COURSE SYLLABUS

IDENTIFICATION DATA

COURSE: WRITING WORKSHOP IN ENGLISH

ACADEMIC CENTER: ARTS AND SCIENCES / HUMANITIES
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT: FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
MAJOR: B. A. in English Language Teaching
CURRICULUM: 2019 SEMESTER: 4o COURSE KEY: 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ACADEMIC AREA: PERIOD: January – June 2022
DEVELOPMENT
HOURS PER WEEK T/P: 0T/5P CREDITS: 5
COURSE MODALITY: Online COURSE TYPE: Elective
UPDATED BY: Benjamin L. Stewart
REVISED AND APPROVED BY: Skill Develop Academy UPDATED IN: January 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This practical subject leads the student in a systematic way to the writing of different academic texts at a B2 + level
of the CEFR through a series of logical and practical steps of the writing process and in turn, strengthening the
knowledge of the English language. Course content and learning experiences of this subject contribute to the
objectives of the Institutional Humanist Training Program and its partial accreditation. This subject is preceded by
the subjects of Communication Skills I and II, Advanced Text Comprehension Workshop in English and precedes Oral
Expression Workshop in English and Academic Writing in English. Additionally, it supports all the subjects of the
curricular areas of Applied Linguistics for the Teaching of English, Methodology of the Teaching of English, and
Teaching Practices.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

At the end of the course, the student will have written various types of academic texts in the English language at an
advanced level based on the different types of texts. They will do so in a reflective way, open to constructive
criticism, quality, professional ethics, and promoting continuous learning.

CONTENTS

Course (80 hrs./ approx.)

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENTS
UNIT 1 UNIT 1 - (20 HRS. APPROX.) Refer to
references
Students will recognize CONTENT: below.
and apply the different
stages of the writing A. What is literacy nowadays?
process. B. The writing process

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a. Parts of an essay
Students will recognize b. Pre-writing Stages
and practice using ICT c. Drafting and self-assessment
resources such as online C. Mechanics
dictionaries, thesauri, D. Cohesion, coherence, style, accuracy, clarity
academic websites and E. Peer revision
blogs in their F. ICT resources and their application in the writing process
assignments. a. Online dictionaries
b. Thesauri
c. ICTs
G. Aspects of critical thinking
a. Analysis vs. Synthesis
b. Identifying problems (from the literature)
c. Formulate and justify ideas
d. Consider multiple points of view,
e. Confront clashing values
f. Imagine, analyze, and evaluate alternative solutions
to problems
g. Rhetorical patterns
H. Logic and writing (reasoning patterns)
a. Inductive/deductive
b. Convergent/divergent
c. Side-by-side reasoning; chain reasoning; joint
reasoning
I. Vocabulary related to the topic (50 items approx.)
J. APA
UNIT 2 UNIT 2 (20 HRS. APPROX.) Refer to
references
Students will distinguish CONTENT: below.
between and create
different written A. Types of letters (statements of purpose, cover letters,
documents such as recommendation letters)
letters, formal e-mails, B. Formal e-mails
thank-you letters, C. Elements and organization of a résumé
memos, and a personal D. Vocabulary related to the topic. (50 items approx.)
résumé. E. Creation of the following documents:
1) A statement of purpose
2) A cover letter
3) A recommendation letter
4) A formal e-mail
5) A résumé

UNIT 3 UNIT 3 (20 HRS. APPROX.) Refer to

references
Students will practice CONTENT: below.
identifying, stating and A. Elements of an Argumentative Essay
supporting reasons and a. Introduction
arguments through b. Main Body

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writing. i. Initial argument

ii. Counter argument
iii. Rebuttal
c. Conclusion
B. Toulmin Argument Model
1. Claims
2. Grounds
3. Warrant
4. Backing
5. Qualifier (Reservation/counterclaim)
6. Rebuttal
C. Aspects of critical thinking
1. Analysis vs. Synthesis
2. Identifying problems (from the literature)
3. Formulate and justify ideas
4. Consider multiple points of view (writer vs.
audience, purpose, and bias)
5. Confront clashing values
6. Imagine, analyze, and evaluate alternative
solutions to problems
D. Vocabulary related to the topic (50 items approx..)
APA

UNIT 4 UNIT 4 (20 HRS. APPROX.) Refer to

references
Students will apply their CONTENT: below.
critical thinking and A. Metaphors/Similes
writing skills to analyze B. Idioms
and appraise figurative C. Quotes
language. D. Poems
E. Songs
F. Short stories
G. Vocabulary related to the topic (50 items approx.)

TEACHING/LEARNING METHODOLOGY

Teachers will guide students throughout the writing process as they develop critical thinking skills and digital
literacies, performing various writing assignments that will each be graded using a five-trait writing rubric. An
online written portfolio will include all writing assignments, which will allow self and peer-assessment. This
course will be held in-person (if approved), computer lab, and online; activities will be carried out individually, in
pairs, and in groups.

TEACHING MATERIALS

Office 365, UAA virtual library, & other websites and ICTs

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ASSESSMENT

In-class products:
Unit I: Persuasive Essay, five-paragraph essay 20%
Unit II: Statement of purpose, cover letter,
recommendation letter, formal email, and résumé 20%
Unit III: Argumentative Essay, five-paragraph essay 25%
Unit IV: Creative text (Poetry etc.) 25%
Eportfolio 10%
Total 100%

NOTES:
1. 80% attendance is required to pass the course. Attendance will be taken per
session.
2. The eportfolio must contain all of the products developed throughout the
semester. Assignments not handed in on time will affect the portfolio grade.
Late work will not be accepted.
3. The eportfolio grade will be based on presentation and peer feedback assigned
throughout the semester.
4. APA style will be required for academic writing assignments in units I and III.
5. Committing plagiarism will result in a zero grade on any of the products
submitted by the student.
6. Use of dictionaries is mandatory and should be brought to class each day (i.e.,
bilingual, monolingual, and thesaurus).
7. Refer to the essay assessment rubric for units I and III.
8. The use of English will have 50% value of the grade on each item evaluated.
9. Teacher will upload partial grades to E-SIIMA periodically throughout the course. Each uploaded grade is meant to
represent the current grade at that time and will not be averaged for the final grade.

REFERENCES

BASIC:

Leki, I. (2005). Academic writing: Exploring processes and strategies. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Meriwether, N. (2000). Writing essays: Strategies for success. New York, NY: McGrall Hill.

Nevalainen, T. & Tanskanen, S. (2007). Letter writing. Amsterdam, NLD: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Sharples, M. (1998). How we write: Writing as creative design. London: Routledge.

Trimmer, J. (2001). Writing with a purpose. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

COMPLEMENTARY:

Bang, L. (1996). Handbook for practical letter writing. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group.

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Bailey, S. (2006). Academic writing: A handbook for international students. UK: Routledge.

WEBSITES
· https://www.notion.so/bnleez/Academic-Creative-Writing-a46bf0ddda694716b7c5c25c5cc15409
· https://www.wix.com/
· https://www.weebly.com/mx

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