Academic Writing Group

Instructor Name Title Unit(s) Institution
email@address

Time & Location

Time: Room or on Zoom

Course Description

This course focuses on providing caring accountability and focused instructor and peer feedback on scholarly writing. All are welcome; however, our areas of specialty are typically concentrated in the Learning Sciences and STEM Education. We will occasionally have workshops focused on professional development issues such as navigating conferences, submitting to journals, and conducting peer review. There are no prerequisites for this class, though it works best to have a specific piece of writing you are hoping to advance during the semester. Through writing and feedback, we will also engage deeply in the intellectual substance of one another’s work.

Satisfactory participation in this class includes:

Presenting your own academic writing at least once
Reading and providing substantive comments on your peers’ work every week
Setting public writing goals and collectively reflecting on the writing process

Course Objectives

Weekly Check-Ins

Every week, we will set writing goals to be reviewed at our next class meeting. We’ll also keep a running journal of strategies/setups we used to get our writing done, and brainstorm changes in strategies/setups if we’re not getting them done. Participants are encouraged to bring in and share ideas, tools, organizational strategies, and other tips they’ve found helpful for moving their writing forward.

Presenting Work

We’ll have presentations throughout the semester from students seeking feedback on their writing. Every presentation must be accompanied by a written document. All participants in the group must present at least once.

Short Pieces (1,000–2,500 words): Please send your document to the group on the group-agreed date before your presentation. Include with that document a What is Going On note.
Long Pieces (2,500–10,000 words): For these sessions, please distribute your paper to the group on an agreed date that is earlier than is typical, and indicate where you hope people with limited time might best focus their attention. Include with that document a What is Going On note.

Reflecting on the Academic Writing Process

Occasionally, we will read research papers or academic resources that are specifically about scholarly writing. This includes examinations of how different researchers and fields approach scholarly writing, explorations of the peer review process, and papers designed to introduce new researchers to academic writing. These sessions are meant to “pull back the curtain” on scholarly genres, the frequency of rejection and revision in scholarly writing, and on how to leverage into the invisible network of supporters that you often have behind the scenes.

Course Resources

Norms Document: Every semester, we discuss and develop a set of norms for giving and receiving feedback. This is a starter doc that we’ll adapt.
What is Going On?: Some useful language and structure to communicate your feedback needs.
Features of Good Academic Writing: A list adapted from Hyland, K. (2000). Disciplinary discourses: social interactions in academic writing.
Writer’s Block? Check These Out:
- Logic of Inquiry Worksheet: A worksheet for outlining a focused and coherent argument adapted from Prof. Jessica Watkins at Vanderbilt University.
- They Say/I Say Cheatsheet adapted from the book They Say, I Say by Birkenstein, Graff, and Durst.

Course Policies

Please check the course site for the most up to date information. The version you are looking at was last updated [DATE]

Grading Policy

This course is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Satisfactory participation is defined in the Course Objectives listed above.

Attendance Policy

Participants are expected to attend all classes unless prior arrangements have been made. In the case of an emergency or excused absence, please alert the instructor as soon as possible. You will be expected to provide the presenters with written feedback on their submitted writing for the missed class session within one week.

Academic Integrity

The writing you present in this class should be your own work. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade and potential disciplinary action. Berkeley’s College Writing Programs has a clear definition of plagiarism with examples.

AI Policy: The use of AI tools is discouraged, but some uses are permissible. It’s important to remember that generative AI tools are literally trained on stolen books and writing, and they are frequently wrong in both subtle and incredibly obvious ways. Use without proper citation (identifying the tool, the parts of work it was used for, and sharing your prompts or process), substantial editing/revision, and careful critical review and integration of information presented is considered plagiarism.

Academic and Scheduling Accommodations

If you need disability-related accommodations in this class and have an Letter of Accommodation, have emergency medical information you wish to share, or need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. You can see me privately before or after class, or in my office. The Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) is the campus office responsible for authorizing disability related academic accommodations, in cooperation with the students themselves, and their instructors. Students who need academic accommodations, or have questions about their eligibility, should contact DSP, located at 260 César Chávez Student Center. Students may call 642-0518 (voice), 642-6376 (TTY), or e-mail dsp@berkelely.edu. Resources are also available via the Academic Accommodations Hub.

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