Veidlapa Nr. M-3 (8)
Study Course Description
English for Social Sciences: Preparation of Research Manuscript
Course Code
DN_204
Branch of Science
Media and communications
ECTS
3.00
Target Audience
Communication Science; Health Management; Juridical Science; Management Science; Political Science; Social Anthropology; Social Welfare and Social Work; Sociology
LQF
Level 8
Study Type And Form
Full-Time
Study Course Implementer
Course Supervisor
Guntars Dreijers
Structure Unit Manager
Dace Bandere
Structural Unit
Department of Doctoral Studies
Contacts
Riga, 16 Dzirciema Street, dn@rsu.lv, +371 67409120
About Study Course
Objective
To advance the understanding, learning and acquisition of research text formation of article manuscripts in English and for social sciences with regard to topical issues of the doctoral theses by consolidating the knowledge and fluency of grammar, by increasing the vocabulary and by adhering to scientific style in English thus developing the linguistic opportunity to participate actively in the international research environment.
Preliminary Knowledge
English B2-C1 levels (in accordance with CEFR [the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages])
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
1.By the end of the course, doctoral students will know the principles and strategies of text formation and writing in English for research purposes, they will also know relevant tools (sources, resources) for improving a research manuscript. Doctoral students will know grammatical, lexical (including terminological) and stylistic features of written texts in social sciences and will be familiar with the publishing guidelines.
Skills
1.Doctoral students will be able to write the manuscript of an article according to the peculiarities of the research genre and corresponding sections and / or chapters. Doctoral students will be able to choose appropriate lexical and grammatical means complying with the text formation patterns in English. Doctoral students will be able to comment, explain the structure, organisation of the research manuscript and other scientific genres; besides, they will be able to compare peculiarities of the content, information, style, lexis, and grammar in various texts of social sciences. Doctoral students will be able to make independent conclusions on text quality from representative textual samples in social sciences, and they will be able to provide constructive feedback during discussions how to improve textual quality with the help of terminology thus connecting their research idea with practical linguistic organisation of the article.
Competences
1.Doctoral students will develop the competence of planning and designing a research article. Doctoral students will adhere to the accuracy of the format and outline; they will develop skills of analytical and critical discourse independently and responsibly for the purpose of preparing a manuscript. Through learning about the specifics of writing for research, doctoral students will consolidate self-initiative in the writing process and linguistic decision-making with a purposeful focus on the result, namely, qualitative research manuscript in English.
Assessment
Individual work
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Title
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% from total grade
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Grade
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1.
Individual work |
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To receive a positive evaluation in the test, doctoral students shall submit a three-to-five-page long independent article (the body of the article 3-5 pages, Times New Roman, spacing 1.5, justified margins) with a title page (indicating the title, name and surname, date) and bibliography with references to research aspects problematised in social sciences. The article shall be submitted 10 days prior to the final test date. The doctoral student's contribution to the improvement of the study process is the provision of meaningful feedback on the study course by filling in its evaluation questionnaire.
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Examination
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Title
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% from total grade
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Grade
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1.
Examination |
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Doctoral students shall have written an article of an independent study problematising an aspect in social sciences in the context of their doctoral thesis. During the final test, the following aspects will be assessed:
1. formatting (a title page, introduction [topicality, aim, objectives]; methods and results, discussion, conclusions, bibliography in the context of the topic of the study,
2. scientific style,
3. grammar,
4. vocabulary and terminology.
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2.
Examination |
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The assessment in the final test includes:
1. formatting of the article,
2. scientific style,
3. grammar,
4. vocabulary and terminology
Other requarements.
1. formatting (a title page, introduction [topicality, aim, objectives]; methods and results, discussion, conclusions, bibliography in the context of the topic of the study,
2. scientific style,
3. grammar,
4. vocabulary and terminology.
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Study Course Theme Plan
FULL-TIME
Part 1
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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Off site
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E-Studies platform
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2
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Topics
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Introduction. Macrostructure of Articles in Social Sciences
Description
Annotation: During lectures, the focus will be on the specifics of English for Research with regard to social sciences,
the diversity of research text genres: annotations, articles, summaries, monographs, theses, reviews, etc. Doctoral students will characterise structural peculiarities of a research article in social sciences: the topic, annotation and / or summary, chapters, the aim, goals, conclusions, bibliography and sources.
