National Defense University

Washington, DC 20319-6000

Introduction to Graduate Writing and

Research
NDU6100
CISA

Syllabus
(Updated Spring 2018)

Professor Trela N. Anderson

Course Instructor
International Student Management Office

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 Introduction to Graduate Writing and Research

I. Course Description

This course is specifically designed to enhance the English academic

writing skills of non-native students. The course concentrates on American
academic writing process, focus, thesis and organization, common complex
writing structures, research strategies and documentation and conventions of
American academic writing.

The course also looks at reading skill and its connection to the written
skill. Reading strategies are discussed and practiced through authentic text:
articles or journals. The course includes Critical Reading, a higher-level reading
approach essential in analyzing and responding to the content. This critical-
thinking approach leads into the writing process, the methodology used to prepare
academic documents.

The remaining modules focus on the standards of American academic

writing when producing course papers, thesis work, a research project, or
journals. The topics include planning, organizing, revising, editing and
documenting. Documentation further includes the discussion of plagiarism and
ways to avoid it.

As the students proceed through the writing process, they produce drafts to
demonstrate their understanding of each step in the writing process, such as
organizational components and conventions in American academic writing. As
part of this approach, students perform peer reviews of others’ drafts followed by
feedback from a second reader, the instructor. In each form of feedback, the
students incorporate changes through either revised draft or additional assigned
papers.

At the end of the course, students requiring additional practice will be

referred to the student’s faculty member with a recommendation for further
writing instructional time.

The course also includes scheduled workshops on the Test of English for
Foreign Learners (TOEFL) /iBT. This session includes strategies, format and
preparation for the iBT. Students are expected to continue their TOEFL study
through commercial self-study texts, available in the NDU Library .

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II. Course Objectives

Students attending this course will use the following in core and elective courses:

1. Effective reading techniques and strategies to manage the volume of reading

required for academic study
2. Writing process for all written work
3. Presence of organizational components: thesis, development; support;
connectivity (flow).
4. Standards of American academic work: critical thought, analysis and research.
5. Conventions of style in formatting drafts: paragraphs, sentence structure,
formality and documentation style.
6. Well documented and cited sources in all academic work using the Chicago
Style.

III. Course Hours

 In-class hours: Students attend 12 sessions of two hours. 24 hours

 Coursework: 2 hour prep (minimum) for each of the 12 sessions, includes reading,
planning, mapping, outlining; writing drafts; research and assignments.

o Online module/Blackboard: Students complete this module on

organizational components, one of the course topics, outside of class
hours: 2-hour individual work.

o Individual session with the instructor to discuss writing strengths and

weaknesses in drafts: 1-hour of study or more, as needed.

 TOEFL Workshop: 1-hour session and self-study

 Elective for International Fellows: two credit hours

IV. Diagnostic Writing Sample/Paper 1

Students write a diagnostic paper in response to a given question from a selected

article. This is a freewriting exercise in the first day of class. This paper identifies
possible strengths and weaknesses in students’ written skill in English and acts as the first
paper to be developed through the writing process. This also provides a measure of end
of course improvement for the students. Paper 1 is rewritten after instructional feedback;
length minimum of 1 ½ to 2 ½ pages.
This paper is 15% of the paper grade in the course

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The Diagnostic can also act as validation of this course meaning that the skill set of the
individual satisfies the course objective or student outcomes. Students can also validate
this course through a TOEFL score in the writing skill of 25/30 as well as Master
thesis/research work in English from an accredited higher learning institution.

V. Paper Assignments

All three papers require a minimum of 80% through rewrites as needed

 Paper two focuses on an argumentative essay; one that takes a position

(thesis) and develops this through three points of developed supporting
paragraphs; also required is a mapping and outline graph as part of the
planning stage; length is 2-3 pages with a coversheet; Safe Assign.
This paper is 30% of the paper grade for the course

 Paper three is the research paper on an approved topic; the paper requires
minimum two different researched sources appropriately cited using
Chicago Style of endnotes; length is 3-5 pages with a required mapping,
outline graph, coversheet and Safe Assign.
This paper is 40% of the paper grade for the course

VI. Grading Criteria

Pass/Fail or Incomplete: Students will receive a Pass or Fail grade based on the
Grades from class participation and three assigned papers: 80% is required for a Pass

1. Attendance in all classes and participation in class exercises, group work,

Peer reviews, outside assignments and tutorials: 15% of the course grade

2 Completion of online coursework and Safe Assign

3. Evaluation using Writing Rubric for three assigned drafts with rewrites:
Papers are 85% of course grade (See Appendix I for Writing
Rubric)


VII. Course Text and Materials

 Text: Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. 2016. Rules for Writers.  Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's.

