Reminder: time for workshop 2

Would you like to improve your academic writing skills?
If yes, join the workshop Get going: Tools for structure and the writing process

Wednesday 8. May, 3 – 5.30 PM at The Faculty Library of Humanities,  Njalsgade 112

After the workshop you will have the possibility to chat and socialize!

Focus will be on different ways to structure your assignment – and on “tips and tricks” for keeping the writing process going, including finding relevant material. We will present a couple of different ways to structure an assignment and present some questions and guidelines for structuring your own assignment. You will have the possibility to discuss these with peers. We strongly recommend that you bring an un-finished assignment to use as your personal starting-point.

You can sign up for the workshop here: http://hum.ku.dk/intranet/tilmeldinger/joblab1-4/.  Registration is mandatory and binding.

The workshop is part of the project “Academic Writing in a Global Perspective” which focuses on academic expectations. The project consists of a blog and a series of workshops and cultural arrangements. The information you will receive at the workshop will be supplied by the blog.

This workshop is the 2^nd in a series of three. The 3^rd will be:

Get finished: Polish your written academic language                              22. May

International as well as Danish students are welcome; and it is our experience that this cultural meeting is mutually beneficial.  The workshop will be held in English.

We hope to see you there!

Best regards,

Michael Hockenhull & Catherine Berg, Full Degree Guidance Counselor, Faculty

Bente Kristiansen, Academic Consultant, TORS

Kirsten Thomsen, Information Specialist, Royal Library

Special invitation to international students at The Faculty of Humanities, Copenhagen University

Dear student,

Would you like to improve your academic writing skills? If yes, join the workshop
“Get started: Expectations and finding focus”
Monday 22 April, 3 – 5 PM at The Faculty Library of Humanities, Njalsgade 112.
After the workshop there will be social activities until 6 PM.
__________________________________________
Focus will be on one of the major fundamental expectations for written assignments in Danish Academia: the formulation of a question to investigate. You will be working on how to find a focus in your own assignment. This work will take place in relation to the expectations towards your paper.
We strongly recommend you to bring a problem/assignment to use as your personal starting-point.

You can sign up for the workshop here: http://hum.ku.dk/intranet/tilmeldinger/joblab1-4/.
Registration is mandatory and binding. There is a limited number of spots in the workshop, so sign up as soon as possible!
The deadline for signing up is Friday 19 April.

The workshop is part of the project “Academic Writing in a Global Perspective” which focuses on academic expectations. The project consists of a blog and a series of workshops and cultural arrangements. The information you will receive at the workshop will be supplied by the blog.
__________________________________________
This workshop is the first in a series of three. The next two will be:
Get going: Tools for structure and the writing process – 8. May
Get finished: Polish your written academic language – 22. May

International as well as Danish students are welcome. The workshops will be held in English.

We hope to see you there!
Best regards,

Michael Hockenhull & Catherine Berg, Full Degree Guidance Counselor, Faculty
Bente Kristiansen, Academic Consultant, TORS
Kirsten Thomsen, Information Specialist, The Faculty Library of Humanities

Is English still the dominant language of higher education?

This was the topic  of a live chat on The Guardian’s international hub last week, and it raises several interesting questions to ponder, first of all that English may very well be the dominant language now and in the nearest future, but other research environments are arising in China, other parts of Asia, and in Latin America where the dominant research language is still the local language. Perhaps we are moving towards a more multilingual environment in research and in higher education, which will put a pressure on native English speakers who traditionally use little effort learning other languages, simply because there is no obvious reason to do so.
Meanwhile English no doubt on an international scale is the dominant language of research and higher education we may ask:
-  what are the quality implications in teaching and learning, when students are taught English by non native lecturers and
-  are universities careful enough assessing the English language proficiency of their lecturers? (We ask international students to furnish proof of their language skills, so why not the lecturers?)

You can join the Guardian International network for free and participate yourself in future chats

Kirsten Thomsen

- in need of guidance?

Do you know that The University of Copenhagen has a wide range of guidance units? All units give  independent guidance and all talks are confidential.
Department Student Guidance Centers at the Faculty of Humanities
Full-degree student guidance counsellors 
Student Counselling Service
Guidance and Admissions: The International Office
Guidance and Admissions: BA admission
The University Chaplains

foto: Anne Trap-Lind

The Power Model

POWER is short for: Promoting Outstanding Writing for Excellence in Research. The following is extracts from Patricia Goodson’s new book: “Becoming an Academic Writer”, Sage 2012. You find the book in the collection of The Faculty Library of Humanities.

The Power model is grounded in Peter Elbow‘s theory of the writing process. Powerfull text we find in poetry that immeadiately touch us due to their quality of literaryness. In the academic world there is another aspect of writing with power, defined as “getting power over yourself and over the writing process: knowing what you are doing as you write; being in charge; having control; not feeling stuck or helpless or intimidated” (p.4)

The process of gaining mastery over your writing, Elbow states, goes through writing badly, attentively sharing  your drafts and rewriting on basis of the feed-back you get. Then eventually you will start enjoying the writing process and the power it engenders.

Patricia Goodson’s book builds on Elbow’s theoretical perspective and is full of excercises, nudging you into developing consistent and joyful writing habits by focusing on practice for improving academic writing, offering exercises, and including tips - in short offering a way for you to gain power over your writing.

Keep on writing,
Kirsten

Answer

Dear Mike

Your question: Hi,
listen I’ve been told some stuff about  the rules for written take-home exams and it seemed to me quite crazy, so I wanted to know if it’s true. Stuff like:
- You can’t write in first person
singular: “in my paper I want to prove that…”
- You can quote a source only
once for all the papers you’re writing I mean, it isn’t true, right? I can
understand the rule about first person singular, but the one and only quote from
a book…

My answer would be that of course you can write in first  person singular. BUT be aware that :
-       in some disciplines it is not  common to write in first person singular (for instance philosophy and many  disciplines in the area of natural sciences)
-       first person singular
must be used in relation to academic “actions” like the one you mention: I want  to prove. “I” can also be used in relation to argue, categorize, analyze,  discuss etc. But it cannot be used for expressing personal views that are not  based on academic argumentation, for instance: I think, I like  etc.

Concerning  quotes: You can quote the same source as many times as  necessary for making your argument, but be aware that the important thing is how  and for what purpose you are quoting. Don’t overdo it! What the reader/teacher  wants to see is your text, your argument and for what purposes  you are using  the quotes.

I hope these answers were helpful?

Best,
Bente

Hi,
listen I’ve been told some stuff about the rules for written take-home exams and it seemed to me quite crazy, so I wanted to know if it’s true. Stuff
like:
- You can’t write in first person singular: “in my paper I want to
prove that…”
- You can quote a source only once for all the papers you’re
writing I mean, it isn’t true, right? I can understand the rule about first
person singular, but the one and only quote from a book…

Mike

blog in progress

Soon you will find articles about creative academic writing here