Teaching with Writing - Academic Writing - Assignment Example

 Teaching with Writing - Academic Writing Writing an academic paper is often considered a major undertaking for good reason. The kind of writing required to be accepted in the academic world has a great deal of format, style and content requirements that mark it as different from the kinds of writing used in general correspondence or even in writing for periodicals. Even within the academic world, there are a number of differences expected depending upon the subject being written about. Pieces written in the hard sciences are expected to follow different formats, for example, than pieces written for subjects in the humanities or those written for social sciences. Cultural differences can have a significant effect on the expectations for academic writing as well. Although papers written in the United States and those written in England both use English as the primary language, for example, the way in which ideas are communicated and the words used are different because of the cultural changes between the two nations. When attempting to find the correct means of communicating their ideas in an appropriate way for their field of study and culture, students often struggle to retain an element of their own identity and voice. A greater understanding of the differences in expectations, formats and cultures enables one to make more appropriate adaptations to their writing while still retaining a sense of individuality and voice in their academic writing. Most papers in the academic world are now written in the common language of English regardless of the country of origin. This phenomena of English as a global language has been tracked for several years. It is recognized that “English is now the language most widely taught as a foreign language – in over 100 countries, such as China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt and Brazil – and in most of these countries it is emerging as the chief foreign language to be encountered in schools, often displacing another language in the process” (Crystal 5). As the preferred instructed language, the majority of papers written for academic use, including scientific studies and critical reviews, English becomes a language that ensures these papers are able to reach out to the greatest possible public at the same time that encouraging students to write in English forces them to learn the language more completely in a real-world context. In determining why English came to be in this position, there are no clear or distinct answers. “There is great variation in the reasons for choosing a particular language as a favored foreign language: they include historical tradition, political expediency, and the desire for commercial, cultural or technological contact” (Crystal 5). From this assessment, it seems English has emerged as the global language because of the power represented in the countries that use this language as their primary spoken communication mode. These include the United States, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, many Caribbean countries and several other territories (Crystal 4). These countries represent a great deal of money available for research, consumption, invention and political clout. Students wishing to enter the world of high-power capitalism and/or politics are thus required to learn and use English as are those students interested in claiming some of the available monies available for research and further study. In addition to the requirement of writing in the correct language, there are a number of disciplinary styles that must be observed when writing depending upon the type of writing one is engaged with. “Each discipline has its own conventions of language use and style, and … these conventions must be taught if students are going to participate in successful academic discourse” (Writing, 2010). The kinds of information expected in a scientific report are much different from the kinds of information expected in a business report, for example. Hard science expects to see elements such as the abstract that provides a brief summary of the paper’s contents and findings, an introduction that informs the reader of the scientist’s motivations and expectations in conducting the research, a segment that describes the methods used in conducting the research, a description of the research as it was conducted, a presentation of the results and a discussion of what this research means and how it fits in with present knowledge (The Scientific Paper, 2001). “In the humanities, however, the purpose of writing is different. Humanities as a field of study deals with questions for which there are no definitive answers … While scholars in this field certainly hope to address … questions in ways that are compelling and authoritative, they don’t write first and foremost to establish consensus among their peers” (Gocsik, 2005). In this type of writing, the student is expected to make an argument about their ‘reading’ of a given text which can include written documents, stories, films, paintings and even music. Each segment of the paper typically follows a pattern of making a claim that supports that main argument, providing evidence that supports that claim and then clearly indicating how that claim supports their argument. While each of these styles, and the many other styles that are associated with other disciplines, expect to see list of references used in gathering materials, there are a number of ways in which these references (and the papers themselves) are expected to be formatted including MLA, Harvard and Chicago styles. Each style has its own preferences for paper layout, such as whether the paper should include a title page or just a heading above the text, in-text citations or footnotes and a references, bibliography or works cited page. The information about the references used is also organized differently depending on style including differences in whether titles should be underlined or italicized, dates of publication should be placed before or after titles and how websites should be recorded. The major styles include APA which is typically employed for psychology, education or social sciences pages; MLA for literature, arts or humanities subjects; AMA for medicine, health and biological sciences; Turabian which is used generally among college students; and Chicago which is often employed in ‘real-world’ situations such as in newspaper publications or magazines (Delaney, 2009). There are numerous guides available on the internet that help students format their papers accordingly, but these styles also get changed from time to time so style guides must be dated in order to ensure proper information is used. Cultural differences also play a role in the expectations held for student papers. A person’s rhetorical strategies differ depending upon the culture in which they were raised and trained. “Researchers state that the native culture and target culture, educational experience in the home country, the differences between first language and the target language and students’ previous knowledge of grammar and writing skills influence the graduate second language students’ academic writing” (Zhong, 2006). Rhetorical approach is shaped by culture in much the same way that concepts of family and ‘correct’ living reflect the ideals of childhood. Each culture has been demonstrated to have a unique approach as has been identified by Kaplan (1966). Those who grow up within the English tradition tend to approach their arguments from a linear perspective, taking a direct approach to the problem, while those from a Chinese origin take a more inductive, spiral approach to their reasoning. Other cultural differences were identified among the Semitic peoples and the Russians. Further research has only deepened our understanding of how culture plays an important role in the formation of rhetorical structure. Thus, academic writing for the college student represents not only a complex set of concepts for how to write the paper, but also a necessary shift in the way in which one thinks if English is not the first language. In attempting to fit their writing into the various formats, styles and rhetorical patterns expected for their discipline and purpose, many students find it easy to be overwhelmed by the process of academic writing. However, if they take the time to understand the purpose of their writing, it becomes easier to narrow down the choices of styles and formats that are expected of them. As they whittle down the options to suit the end goal of their work, they will begin to find plenty of room in the content areas of their paper to retain their unique voice and individuality of ideas. Rather than restricting their voice within a rigid set of parameters, students may discover that these elements help them to more fully explore their uniqueness and more effectively transmit their individual personality and ideas into the greater world. Works Cited Crystal, David. English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Delaney, Robert. “Citation Style for Research Papers.” Long Island University, 2009. April 13, 2010 Gocsik, Karen. “General Advice for Non-Majors.” Dartmouth Writing Program. Dartmouth College, 2005. April 13, 2010 Kaplan, R. “Cultural Thought Patterns in Intercultural Education.” Language Learning. Vol. 16, N. 1, (1966): 1-20. “Scientific Paper.” Guide to Writing in the Biological Sciences. George Mason University, 2010. April 13, 2010 “Writing Across the Curriculum.” Teaching with Writing. University of Minnesota, 2010. April 13, 2010 Zhong, Lan. Culture Root and Academic Writing. University of Windsor, 2006. April 13, 2010 Read More