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  Text: Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. 2006. They Say, I Say: The Moves
That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 3rd.ed
 Authentic readings on various academic/professional topics from NDU database
 Handouts of varied writing references and websites

Please look onto course agenda and daily homework assignments for reading due dates.

Course Topics

Course topics are broken down into seven modules.

Module 1: Strategies for Academic Reading

Module 2: The Writing Process, Purpose and Thesis

Module 3: Organization Components/Online Framework

Module 4: Elements of Style in Academic Writing

Module 5: Common Structures in Academic Writing

Module 6: Mechanics and Formatting in Academic Documents

Module 7: Research and Documentation/Plagiarism

Workshop: iBT/ TOEFL Exercises (for those required to take the TOEFL)
Scheduled outside of class hours

See following Overviews and Student Requirements for each Module:

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 Module 1: Strategies in Academic Reading

I. Overview

This module addresses how to efficiently read and effectively manage and comprehend
American academic text assigned in graduate coursework. Second language readers are
generally less proficient readers in English than their American counterparts. As a result,
they need effective strategies that help them manage the amount of text, the unknown
vocabulary, and the cultural expressions and nuances of English when reading the
required material for core and elective coursework. To increase reading speed and
comprehension, the curriculum focuses on reading techniques, which are discussed,
demonstrated and practiced. These techniques force students to move steadily through a
text. This approach helps the reader to stay focused on meaning instead of individual
words. Strategies that facilitate comprehension are practiced through various readings,
which approach the reading task based on the purpose of reading, such as reading for
discussion, general background, detail, or resources to document or critique.

In Active Reading, a critical-thinking approach to reading, students learn to be involved

in reading so that they question, summarize, associate or challenge material through
annotating. This method of interaction requires the reader to be “active” instead of
“passive” in what they read. Students demonstrate their understanding of this approach
by analyzing or comparing short articles on recent issues. This approach compliments a
method in writing called “mapping,” in which the student outlines the thesis and sub
points of a document.

II. Student Requirements

Students are required to complete the following activities:

.
1. Identify the main thesis of short articles.
2. Demonstrate the skills of skimming and scanning in articles.
3. Summarize articles
4. Annotate an article using the Active Reading approach

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 Module 2: The Writing Process/
Purpose and Thesis

I. Overview

This section of the course introduces and examines the steps in the writing process
including planning, organizing, revising, editing and formatting. This process helps
students to approach any writing task required for academic purposes, such as drafts,
journals and test essay questions. At the same time, students learn to apply planning and
organizing strategies, such as “mapping” and “narrowing” to their critical reading skills.
As the course progresses, each step in the process is demonstrated and practiced in class
and in the assigned drafts.

The purpose of this section is to emphasize the importance of preparing for any writing
task before actually drafting a document. It further equips students with the tools to
narrow writing topics to fit core and elective assignments. Addressing these areas for
non-native writers involves different processes than native writers due to linguistic and
cultural differences in discourse patterns and expression...

As students move into the second step of the process, they discover the elements of a
“Good Working Thesis,” discussed in Section 1 of Key for Writers. Theses of cause and
effect and argument are discussed to identify a strong thesis statement that promotes a
purpose and a position.

.
II. Student Requirements

Students complete these exercises:

1. Produce a “thinking map” related to question from an reading
2. Present and discuss mapping with peer groups.
3. Revise the mapping for a follow-up writing assignment/Paper #1

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 Module 3: Organizational Components

I. Overview

This topic of organizational components in American academic writing logically follows

the previously topic of focus and purpose. Academic writing components and their
elements are discussed, demonstrated and tested in Blackboard’s NDU6100/Module 3
Framework of Organizational Components (listed below). This module of the course is
essential since it sets the standards for using a prescribed organizational framework that
the reader expects to encounter in academic documents. For second language writers, this
aspect of American academic writing is often challenging since culturally organizing text
can be different.

The purpose of using an online medium is the availability of information for students’
continual use in developing and improving their drafts. Through this interactive tool,
students can revisit the topic as many times as they need to reinforce their understanding
of the components. This promotes more organized drafts in all future coursework.

