Chris Gallagher Lecturer, International Christian University.
1 credit - No prerequisites. TESOL IIIA/Elective (V)
Pass/Fail Only

Advisement note: This is a TESOL IIIA or Elective course. It is highly recommended for Group 18. This course may be taken only once to count for 36 credits of MA Degree. Courses with this course number may be taken more than once.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course focuses on the research paper. It will develop student's research and academic writing skills through the use of a genre approach, and will draw on recent research in that area. It will focus on the process of academic writing and the production of a paper relevant to language education. Students will learn how to improve, organize and expand their work through writing workshops, peer editing, and tutorials. There will also be opportunities for students to talk about their writing both informally and through a formal presentation given at the end of the course. This class is ideal for both native and non-native writers/speakers of English or those who wish to develop their academic writing skills. For those who wish to improve their TWE (Test of Written English) score, this class will also be very helpful.

This course will may be taken more than once, but only one point may be counted towards the MA in TESOL Degree credit (that means that if you took this course before, this course in this semester cannot be counted as part of your 34 credits - please indicate on your registration card if you have taken this course before. If you have you should register for non-credit).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Completion of out of class research and writing.
• Participation in workshops and tutorials.
• Completion of a research paper

ASSESSMENT

Assessment for the course will be based on:

1. Full attendance.
2. Preparedness for each meeting (writing and research).
3. Participation in in-class activities (peer editing, workshops and tutorials).
4. Completion of successive drafts.
5. Completion of the final paper.
6. Presentation on the research project.

PRE-COURSE ASSIGNMENT

Come to the first class with a topic relevant to language education and at least three possible bibliographic sources for a paper on that topic.

BOOKS TO BUY

• The Little Brown Compact Handbook 3rd edition (1997) Longman
• The APA Manual (5th Edition) - selected chapters available from the TC Office for copying by class members as needed.

BIO-DATA

Chris Gallagher obtained his M.Sc from Aston University in Birmingham (UK) and is currently conducting the research for his Ph.D. at Macquarie University (Australia). His dissertation research interests include the generic analysis of academic writing and speaking using insights from the Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) theories of M.A.K Halliday, and Ruqaiya Hasan's work on genre analysis within the same theory. His other research interests include writing and discussion skills in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). He is currently teaching in the English Language Program of the English Department in International Christian University (ICU), Mitaka, Tokyo.