WRIT1000: Semester 1, 2023

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Units WRIT1000 Semester 1 2023 [Online]

Unit of study_

WRIT1000: Introduction to Academic Writing

Semester 1, 2023 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

WRIT1000 teaches the fundamentals of academic writing across disciplines. Frequent, short writing assignments are designed to help students engage with the writing process at the sentence and paragraph levels and and to make appropriate style, grammar, punctuation, and syntax choices. Students will learn to research topics, document sources in keeping with academic honesty principles, and edit and revise their own and others' writing. While WRIT1000 may be suitable for non-native English speakers, it is not a language acquisition UoS and assumes basic competence in English.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	WRIT1000
Academic unit	English and Writing
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Lucas Thompson, lucas.thompson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Project Proposal Written task	20%	Week 04 Due date: 16 Mar 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Source analysis Review task	10%	Week 06 Due date: 30 Mar 2023 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project Draft Written task	20%	Week 09 Due date: 27 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Self reflection Review task	10%	Week 11 Due date: 11 May 2023 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final project Written task	40%	Week 13 Due date: 25 May 2023 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: Academic writing and style	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to WRIT1000: Understanding style	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Style as choice: You write what you hear	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Seminar workshop: Choosing your project	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Style as choice: The (mis)conduct of academic writing	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Seminar workshop: Using sources ethically	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Style as clarity: Must we mean what we say?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Seminar workshop: Choice and correctness	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Style as clarity: Saying less	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	Seminar workshop: Cohesion and coherence	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Style as clarity: Making judgements	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	Seminar workshop: Action and emphasis	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Style as form: Why write?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Seminar workshop: Context and motivation	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Style as form: Writing for readers	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Seminar workshop: Writing with relevance	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Style as grace: Writing as rewriting	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	Seminar workshop: Trimming, revising, deleting	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Style as grace: Narrow your focus	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Seminar workshop: Saying a few things well, not all things poorly	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Style as grace: Controlling sprawl	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Seminar workshop: Understanding elegance	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Style as ethics: The ethics of style	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Seminar workshop: Final project	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Conclusion: It is good to write clearly (and anyone can)	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Seminar workshop: Write to others as you would have them write to you	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Attendance is assessed on the basis of participation in either an online (Zoom) or an in-person (campus) seminar, which will run from Week 2 to Week 13. Students are also required to complete all online modules before attending a weekly seminar.
Lecture recording: Lectures will be pre-recorded and made available through Canvas.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, module progression, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

There is no prescribed text for this unit. WRIT1000 draws inspiration from Joseph Williams’s Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (Longman, 1997), and students who wish to access Williams’s book are welcome to purchase a digital copy through the Pearson online shop. Other readings will be made available through Canvas in the relevant modules.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Evaluate academic articles and texts as part of a process of research, writing and editing
LO2. Interpret academic articles and texts from the perspectives of discipline, genre and audience
LO3. Compose original sentences, paragraphs and short argumentative texts in an academic style
LO4. Evaluate and produce quotation, citation and summary to serve critical dialogue among scholars
LO5. Critically assess the relationship between forms of writing and social, cultural and linguistic difference in Australia and the world

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The assessment dates have been changed, to increase the time between submissions and allow time for marking. An additional week has been retained after trialling in semester 1, 2022. The discussion board component of the course has been changed. This was a way of increasing engagement and allowing for an alternate pathway of learning during Covid, but is no longer required.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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