《学术英语写作与研究方法（第二版）》课件Chapter 01 Academic Writing - A Process of Creation

全人教育英语专业本科教材系列

学术英语写作与论文写作

AcademicWritingandResearchMethods总主编：文旭

主编：刘承宇

审订：MarthaDavisPatton中国人民大学出版社2021年7月第2版ChapterOne

AcademicWriting:AProcessofCreationCONTENTS1.1Creation:Attheheartofresearch1.2Distinguishingbetweeneverydaygenresandacademicgenres1.3Movingfromtopicstoproblems1.4Writingactivitiesandprompts1.5Referencematerials1.1Creation:AttheheartofresearchChinahasanincrediblecreativelegacy,millenniaold.FourgreatinventionsinancientChinesehistory:paper-making,campus,gunpowder,andmovable-typeprinting

Paradoxically,thisimpressivehistorymaybeaproblem,asH.Gaooncesays,“TheeducationsystemthatpulledChinaupmaynowbepullingitback.”TheimportanceofcreationA.Creationineducationsystem

EducationsystemisafocusoncreationFindingnewproblemsAddressingnewproblemsconstructivelyandimaginativelyB.CreationinacademicresearchandthesiswritingThefocusoncreationistheheartofresearch,theheartofacademicwriting,andtheheartofthebookonacademicwritingandresearchmethodsintendedforundergraduatespreparingtowriteathesis.1.2Distinguishingbetweeneverydaygenresandacademicgenres

A.CharacteristicsofeverydaywritingA.Everydayreadersmayneedustofillinthegapsforthem,perhapswithstoriesoranalogiesormetaphors.B.Everydayreadersmayneedustouseeverydaylanguagethattheycanunderstand.C.Everydayreadersmayneedtobeentertainedsomewhatinordertostayinterestedintheinformationyouareproviding.D.Everydayreadersmayappreciateapoetic,descriptivestyle;thatis,theymightwantyoutoappealtotheiremotionsratherthantotheirlogic.B.FeaturesofacademicwritingA.Academicreadersexpectthelanguageandreasoningtobeasclearandpreciseaspossible.B.Academicreaderswillnotsimplytakeyourwordforitbecauseyoudiscoveredsomething;youwillneedtoconvincethemwhyyourdiscoveryisreal,showingthemwiththestrongestpossiblereasonsandevidence.Youwillneedtoshowthemyourreasonsanddata.C.Academicreaderswillexpectmorethanareportofyourfindings.D.Academicreaderswillexpectanevidence-basedargumenttoconvincethemthattheyshouldbelieveyourconclusion.Fourpointsofacademicwriting:1)Academicwritingaddressesasignificantproblemorquestion.2)Itpresentsanargument:aclaimthatissupportedwithreasonsandevidence.3)Theprimaryargumentandthinkingisoriginal(eventhoughsecondaryinformationwillbecited).4)Itispeerreviewedifacceptedasknowledge.1.3MovingfromtopicstoproblemsTheconclusionofanacademicpaper:Theconclusionistheendofacreativeprocessthatbeginswithaquestion.Itistheanswertoyourquestion.Everyresearchstudyanswersaquestion,eitherexplicitly(directly)orimplicitly(indirectly).Writingasaprocessofcreation:Inthiscase,ourfiststepwillbetofindoneresearchtopicandthengraduallyturnitintoaresearchquestion.Thebiggestdifferencesbetweeneverydaywritingandacademicwriting:Inacademicwriting,youwillbeaskingandansweringaproblemoraquestionthatnooneelsehasansweredbefore.1.4WritingactivitiesandpromptsDirection:

Tohelpyoucomeupwithafocusedtopicandquestion,completeTable1-1aboutChina’sdiscoveries,pastandpotential.Mostgreatcreationstodayoccuronetiny,carefulstepatatime.Inotherwords,yourthesismaybeonesmallstepleadingtootheramazingcreations.

A.

FindingfocusedtopicsTobeginthinkingaboutyourthesis,youwillneedtomovefromgeneraltopicstomorefocusedtopics.ConsidertheexampleinTable1-2andbrainstormmorepossibilities.B.FindingfocusedresearchquestionsTable3presentsanexampleaboutlanguagelearningandtheenvironment.C.ThinkingaboutpossibleresearchproblemsforyourfuturethesisProblemposedtoUSstudentsCouldtheproblembeadaptedforastudyinChina?LinguisticportrayalsofothernessinTV/filmLinguisticstereotypingMusicaldialectsLanguageattitudesCMC(Computer-MediatedCommunication)LexicalchangeinthemediaTable1-4AdaptingresearchproblemsusedbyUSstudentstoproblemsforusebyChinesestudents.1.4.1In-classwritingactivitybasedoneverydaysourcesRewritethestory“LittleRedCap”,adaptingittoanewpurposeandaudience.Rewriteitasaplay(justdialogue,nobackgroundstory).B.Rewriteitasanewspaperstory.C.RewriteitasaletterfromGrandma’sneighbor.1.4.2Alternativein-classwritingactivitybasedonanewsstoryTopracticeadaptingyourwritingfordifferentaudiencesandpurposes,consider“translating”theCNBCnewsstoryinFigure1.A.Rewriteitasastory.B.RewriteitasaletterfromaChinesemathteachertohermother.C.RewriteitasadialoguebetweentwoBritishmathteachers.

