Academic Writing Portal

This module covers some of the basic skills which will improve your academic, scientific, and professional writing. ‘Academic Writing Skills’ is ideal for those who are looking to start an undergraduate or postgraduate course, to resume/advance their academic career, or simply to improve the objectivity, accuracy, and clarity of their writing style. Eight individual lessons cover the following topics: how to structure your academic essay; how to argue in an academic essay: evidence, logic, analogy, and other reasoning skills; how to conduct a literature review; how to use citations and references accurately and effectively; things to avoid in academic writing (Part I and II); how to reduce subjective style; how to write successful funding proposals. Hamish Williams (PhD in literary studies) has written 4 books (academic and fiction) and published over 25 academic articles and chapters.

This module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course

This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.

Anyone wishing to write about literature will need to know how to acknowledge the ideas of others, and this course offers an overview of the MLA citation style, an introduction to basic library research methods, and an introduction to engaging with sources in paragraphs, in annotated bibliographies, and in literature reviews for larger academic projects. While some students may elect to practice other citation styles for their final project, the current MLA “container” style, which can be adapted for most other styles, allows ample opportunities to discuss ways to cite nontraditional materials that are often useful for scholars working in the realms of imaginative literature, science fiction, fan studies, adaptation studies, and much more.
This module is open to all students, has no prerequisites, and may be repeated as many times as desired. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, complete weekly citation activities, and complete a final assessment.

Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.

Format: 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (4 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)

Assessments: weekly & summative

Materials: No additional books or materials required.

Goals and Skills:

Students who complete the module will be able to identify meaningful textual elements and explain the significance of those elements.

Students may take this module to practice writing analytical paragraphs about literary texts.

Students may take this module to learn to write, or to practice writing, a close reading essay.

This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments

Fee: 2 Signum Tokens

This group of four interconnected modules is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing modules.

Four short, linked courses invite students to learn, review, and practice a range of skills that are critical to humanities studies: paragraph structure, analytical readings, grammar and punctuation, and research and citations. These modules can be taken independently, bundled, and in any sequence; they may be repeated as many times as desired to help students develop confidence and achieve mastery.

Note: Modules in this series draw extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.

This module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course

This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.

Combining theoretical lectures by Dr. Sara Brown, chair of Signum’s Department of Language and Literature, with mini-lectures on key grammatical concepts by other established Signum faculty, this course provides an overview of English punctuation, spelling, and grammar for anyone who wants a refresher!
This Tier 1 module is open to all students, has no prerequisites, and may be repeated as many times as desired. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, complete weekly grammatical quizzes, and complete a final assessment.

Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.

Format: 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (2-6 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)

Assessments: weekly & summative

Goals and Skills:

• Students who complete the module should be able to write a grammatically correct paragraph that uses standard English punctuation throughout.
• Students may use this module to practice proofreading techniques.

This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments

Fee: 2 Signum Tokens

This module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course

This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.

Combining lectures and roundtables from Signum’s graduate faculty with interactive weekly tutorials, this five-week module is designed for students new to scholarly writing in the humanities, those returning to academic pursuits after time in other fields, or those who want to practice writing formal analysis of literary texts.
This Tier 1 module is open to all students and may be repeated as many times as desired, although we recommend completing the “Writing Formal Paragraphs” module before attempting this one. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, write weekly paragraphs, and complete a final written project.

Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.

• Format:
• 4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (4 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)
• Assessments: weekly & summative
• No additional books or materials required.

Goals and Skills:

Students who complete the module will be able to identify meaningful textual elements and explain the significance of those elements.

Students may take this module to practice writing analytical paragraphs about literary texts.

Students may take this module to learn to write, or to practice writing, a close reading essay.

This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments

Fee: 2 Signum Tokens

This module is part of the Academic Mastery program. Please apply to the AM program before enrolling in this course

This module is part of the Grammar, Citing, & Humanities Writing cluster.

Combining lectures and roundtables from Signum’s graduate faculty with interactive weekly tutorials, this five-week module is designed for students new to scholarly writing in the humanities, those returning to academic pursuits after time in other fields, or those who want to see just how challenging it can be to write a simple yet spectacular paragraph.
This Tier 1 module is open to all students, has no prerequisites, and may be repeated as many times as desired. Students participate in weekly discussions and workshops, write and revise paragraphs, and complete a final written project.

Note: This module draws extensively upon lectures originally recorded for Foundations in Critical Reading and Research. Students in the MA program who have taken (or plan to take) that course may find significant overlap in the core materials.

Format:

4 weeks discussion; 1 week assessment (2.5 hours video; 8 hours discussion and workshops)

Assessments: weekly & summative (final portfolio)

No additional books or materials required.

Goals and Skills:

Students who complete the module will be able to write organized, structurally coherent paragraphs about a single topic.

Students who master the material will be able to write organized, structurally coherent paragraphs synthesizing two or more ideas.

This course is graduate level in intensity, with weekly and summative assessments

Fee: 2 Signum Tokens