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Sharif University of Technology
Department of Languages and Linguistics
Fall Semester, 1392/93-2013/14
Course: Advanced Writing for Graduate Students
Number of Credits: 2 Credits
Instructor: Saeed Rezaei
Location: Department of Languages and Linguistics, Audio-Visual Room
Office Hours: Saturdays, Sundays, & Mondays (by appointment)
Contact: E-mail: srezaei@sharif.edu Phone: +982166164735 Fax: +982166029166
1. Course Description
This course is developed for M.A. students of TEFL at Sharif University of Technology who
intend to develop an academic knowledge of written discourses and genres in language
related disciplines. It is devised to instruct the students how to write their proposals, theses,
and academic papers. Though creative writing is appreciated, the instructor will mainly adopt
a genre-based approach following the dominant genres and subgenres. This syllabus is a
spiral one but a negotiated syllabus will also emerge- through classroom interactions- and
minor changes might occur during the term depending on the students’ competence and
ability. Moreover, it should be mentioned here that since only one course is allocated for
academic writing in Iran, some basics of writing taught at B.A. level are taken for granted.
2. Course Objectives
Among many objectives students are to
 develop their confidence and self-efficacy in academic writing;
 get familiar with the structural conventions and genres of academic writing e.g., paper,
research proposal, abstract for conference presentation, and thesis writing;
 learn about plagiarism and how to avoid it and boost academic honesty and integrity;
 be familiarized with the main trends of research and academic journals in TEFL and
related national and international academic institutes and universities;
 improve their critical reading/writing skills along with writing more clearly & incisively;
 develop the ability to edit, refine, and polish their written works; and
 get familiarized with the APA system of referencing and citation

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3. Scoring Criteria
a) Class Participation 20 points
b) Classroom Assignments 60 points
c) Mini and Final Proposal 40 points
d) Final Exam 80 points
4. Required Readings
 Flowerdew, J., & Li, Y. (2007). Plagiarism and second language writing in an electronic
age. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 27, 161-183.
 Hartley, J. (2008). Academic writing and publishing: A practical handbook. London:
Routledge.
 Paltridge, B., & Starfield, S. (2007). Thesis and dissertation writing in a second
language: A handbook for supervisors. London: Routledge.
 Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th
ed.) (2010).
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
5. Supplementary Readings
 Bailey, S. (2011). Academic writing: A practical guide for students (3rd
ed.). London:
Routledge.
 Cargill, M., & O‘Connor, P. (2009). Writing scientific research articles: Strategy and
steps. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
 Mauch, J. E., & Park, N. (2003). Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: A
handbook for students and faculty (5th
ed.). New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
 Riazi, A.M. (2000). How to write research proposals: A guide to writing thesis and
dissertation proposals in Applied Linguistics. Tehran: Rahnama Press.
 Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2004). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential
tasks and skills (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
6. Online Courses
 Stanford University Online Course: Writing in the Sciences
http://online.stanford.edu/course/writing-in-the-sciences
 http://coursera.org/

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7. Course Schedule
Session 1 (24.6.1392)
Introduction to the Syllabus, Ice-breaker, Pre-course (Entry) Diagnostic Test
& Introducing the major journals in the field
 Introducing the syllabus;
 Pre-test for the course!
 Introducing the major publishers in the field including Elsevier, Routledge, SAGE,
Springer, Mouton de Gruyter, Wily-Blackwell, etc. and their subscribed journals; and
 Assignment 1: Write a 250-word essay and email it to the instructor
Session 2 (31.6.1392)
Writing in the IELTS & TOEFL
Instructor’s handouts
 Analyzing students’ essays;
 Introducing TASK 1 & 2 in the IELTS & TOEFL iBT;
 Assignment 2: Write a 250-word essay and email it to the instructor
Session 3 (7.7.1392)
Essay Writing: Different Types of Essays
Instructor’s handouts
 Analyzing students’ essays (take-home assignment 2);
 Maneuvering on the format of a good essay including the introduction, motivator, thesis
statement, body, topic sentence, supporting details, conclusion, clincher, etc.;
 Elaborating on different types of essays including narrative, descriptive, comparison-
contrast, argumentative, and persuasive;
 Rating rubrics for writing assessment/rating; and
 Assignment 3: Write a 250-word essay and email it to the instructor
Session 4 (14.7.1392)
Plagiarism in Academic Writing: Prevention Better than Cure!
Flowerdew & Li (2007)
 Analyzing students’ essays (take-home assignment 3);
 Get a hang of the origin of plagiarism and its spread in academia;
 Plagiarism and Intertextuality;
 Students’ beliefs about plagiarism;
 Anti-plagiarism pedagogy;
 Plagiarism and the Internet;
 Plagiarism Detection Software: Introducing Turnitin and showing some samples; and
 Assignment 4: Write three research questions on issues related to research ethics and
plagiarism in Iran and email them to the instructor.