1.4.3Alternativein-classwritingactivitybasedonacademicsourcesTopracticeadaptingyourwritingfordifferentaudiencesandpurposes,consider“translating”theacademicabstractinFigure1-2sothatageneralreadercanunderstandit.Pickoneofthefollowinggenresandinabouttenminutesrewritetheaboveabstract,adaptingittoanewpurposeandaudience:Rewriteitasa“story-book”story.Rewriteitasanewspaperstory(thisiswhatsciencejournalistsmustdo).Rewriteitasaletterfromtheresearchertoherparentsabouttheresearch.1.4.4

Peer

reviewWhenyourallottedtimeisup,getintosmallgroupsofaboutfourstudents.Readyourwritingaloudandletyourclassmatesanswerthesequestions:Question1:Whatgenre(play,newspaper,letter)waschosenforthewriting?Question2:Whoseemstobetheintendedaudienceforthewriting?Question3:Whatseemstobethepurpose(Inform?Entertain?Persuade?Other?)Question4:Whatisthemostmemorablepart?1.4.5Recommendedout-of-classassignmentItissuggestedthatstudentswhoarebeingintroducedtoacademicwritingreadsections2.1,2.2,and2.3andidentifyatentativeresearchquestionbeforeproceedingtothenextchapter.Itissuggestedthatstudentswhoalreadyhavearesearchprojectunderwayselectaresearcharticlerelatedtotheirresearchproblemandbringittothenextclassroom.ItisalsorecommendedthattheyreadallofChapterTwo.1.5Referencematerials1.5.1CharacteristicsoffivegenresAgenreisaparticulartypeofliteratureorotherformsofartorentertainment,whichpeopleconsiderasaclassbecauseithasspecialcharacteristics.1.5.2SomeusefuldatabasesScanthelistsofpossibleresearchtopicsinthelinksbelow.Inyournotebook,listfivetopicsofinteresttoyouandthennarroweachtopicagian./connect/interest-sections

cation.ox.ac.uk/research/applied-linguistics/

/content.php?pid=129904&sid=1114231

http://www.unige.ch/alapp2014/Ctheme.html

/AboutAERA/MemberConstituents/SIGs/SIGDirectory/tabid/11093/Default.aspx1.5.3SearchatableofcontentstofidasubjectAbook’stableofcontentsshoulditemizethemanysubjectareasofyourtopic.Byscanningthetableofcontents,youmayfidaresearchsubjectofinteresttoyou.Forexample,Nunan,David.SecondLanguageTeachingandLearning.NewYork:Heinle&HeinlePublishers,1999.1.5.4Examineabook’sindextodiscoverasubjectManyacademicbooksprovideanindexofsubjectsand/orauthorsmentionedinthem.Theindexisusuallyarrangedinanalphabeticalorder.Youmayfindaresearchsubjectbyexaminingtheindex.ThiscanbeillustratedbytheindexofSecondLanguageTeachingandLearning(byDavidNunan.NewYork:Heinle&HeinlePublishers,1999.)

1.5.5SearchtheheadingsinperiodicalindexesAcademicperiodicalsareanimportantsourceforacademicresearch.Youmaygothroughtheheadingsinperiodicalindexestofidsometopicsofinterestandthendomoreliteraturereading,basedonwhichyouproceedwithsomeseriousresearchproject.ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearch(《外语教学与研究》）

ForeignLanguages（《外国语》）

ModernForeignLanguage（《现代外语》）

ContemporaryLinguistics（《当代语言学》)ForeignLanguagesinChina（《中国外语》）

JournalofForeignLanguages（《外语学刊》）

ForeignLanguageTeaching（《外语教学》）

ForeignLanguagesandTheirTeaching（《外语与外语教学》）

ForeignLanguageStudies（《外语研究》）……A.DomesticjournalsB.ForeignjournalsAmericanLiteraryHistory

AppliedLinguistics

Computer-AssistedLanguageLearning(CALL)

EnglishLanguageTeaching

EnglishLiteraryHistory

EnglishToday

JournalforEighteenth-CenturyStudies

JournalofLanguage,Identity,andEducation

JournalofLinguistics

……1.5.6ScanencyclopediaarticleswhensearchingforasubjectEncyclopediaarticlespointtospecifictopicsbecausetheylistnumerousdetailsonthesubjectinsummaryfashion.Spendtenminutesorsoreadinganencyclopediaarticleandyoumighteasilyfidtwoorthreepossibletopics.Thebriefarticlesuggestspossibletopicsanditsbibliographyprovidesreferences.Youcanhaveanarrowedtopicandalistofseveralbooksonthesubjectratherquickly.Herearesomeimportantencyclopedias:EncyclopediaAmericana

TheEncyclopediaofAppliedLinguistics

EncyclopediaBritannica

TheEncyclopediaofCognitiveSciences

TheEncyclopediaofLanguageandLinguistics

TheEncyclopediaofLinguistics

EncyclopediaMythica

TheEncyclopediaofPsycholinguistics……1.5.7ScanarticlesinanthologiesforaresearchsubjectAnthropologiesareanimportantandusefulsourceforliteraturereadingaswellasforsomeresearchtopicsonliteraryworks.Herearesomewidely-readanthologiesforBritishandAmericanliterature:TheNortonAnthologyofBritishLiterature

TheNortonAnthologyofAmericanLiterature

TheCambridgeCompaniontoBritishL