This workshop will be devoted to improving the participants’ techniques of writing, especially clearly formulating thoughts and structuring various kinds of academic and journalistic texts appropriately. This will be done through elements of lectures and instruction, and – principally – through practical tasks. In class, students will be asked to produce short pieces of writing, do some editing exercises, and discuss and edit other participants’ writing. As homework, students will be asked to write two major pieces: an article for the press and an academic argumentative essay, and several minor pieces (a blog post, critique essay, data commentary). These will also be discussed in class.
Some other important aspects of writing which the class will focus on will include: using various kinds of sources; the ethics of using sources, both human and written, and of citing them in an appropriate way to avoid plagiarism; the organization of the writing process; using helpful software, such as Zotero for bibliographies; creating visual materials; preparing work for publication; publishing in academic journals and in the media from politics, society and economy.
Since clear writing is a key ability for university students and in many professions, the class will be helpful for everyone, but especially those considering a career in academia or in the media.