Topics covered during the class: 1. The variety of English for Research among other English varieties.
2. Genres of articles in social sciences and their peculiarities.
3. Writer’s block in writing research articles and an effective elimination of writing obstacles.
4. Designing a research article and planning: the potential usage of online tools, for example Kialo, Mindmap, Miro etc.
5. Expressing the thematic focus of the research article: sociological, psychological, economic, anthropological, political, historical, legal foci in English.
Literature: Glasman-Deal, Hilary (2020) Science Research Writing for Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. 2nd edition. World Scientific. (Introduction “Narrative Wrap”)
Moore, Julie (2021) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice. Upper-Intermediate B2-C1. Oxford University Press, 12.-13., 16.-19., 92.-101.lpp.
Staines, M. Gail (2019) Social Sciences Research. Research, Writing and Presentation Strategies for Students. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. (Chapters 1, 5, 8)
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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Off site
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E-Studies platform
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2
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Topics
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Microstructural elements of an article in social sciences
Description
Annotation: During lectures, doctoral students will be introduced to the generic models of the sections of a research article. For the practical exercise to consolidate writing skills – doctoral students will write a title, an annotation, and an introduction in English.
Topics covered during the class: 1. Generic models of the sections in a social sciences research article:
1.1. annotation,
1.2. the introduction, the formulation of a research question and problem in English,
1.3. the sections of methods and results,
1.4. the discussion,
1.5. the conclusion[s].
2. The formulation of the title and subtitles.
3. References and bibliography.
4. Main concepts, a list of keywords.
5. The formulation of theses.
Literature: Glasman-Deal, Hilary (2020) Science Research Writing for Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. 2nd edition. World Scientific. (Unit 1-7)
Wallwork, Adrian (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. Springer, 163.-205.lpp.
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Description of data in English. Written presentation in English.
Description
Annotation: During classes, doctoral students will compare and describe various means of the linguistic expression for visual data in English; besides, brief written presentations prepared by doctoral students will outline their main research aspects in English as well.
Topics covered during the class: 1. The description of visual data and interpretation in English: graphs, tables, charts, diagrams.
2. The description of trends and quantity in English.
3. The organisation and outline of the study for written presentations in English.
Literature: Moore, Julie (2021) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice. Upper-Intermediate B2-C1. Oxford University Press, 14.-15., 22.-33., 30.-31.lpp.
Staines, M. Gail (2019) Social Sciences Research. Research, Writing and Presentation Strategies for Students. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (9. nodaļa “Presenting Your Research”).
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Text functions in a research aticle.
Description
Annotation: During practical classes, doctoral students will do exercises about the flow of the text, paragraphs, sentences, the authorial intention. Besides, doctoral students will learn about language means to improve the quality of a research article.
Topics covered during the class: 1. Hedging and categoricity.
2. The informational emphasis in texts and sentences.
3. Linking words and expressions.
Literature: Moore, Julie (2021) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice. Upper-Intermediate B2-C1. Oxford University Press, 76.-79., 82.-83.lpp.
Signalling Transition – [Pieejams: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/signalling-transition/]
Wallwork, Adrian (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. Springer, 133.-147.lpp.
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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Off site
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E-Studies platform
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2
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Topics
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Vocabulary and terminology of social sciences in English.
Description
Annotation: During classes, doctoral students will learn the core lexical units in a research article for social sciences, students will also increase their thesaurus through lexical exercises.
Topics covered during the class: 1. Nouns, nominalisation, verb in a research article.
2. Terms: word, concept, and a term in the scientific discourse; defining terms in English.
3. The usage of words in the scientific style:
3.1. the numeral (English for statistics),
3.2. the adverb expressing time, place, and sequence.
Literature: Elwell, W. Frank (2010) Glossary of the Social Sciences. [Pieejams: http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/users/f/felwell/www/glossary/Glossary.pdf]
Greene, E. Anne (2013) Writing Science in Plain English. The University of Chicago Press (Chapters 5,6).
MICUSP Simple Beta – [Pieejams: https://elicorpora.info/]
Moore, Julie (2021) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice. Upper-Intermediate B2-C1. Oxford University Press, 38.-39., 86.-87.lpp.
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Grammar of a research text.
Description
Annotation: During classes, important and essential grammar issues will be studied from the aspects of morphology (word formation, the usage of lower- and upper-case letters, modal verbs, articles etc.), and syntax (punctuation, word order).
