Department of Languages, Faculty of Applied Arts
King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok
Program in Translation for Education and Business
815406 Research and Report Writing
Semester: 2/2008
Class schedule: Thursday, 6-9 p.m.
Instructor: Karnchanoke Wattanasin, Ph.D.
Technical Education Bldg., Room 703
Office Hours: By appointment
(For contact information, please refer to the hard copy of the syllabus.)
Course Description
This course focuses primarily on the development of students’ skills in writing in English. Students will be exposed to a myriad of writing practices, ranging from expressive to academic writing, as well as reading texts pertaining to writing and translation research (TR). Major course activities include reading, class discussion, writing essays, peer review of students’ writing, and conferencing with the instructor. Students will read articles and chapters, and write to express their thoughts and to comment on the texts they have read.
Objectives
In this course, students will:
1. Learn and practice writing skills that will help them to write;
2. Read texts pertaining to writing and translation research and comments on the texts; and
3. Write multiple drafts of essays and reports based on their reading and class discussions, and a proposal for a translation research.
Evaluation
The assessment of this course is principally based on students’ on-line evaluation-free journals at http://815406.blogspot.com/, essay writing and submission, and class participation. Class essays include:
1. Weekly on-line journal entries discussing the reading they are assigned, at least one double-spaced A4 page in length. All journal entries must be submitted 3 days prior to each class.
2. 6 Reflection essays (Rs): 1-2 double-spaced pages each.
3. 5 Academic essays (As): 2-3-page academic essays. For two of these academic essays, students are required to read and discuss one qualitative translation research paper and one quantitative translation research paper of their choice. Each A essay must be accompanied by an abstract of the research being discussed.
If a date is not specified by the instructor for a revision of each composition, students are required to revise and submit the text after they receive feedback from the instructor and/or peers. Hard copies are required for all primary drafts, while final drafts may be submitted electronically. Students are also required to make multiple hard copies for their classmates for peer review. During the last week of class, each student will submit his/her portfolio—a collection of written works he/she has completed during the semester, which includes both first and final drafts of: 6 on-line journals, R6 and 3 other Rs, and the research proposal (A5) and 3 other As. There is no midterm or final examination. Evaluation is divided into:
Participation and on-line journal entries 29%
Individual essay submission and revision 21%
Research proposal 20%
Portfolio 30%
Total 100%
Readings and References
APA style essentials. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2007, from http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796
Carnicelli, T. A. (1980). The writing conference: A one-to-one conversation. In T. R. Donovan & B. W. McClelland (Eds.). Eight approaches to teaching composition (pp. 101-131). Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Elbow, P. (1998). Writing with power. New York: Oxford University Press.
Elbow, P. (2000). Everyone can write. New York: Oxford university Press.
Flower, L. (1979). Writer-based prose: A cognitive basis for problems in writing. College English, 41, 19-37, Reprinted in Leeds, B. (Ed.). (1996). Writing in a second language: Insights from first and second language teaching and research. New Jersey: Longman.)
Hayakawa, S. I. & Hayakawa, A. R. (1990). Language in thought and action. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers.
Horton, S. R. (1982). Thinking through writing. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.
Huff, R. & Kline, C. R., Jr. (1987). The contemporary writing curriculum. New York: Teachers College Press.
Leeds, B. (2003). How to teach EFL/ESL writing: A basic guide for Thai teachers. PASAA, 34, 80-102.
Leki, I. (1998). Academic writing: Exploring processes and strategies (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mittan, R. (1989). The peer review process: Harnessing students’ communicative power. In D. M. Johnson & D. H. Roen (Eds.). Richness in writing. New York: Longman.
Murray, D. M. (1982). Teaching the other self: The writer’s first reader. College Composition and Communication, 33, 140-147.
Murray, D. M. (2004). The craft of revision (5th edition). Canada: Thomson Heinle.
Paraphrasing. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2007, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/
Perl, S. (1980). Understanding composing. Reprinted in S. Perl (Ed.). Landmark essays on writing process (pp. 99-105). CA: Hermagoras Press.
Rose, M. (1980). Rigid rules, inflexible plans, and the stifling of language: A cognitivist analysis of writer’s block. Reprinted in S. Perl (Ed.). Landmark essays on writing process (pp. 85-97). CA: Hermagoras Press.
Spatt, B. (1991). Writing from sources (3rd edition). New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Williams, J. M. (1990). Style. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Course Outline
ICW = In-class writing
AD = Assignment due
HW = Homework
1 Oct 30 Course orientation, Pre-writing activities I
ICW: R1.1 Me
AD: None
HW: Read Horton (1982) and write your comments on-line.
2 Nov 6 Writing as a vehicle for thinking and discovery of ideas; Pre-writing activities II
ICW: R2.1 The most wonderful person, place, or thing on the planet
AD: R1.1
HW: Read Huff & Kline (1987) and comment.
3 Nov 13 Expressive and transactional writing; Pre-writing activities III
ICW: R3.1 My writing vs. my translation
AD: R2.1
HW: Read Rose (1980) and comment.
4 Nov 20 Writer’s block; Reading and summary writing
ICW: Pre-A1.1 Blockers and non-blockers: A discussion of Rose (1980) in relation to my writing problems and successes
AD: R3.1
HW: Read Perl (1980) and comment.
5 Nov 27 Writing as a process: Multiple-draft writing; Quoting
ICW: A1.1 Blockers and non-blockers: A discussion of Rose (1980) in relation to my writing problems and successes
AD: None
HW: Read Murray (1982) and comment.
6 Dec 4 A writer’s two selves; Tip of the iceberg; Paraphrasing
ICW: A2.1 Paraphrases from Murray (1982)
AD: A1.1
HW: For next week’s journal entry, discuss what you think qualitative translation research is.
7 Dec 11 (No reading, each student reading a TR in preparation for their in-class writing) Conducting research; A research paper: The APA style
ICW: A3.1 Summary of a qualitative TR
AD: A2.1
HW: Read Mittan (1989) and comment.
8 Dec 18 Peer review
ICW: Peer review of A3.1
AD: A3.1
HW: Read Chapter 3 in Williams (1990) and comment.
Dec 22-28 No class (Midterm week)
AD: None
9 Jan __ (Make-up for Jan 1) Local clarity and cohesion
ICW: R4.1 What I know and what I want to know about translation
AD: A3.2
HW: Read Chapters 5 and 6 in Williams (1990) and comment.
10 Jan 8 Coherence; Organization and outlines
ICW: R5.1 Writing an essay: Problems and suggestions
AD: R4.1
HW: For next week’s journal entry, discuss what you think quantitative translation research is.
11 Jan 15 (No reading, each student reading a TR in preparation for their in-class writing) Quantitative vs. qualitative research
ICW: A4.1 Summary of a quantitative TR
AD: R5.1
HW: Read Flower (1979) and comment.
12 Jan 22 Writer-based and reader-based prose
ICW: Peer review of A4.1
AD: A4.1
HW: Read Hayakawa & Hayakawa (1990) and comment.
13 Jan 29 The power of writing and thinking: Abstraction ladder and stereotypes; Proposal writing
ICW: A5.1 Proposal for your TR
AD: None
HW: Read Murray (2004) and comment.
14 Feb 5 Editing
ICW: Peer review of A5.1
AD: A4.2 & A5.1
HW: Read Elbow (2000) and comment.
15 Feb 12 Voice, Conclusion to course
AD: None
HW: Write R6 Reflection on this course and on writing
Feb 19 No class (Final week)
AD: Portfolio
