In this lecture we experience the phases of an academic writing project step by step:

We start from finding a topic for an individual paper, discuss how to distillate it to a precise focus or research question. Based on this, we learn how to find structure for the writing process as well as for the text product.

Using different strategies of writing and reading in an efficient order, we develop our text product  continuously from a first draft to an final version that fulfils all academic standards.

Throughout the seminar we will cover the following questions:

How to… ?

• Find a good topic.
• Distillate a specific research question, theses or hypotheses, or aim for the text
• build a good structure
• manage the text production process
• find and integrate literature
• design your writing process
• get a first draft on paper
• improve content argumentation and structure of your draft
• integrate feedback
• How to improve your academic style an fulfil formal affordances
• How to finalise a text

We will go through these “How To” topics while producing an individual paper, from the first idea to a final text product.

The final grade will consist of at least 16 tasks to be completed:

About one half of the tasks (8) will be done throughout interactive methods "in class", the other assignments  (8+) should be completed between the lectures.

To finish this lecture successfully, grade B, you must complete at least 5 "in class tasks"  ( compensation of one missing session possible) and 5 assignments.

To achieve grade A, you should take part successfully in all 8 "in class tasks" ( compensation of one missing session possible) and complete 8 assignments in time.