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Session 5 (21.7.1392)
Research Proposal (An Occluded Genre): The Skeleton and Content
Paltridge & Starfield (2007): Ch.4
Instructor’s Handouts
 Checking assignment 4
 What is a proposal?
 Different parts of a proposal: Introduction, statement of the problem, significance of the
study, purpose of the study, research questions and hypotheses, theoretical and
operational definitions of the key terms, limitations and delimitations, review of the
literature, methods, participants, instruments/materials, design, data collection and
analysis, references, and appendix;
 Reviewing some sample proposals in TEFL/Applied Linguistics;
 Assignment 5: select your topic for writing the proposal for this course and consult with
the instructor; and
 Assignment 6: Write the research questions for your proposal and send them to the
instructor.
Session 6 (28.7.1392)
Research Proposal: Zoom In!
Instructor’s handouts
 Discussing the research topics selected by the students;
 Checking the students’ research questions;
 How to write the significance of the study, purpose, and method.
 Reviewing more sample proposals in TEFL/Applied Linguistics;
 Assignment 7: write a three page mini-proposal;
 Assignment 8: bring 10 studies (papers & books) in line with your research topic.
Session 7 (5.8.1392)
APA Editorial Style: Episode I (Mechanics)
APA Manual (2010): pp. 87-100
 Check the students’ mini-proposals;
 Check the papers and books related to their research topic;
 The Mechanics of writing including punctuation marks (e.g. spacing, period, comma,
colon, semicolon, dash, hyphenation, quotation marks, parenthesis, brackets, and slash;
 How to display tables and figures according to the APA style;
 Assignment 9: Expand your mini-proposals

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Session 8 (12.8.1392)
APA Editorial Style: Episode II (Referencing)
APA Manual (2010): pp. 193-215
EndNote Software
 Check the proposals;
 How to use Google Scholar (Google Alert!);
 How to use EndNote Software;
 How to reference difference sources including books, journals, electronic sources, etc.;
 Introducing the author guidelines of some journals and how they are similar to or
different from APA manual style; and
 Assignment 10: Write 20 works related to your proposal following the APA style
Session 9 (19.8.1392)
Proposal Presentation
No reading materials
 Each student will have 15 minutes to present his/her proposal to the class.
Session 10 (26.8.1392)
Academic Articles: Abstract & Introduction
Hartley (2008): Section 2 (pp. 23-44)
APA Manual: Chapter 2
 Genres and sub-genres in academic articles;
 Different academic genres including academic article, book, thesis, dissertation,
conference abstract, literature review, academic correspondence, conference papers,
posters, book reviews, and resume are briefly introduced and will be later elaborated in
subsequent sessions;
 How to write a successful abstract (checking some sample abstracts in class);
 How to write a good introduction (checking some samples);
 Assignment 11: Read 10 abstracts and check the moves in the abstract; and
 Assignment 12: Write a 200-word abstract about your area of research or proposal
Session 11 (3.9.1392)
Academic Articles: Methods, Results, & Discussion
Hartley (2008): Section 2 (pp. 45-55)
 Checking assignments 11 & 12
 Different parts of methods section: Participants, Instruments & Materials, Procedure, etc.
 What to include in the results section;
 Conclusion and discussion: what to include and what not to; and
 Assignment 13: Find five papers having used t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square, correlation,
regression, etc. in their results section and check how the data analyses and tables are
presented.
 Assignment 14: Expand the method section of your proposal

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Session 12 (10.9.1392)
Qualitative, Quantitative & Mixed-Method M.A. Thesis: General Style
Paltridge & Starfield (2007): Ch.5
 Checking assignment 13 & 14;
 Introducing the format of qualitative and quantitative theses and dissertations;
 Introducing PROQUEST;
 Analyzing some sample theses in class; and
 Assignment 15: Choose a thesis related to your proposal and evaluate its structure and
format for the next session.
Session 13 (17.9.1392)
Thesis Design under Scrutiny: Introduction, Background, & Methodology
Paltridge & Starfield (2007): Ch.6, 7, & 8
 The introduction, review of literature, and method section of qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed-methods research are presented with some samples;
 Checking assignment 15;
 Students will have 15 minutes to critique a thesis related to their proposals
 Assignment 15 again: Choose a thesis related to your proposal and evaluate its structure
and format for the next session.
Session 14 (24.9.1392)
Thesis Design under Scrutiny: Data Analysis, Results, Discussion, & Conclusion
Paltridge & Starfield (2007): Ch. 9 & 10
 The data analysis, results, discussion, and conclusion section of qualitative, quantitative,
and mixed-methods research are presented with some samples;
 The difference between the data analysis of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods
research are discussed;
 Checking assignment 15 for those not having critiqued a thesis;
 Students will have 15 minutes to critique a thesis related to their proposals; and
 Assignment 16: Write a Gantt chart for writing your thesis
 Assignment 17: Submission of your final proposal
Session 15 (1.10.1392)
Final Trainings and How to write a book review
Some Sample Book Reviews
 Students’ Gantt Charts are checked!
 Proposals are delivered to the instructor
 The format of book review writing is presented and some sample book reviews are
analyzed.

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Notes!
 The completion of assignments in a timely fashion is appreciated. Late assignments
are discarded and only in rare cases with convincing causes this rule is waived (unless
under certain extenuating circumstances or the instructor’s own extension!). Requests
for extensions should reach me no later than a week before the project is due.
 Three or more unexcused absences will result in the failure of the course! Also
absences/tardiness will negatively affect your final score!
 Due to the importance of this course for your academic career, students are required
to spend at least six hours per week for the assignments and the readings of this
course! More time allocation is admired.