Topics covered during the class: 1. Syntax: the sentence structure in a research article.
2. Grammar:
2.1. the usage of articles,
2.2. the usage of modal verbs,
2.3. the usage of lower- and upper-case letters,
2.4. punctuation,
2.5. abbreviations.
Literature: Caplan, A. Nigel (2019) Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers. 2nd edition. University of Michigan Press ELT, 1.-26.lpp.
Greene, E. Anne (2013) Writing Science in Plain English. The University of Chicago Press (Chapter 4).
McCullum, Margaret. Notes on Writing for Law Students. [Tiešsaistes materiāls]
Swan, Michael (2016) Practical English Usage. 4th edition. OUP. [Tiešsaistes materiāls]
Tanford J. Alexander; Volokh, Eugene (2001; 2009) How to Write Good Legal Stuff. [Tiešsaistes materiāls]
Wallwork, Adrian (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. Springer, 19.-52.lpp. [Tiešsaistes materiāls]
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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Off site
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E-Studies platform
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2
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Topics
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Organisation of a research article.
Description
Annotation: The classes will focus on possibilities of outlining scientific information in an English research article with an emphasis on the logic and unity of the research text.
Topics covered during the class: 1. Cohesion and coherence in a research text: the logic of language usage.
2. Theme and rheme.
3. Topic sentences in paragraphs, supporting sentences.
4. The description of cause and consequence.
5. The description of comparison and contrasts.
6. The description of problems and solutions.
7. The description of evidence, opinion, viewpoint.
Literature: Caplan, A. Nigel (2019) Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers. 2nd edition. University of Michigan Press ELT. 176.-185.lpp.
Greene, E. Anne (2013) Writing Science in Plain English. The University of Chicago Press, (Chapters 7,9)
Moore, Julie (2021) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice. Upper-Intermediate B2-C1. Oxford University Press, 42.-49., 54.-59.lpp.
Wallwork, Adrian (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. Springer, 53.-87.lpp. [Tiešsaistes materiāls]
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Computer room
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2
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Topics
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Stylistic aspects and editing of a research text.
Description
Annotation: During classes, doctoral students will do exercises on and learn about techniques how to highlight primary and secondary information, and how to avoid verbosity thus guiding the writing to a concise and structured research text in English.
Topics covered during the class: 1. The linear and digressive styles of research articles.
2. Plain and academic written language for research purposes in English.
3. Improving sentences, paragraphs, texts.
4. The usage of online tools for improving the quality of the text, correcting mistakes and errors.
5. Typical mistakes and errors, and techniques of eliminating mistakes and errors in research manuscripts in English.
6. Developing one’s editorial skills for improved research texts.
Literature: Glasman-Deal, Hilary (2020) Science Research Writing for Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. 2nd edition. World Scientific. (Unit 8)
Wallwork, Adrian (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. Springer, 89-107.lpp. [Pieejams: http://tiramisutes.github.io/images/PDF/English+for+Writing+Research+Papers.pdf]
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Total ECTS (Creditpoints):
3.00
Contact hours:
16 Academic Hours
Final Examination:
Test
Bibliography
Required Reading
1.
Caplan, A. Nigel. (2019) Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers. 2nd edition. University of Michigan Press ELT.
2.
Glasman-Deal, Hilary. (2020) Science Research Writing for Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. 2nd edition. World Scientific.
3.
Staines, M. Gail. (2019) Social Sciences Research. Research, Writing and Presentation Strategies for Students. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Additional Reading
1.
Greene, E. Anne. (2013) Writing Science in Plain English. The University of Chicago Press.
2.
Schimel, Joshua. (2011) Writing Science. How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded. Oxford University Press.
Other Information Sources
1.
Elwell, W. Frank. (2010) Glossary of the Social Sciences.
2.
McCullum, Margaret. Notes on Writing for Law Students.
3.
Swan, Michael. (2016) Practical English Usage. 4th edition. OUP.
4.
Tanford, J. Alexander, Volokh, Eugene. (2001; 2009) How to Write Good Legal Stuff.
5.
Vārdu krājums zinātnē - MICUSP Simple Beta
6.
Docētāja sagatavotie prezentācijas materiāli. Pieejami moodle sadaļā “Angļu valoda zinātnē” 2021
7.
Signalling Transition
8.
Wallwork, Adrian. (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. Springer.