Course Syllabus (Semester 1/2009)

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: 1/2009

Class schedule: Wednesday, 6-9 p.m.

Instructor: Karnchanoke Wattanasin, Ph.D.

Technical Education Bldg., Room 703

Office Hours: By appointment

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 of their interests and those pertaining to translation research (TR). Major course activities include reading, class discussion, writing essays, peer review of students’ writing, and conferencing with the instructor.

Objectives

In this course, students will:

1. Learn and practice writing skills that will help them to write;
2. Read texts, and write to express their thoughts and to comment on the texts they have read; and
3. Write multiple drafts of essays and reports based on their reading and class discussions, and an essay summarizing and critiquing 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. Students will write at least 6 class essays for the entire semester, and are allowed to choose their own topics, with two required essays: one transactional-academic (TA) essays, and one expressive-transactional (ET) essay. Overall, class essays include:

1. Weekly on-line journal entries, at least one double-spaced A4 page in length. All journal entries must be submitted 3 days prior to each class.
2. Expressive-transactional (ET) essays: 1-2 double-spaced pages per essay.
3. Transactional-academic (TA) essays: 2-3 double-spaced pages per essay. For Essay 5, students are required to read and discuss one translation research (TR) paper of their choice and write a summary and critique of the research. The essay must be accompanied by an abstract of the research being discussed.
4. One reflection (ET) essay submitted with the portfolio: 1-2 double-spaced pages. This essay is a reflection on the author’s experience with writing in this class, comments and suggestions for further class structure and activities. No multiple drafts required

The in-class writing activity allows each student to spend 3 weeks on one essay. It is suggested, however, that students revise and write further drafts and submit them after they receive feedback from the instructor and/or peers thereafter. 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: their on-line journals, in-class essays, and the reflection paper. There is no midterm or final examination. Evaluation is divided into:

Attendance and participation	30%
On-line journal entries and essay submission and revision	30%
Translation research summary and critique	10%
Portfolio	30%
Total	100%

Suggested 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 (2^nd 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 (2^nd 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 (5^th 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 (3^rd edition). New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Williams, J. M. (1990). Style. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Zinsser, W. (2006). On writing well (7^th, edition). New York: Collins.

Course Outline

1 Jun 3	- Course orientation (Course and student goals) - Writing as a vehicle for thoughts; multiple-draft writing - Types of writing ICW: Essay 1.1	HW: Start looking for a TR paper; find texts to write about; write your journal on the blog.
2 Jun 10	Generating ideas: Pre-writing activities I ICW: Essay 1.2	AD: Essay 1.1 HW: Bring to class a text you are interested in.
3 Jun 17	- Reading to write: Finding main and supporting ideas - Peer review for main and supporting ideas ICW: Essay 1.3	AD: Essay 1.2
4 Jun 24	Generating ideas: Pre-writing activities II ICW: Essay 2.1	AD: Essay 1.3
5 Jul 1	Writing from reading I: Summary writing ICW: Essay 2.2 RM: You should have a TR paper with you by now.	AD: Essay 2.1
6 Jul ___	Writing from reading II: Paraphrasing ICW: Essay 2.3	AD: Essay 2.2 HW: Bring to class an academic paper (article from a journal).
7 Jul 15	Respecting sources and the reader: Citation ICW: Essay 3.1 A summary and discussion of a text you have written	AD: Essay 2.3
8 Jul 22	- Writing for an audience I: The tip-of-the-iceberg phenomenon and the writer’s two selves - Peer review: Finding the tips of the iceberg ICW: Essay 3.2	AD: Essay 3.1
Jul 27-Aug 2	No class (Midterm week) RM: If you have not done so, start reading your TR paper now.
9 Aug 5	Writing for an audience II: Anticipating the reader’s questions ICW: Essay 3.3	AD: Essay 3.2
10 Aug ___	- Making use of grammar - Peer review for grammar work ICW: Essay 4.1	AD: Essay 3.3
11 Aug 19	Making use of vocabulary ICW: Essay 4.2	AD: Essay 4.1
12 Aug 26	Style and organization ICW: Essay 4.3	AD: Essay 4.2
13 Sept 2	Cohesion ICW: Essay 5.1 Summary and critique of TR	AD: Essay 4.3
14 Sept 9	- Coherence - Peer review for coherence ICW: Essay 5.2	AD: Essay 5.1
15 Sept 16	Review Conclusion to course	AD: Essay 5.2
Sept 23	No class (Final week)	AD: Portfolio