See Blackboard, NDU6100/ Module 3 Organizational Components for Introduction and

Learning Objectives, Required Reading.

II. Student Requirements

Students must complete all segments of the media examples and practice cases for
Module 3. After completing this online portion, students will compose a two to three
page draft on a given question. (See Bb specifics in ONLINE module)/Paper 2

In the next class, students test their understanding of this online session through a peer
review of another student’s first draft. Students critique each other’s draft by identifying
the organizational components. The peer readers/ writers then share feedback with one
another.

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 Module 4: Elements of Style in American Academic Writing

I. Overview

This topic focuses on the third step in the writing process: revision. Students learn the
elements required for a cohesive and coherent academic document—one that meets the
reader’s expectations at a graduate level. Under these elements of coherency and
cohesion, wordiness and repetition, connection of ideas, active and parallel sentences,
tone, and appropriate word choice are explained, identified and practiced in academic
writings. Style also includes variety in word usage and connectors; these two elements
allow writers to clearly express their ideas in the process of critical thinking.

This topic serves to encourage and instruct second language writers in exploring
American discourse patterns and in using a variety of words and structure in their drafts.
It demonstrates the appropriateness of formality, such as how written English differs
from spoken English in its precision, its delivery and connectivity of ideas. Finally this
part of the course demonstrates the different formats of rhetoric styles in academic
writing. This area of presenting ideas along with organizing the text is often difficult for
non-native writers due to cultural differences in formality and depth of analysis.

II. Student Requirements

Students are required to accomplish a series of exercises to demonstrate their

understanding of each area of style. This involves working with Academic Tips on the
ESL website in groups as an outside assignment.

Additionally students demonstrate their knowledge of these areas of style by

incorporating style element in assigned written drafts.

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 Module 5: Common Structures in Academic Writing

I. Overview

This module visits writing structures that students will need to produce graduate level
work. Although students are familiar with most of these complex structures through
reading, they are often unable to produce them in writing. This session allows students to
learn the rules for using such structures as subordinate clauses, required for high-level
work. Furthermore, this encourages students with little academic writing exposure in
English to test new structures that augment their ability to express themselves in
academic assignments.

II. Student Requirements

1. Produce a variety of sentences structures using simple to complex structures.

2. Edit all drafts for structural errors

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 Module 6: Mechanics and Formatting in Academic Writing

I. Overview

The topic of mechanics is primarily centered on the differences between using commas,
semi-colons, colons, dashes and parentheses since these are the most commonly used
marks in academic papers. This session clarifies usage of these forms of punctuation
especially for those students whose native languages widely differ in the use of these
punctuation marks.

This module also covers the correct usage of quotations as a form of source material used
in documenting.

II. Student Requirements

Students complete exercises in editing paragraphs and sentences for structure and
mechanics. They work in groups to discuss and compare their changes. Students then
write a 2nd draft to edit their written work for these areas of Style.

An assigned final paper is due by the end of course date

In preparation for the discussion of Plagiarism, students access http://owl.english.purdue

to read about to the elements of plagiarism. This link then tests their ability to identify
cases of plagiarism through an exercise.

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 Module 7: Research and Documentation/Plagiarism

I. Overview

This part of the course begins with research elements: types, relevance, and placement. In
academic papers. The session discusses the standard of documenting sources as a means
of avoiding plagiarism. Included in the topic of plagiarism are ways to avoid it. This
session practices the different types of citing sources by demonstrating the three methods
of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing. The Chicago Style is illustrated as used in
NWC, ICAF and CISA. Finally, the session practices citing both an in-text, and endnotes
and bibliography format.

Since plagiarizing is culturally bound in American academic writing, students are often
ignorant about its applications and limits. Often times, those from other cultures have not
only different perceptions but practices in the need to cite sources. This topic serves to
strongly indoctrinate students in the critical need to document their sources. It further
serves to inform students how they can protect themselves against plagiarizing. This
especially helps those students who have not prepared research or thesis work in the past.
Some discussion of sources of plagiarized work is also discussed.

