview included)

The various ‘text modalities' involved in argumentative text (‘distancing', when presenting the arguments used by others; the ‘impersonal stance' with use of evidential elements when presenting one's own leading idea) will be carefully explored and practised. And time will also be spent experimenting with the various linguistic devices that can be used to trigger evaluative messages (compare the neutral The economy returned to its pre-war levels in the mid-1950s with the evaluative message produced by It was not until the mid-1950s that the economy returned to its pre-war levels)

Much attention will be devoted to lexis: in order to write effectively one needs to master a large range of expressions, knowing exactly how to use such key elements as actually, unlike, as opposed to, depending on, irrespective of, apart from, albeit, on the contrary, far from, etc). Many of the writing exercises in the workshop will involve students in experimenting with expressions like the above, thus learning through ‘trial and error' to use them correctly. Stylistic differences (formal letter to a newspaper vs. web blog) will also be taken into account.

Important: The workshop is designed for students who have already passed the (second year) exam Lingua Inglese. Normally students on the Communication Sciences Degree Course who enroll for the workshop will have done the advanced level modules ('livello medio-avanzato') of the Lingua Inglese course; alternatively, in cases where they have done the intermediate level modules, they should have a mark no lower than 24/30. The overall linguistic level of the writing workshop is B2. Students on exchange programmes (Erasmus etc) should have at least B1 level when enrolling.

 

Readings/Bibliography

A brief guide to argumentative writing in English is in preparation for this workshop.

Teaching methods

Workshop sessions take place in the computer laboratory, where students work under the supervision of a tutor. For most writing tasks a clear outline is first of all agreed on; other tasks are free. The sessions are interactive, and students are encouraged to read each others' draft texts and make suggestions. Draft texts will be corrected duriing the sessions (or after it if necessary).

Ten workshop sessions are planned (approximately one per week during the Second Semester). Before each session students may be asked to read a text (or a small number of short texts) concerning the subjects of the writing tasks. Each session lasts 3 hours, and a variety of different writing tasks will normally be undertaken during this time. 

The number of places is limited to 20.

Assessment methods

Continuous (informal) assessment; no examination. Students must complete all ten writing tasks in order to gain the 6 credits. All the writing tasks must be done during the laboratory sessions and must be completed before the end of the fourth teaching period (= mid-May).

 

The Laboratory is held during the Second Semester, on Tuesdays: 13.00-16.30 in Sala Wolf (Via Azzo Gardino, 23).
Provisional calendar
February: 3, 10, 17, 24
March:  3, 10, 24
April: 14, 21, 28
May: 5.

Please note that is it not possible to join the Workshop in the Fourth Teaching Period (24 March --->).

Teaching tools

 

 

A monolingual dictionary especially designed for non-native learners of English, such as:

 The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Oxford U.P.

The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary   Cambridge U.P.

The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman

The Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary, Collins.

A guide to English usage (also specially written for non-native speakers) such as:

Swan, M. Practical English Usage, Oxford U.P.

Office hours

See the website of Peter Grenville Taylor