II. Student Requirements

Students
1. Demonstrate their understanding of documenting in the final research paper
2. Complete exercises of summarizing and paraphrasing paragraphs taken from
various types of written media using the Chicago Style
3. Attend a scheduled Library session on the use of NDU databases

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 Workshop: iBT/TOEFL

I. Overview

This final session summarizes all the reading and writing topics previously given in this
course. This discussion demonstrates how these topics fit into a testing environment such
as the iBT/TOEFL. A short briefing on the parts of the test and its design familiarizes the
students with the test thus reducing some of the test anxiety. The class discusses
strategies to use in the listening, reading, speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL
while practicing some model questions in the four sections.

In the writing part of this session, students write a short essay on a given question under
timed conditions. Since the writing section of the TOEFL uses random questions of
general topics, various topics are given in this sample. This exercise gives the students a
practical feel for the actual testing environment. Again this works to reduce some of the
test anxiety through practice.

II. Learning Objectives

1. Transfer strategies in reading and writing to the iBT/TOEFL
2. Manage the time element of the test
3. Complete all sections of the test.
4. Create more confidence in the student’s ability to prepare for a standardized
test via the computer.

III. Required Study.

TOEFL iBT study texts are available in the NDU Library for self-study purposes,
Texts are available for two weeks at a time due to the limited number of copies in the
Library:.

Students are directed to scan www.toefl.com for a tour of the test along with the
iBT Sampler tour.

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 APPENDIX I: Writing Rubric

MINIMALLY MEETS BELOW

ABOVE MEETS STANDARDS STANDARDS Graded
STANDARDS STANDARDS (24-22 pts) (less than Score
(28-30 pts) (27-25 pts) 22 pts)

Clear and Thesis is stated Thesis is weak /or not fully No apparent
concise thesis and relevant to argued or supported; some thesis;
THESIS statement; assignment; sub points may be off general
highly relevant supportable topic; thesis in question statements
to assignment; and generally format vs statement; thesis w/o support;
well stated and evident not in introduction off-topic of
argued; easily throughout the assignment. /30
flows into paper;
supporting sub followed by
points. appropriate
sub points.

Strong topic Topic Some/all topic sentences No topic

sentences that Sentences for for sub points are missing; sentences;
ORGANIZATION move from each sub point some lack of support with lack of
general to of the thesis; reasons and evidence for support or
specific in points of points; no evidence of
developing and thesis restatement/conclusion. support; lack
supporting sub sufficiently of logical /30
points of supported sequencing
thesis; through of ideas.
Restatement document;
in Conclusion. Restatement in
Conclusion.
20 pts 15 pts 10 pts 0 pts

Well Requested Sources are not introduced No apparent

researched number of or integrated; either in- sources or
and numerous sources text or end text citation is citations;
RESEARCH sources appropriately missing for a source; misuse of
/CITATION introduced and introduced and inappropriate quoted
integrated into integrated into paraphrasing/summarizing. material as
the text; text; clearly Submitted to Safe Assign being
clearly cited cited both in- (If required). paraphrased;
both in-text text and end of lack of /20
and end of text text using the quotation
using the appropriate marks.
appropriate documentation
documentation method and

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 method and style;
style; submitted to
submitted to Safe Assign (if
Safe Assign (if required).
required).
15-13 pts 12-10 pts 9-6 pts 5-0 pts

Well- Use of complex Weak or unclear complex Frequent

structured and simple structures; mostly simple problems in
GRAMMAR complex and structures; sentence usage; some basic
simple appropriate consistent misuse of sentence
structures; connecters and vocabulary or grammatical structure,
varied and vocabulary; structures; unclear ideas verb tense,
appropriate cohesive text; due to overuse of long parts of
connectors; errors in usage sentences and paragraphs speech and
precise and or grammar word usage.
varied are not Long full
vocabulary; consistent; page /15
highly cohesive well-structured paragraphing
text; few paragraphs and long
editing errors; and sentence unclear
well-structured lengths. sentences
paragraphs
and sentence
lengths.

5 pts 4-3 pts 2-1 pts 0 pts

Strong title Appropriate Title missing; sub headers Lack of any

and parallel Title and not parallel; incorrect format with
sub headers; parallel sub usage of common title.
FORMAT good use of headers; punctuation (commas, Consistent
/MECHANICS varied appropriate semicolons and periods); misuse of
punctuation, punctuation, inconsistent use of commas as
articles and articles and capitalization and periods. No /5
prepositions; prepositions abbreviations capitalization
appropriate with a few
capitalization errors in
and usage;
abbreviations. appropriate
capitalization
and
abbreviations.

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