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Unit outline_

WRIT5002: Writing a Thesis 2: The Middle Chapters

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit aims to foster the thesis writing and English language skills of Arts and Social Sciences students who are writing postgraduate theses. As the sequel to 'Writing a thesis chapter: Starting a thesis', it further supports students with their own writing by focusing on the middle chapters (or components) of the thesis, specifically theoretical frameworks, methodology, background chapters, main chapters and discussions. The course will be particularly useful for students who need to develop their English language proficiency and/or understanding of the requirements of thesis writing in English.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit English and Writing
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Bronwen Dyson, bronwen.dyson@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Bronwen Dyson, bronwen.dyson@sydney.edu.au
The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Mini assessment task 1: Review your peer’s writing & post your draft writing (1500 words)
Review your peer’s writing and post your writing (1500 words)
5% Week 06
Due date: 04 Sep 2024 at 09:00
250 words
Outcomes assessed: LO6 LO7 LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Assignment 1: Section of a middle chapter
Draft/ revise a section of a middle chapter
30% Week 07
Due date: 11 Sep 2024 at 23:00
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Mini assessment task 2: Review your peer’s writing & post your draft writing (3000 words)
Review your peer’s writing & post your draft writing (3000 words)
5% Week 11
Due date: 09 Oct 2024 at 09:00
250 words
Outcomes assessed: LO7 LO6 LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment hurdle task Oral presentation on the expanded chapter draft
A 10 minute oral presentation
20% Week 12
Due date: 16 Oct 2024 at 09:00
Equivalent to 1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO8 LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Assignment 2: An expanded chapter draft
Expand the main chapter draft
40% Week 13
Due date: 23 Oct 2024 at 23:00
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
hurdle task = hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

 

  1. For Mini assessment task 1 students should write a 250 word review of their peer’s 1500 word draft section, using the unit's writing critieria, and post their own 1500 word draft section.
  2. For Mini assessment task 2 students should write a 250 word review of their peer’s 3000 word draft section, using the unit's writing critieria, and post their own 3000 word draft section.
  3. For Assignment 1, students should write a 1500 word section of a middle chapter of their thesis, consisting of an Introduction paragraph/s, a well-structured and critical Body and a Conclusion.
  4. For Assignment 2, students should expand on Assignment 1 by adding 3000 new words of one or more sections of a middle chapter of their thesis, consisting of an Introduction paragraph/s, a well-structured and critical Body and a Conclusion.
  5. For Assignment 3 (Oral Presentation), students should give a 10 minute oral presentation (which is equivalent to 1000 words) on the expanded (thesis) chapter draft.

Assessment criteria

Results given for all assignments are either Pass or Fail, i.e., no mark or grade is assigned.
A Pass will be awarded if students show that they have:
(1) Correctly interpreted the instructions for the assignment.
(2) Completed the assignment to the best of their ability.
(3) Submitted the assignment.
A Fail will be awarded if students show that they have:
(1) Incorrectly interpreted the instructions for the assignment.
(2) Not completed the assignment to the best of their ability.
(3) Not submitted the assignment.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Students must inform the coordinator if their work will be late and negotiate a reasonable extension.

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to the course: Overview, students' goals, AI, threshold concepts and Empirical – Humanities continuum Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO4
Week 02 Adding argument and structure to your research writing. Your task: An introduction to a chapter Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO5
Week 03 Adding theory to your research writing. Your task: Two paragraphs from the Body of a chapter Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 04 Adding analysis to your research writing. Your task: A conclusion or summary Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 05 Adding knowledge creation to your research writing. Your tasks: 1) a paragraph that summarizes and exemplifies an original argument, concept, method or finding and 2) peer reviewing Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 06 Peer review and writing groups: Round 1 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 07 Extending the argument in your research writing. Your task: Drafting an argument about a specific chapter and keywords for examination or publication Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 08 Extending the theory in your research writing. Your task: Drawing and describing a model for examination or publication Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 Extending the analysis in your research writing: Your task: Creating and describing a figure/table on one aspect of your method for examination or publication Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO7
Week 10 Extending knowledge creation to your research writing. Your tasks: 1) Creating a table of one result and asking questions about that result for examination or publication and 2) peer reviewing Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 11 Peer review and writing groups: Round 2 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 12 Oral presentations and discussion about outcomes Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO8

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance is required at all sessions. Please let the coordinator know in advance if you need to be absent from class and provide a medical certificate for illness or evidence of academic participation (e.g. conference, field study).

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

Prescribed reading

Paltridge, B., and Starfield, S., (2020). Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: a handbook for supervisors. Routledge, New York. (P&R) Available from Fisher as a downloadable e-book

Readings relevant to each weekly topic will be presented in the weekly modules on the Canvas site.

 

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.

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

  • LO1. Write a good draft of one of the middle chapters of your thesis, specifically the theoretical framework, methodology or findings/ main chapter.
  • LO2. Think and write critically in order to create new ways of understanding.
  • LO3. Display familiarity with and discuss the literature on your topic.
  • LO4. Write in a manner appropriate to the disciplinary or inter-disciplinary nature of your thesis.
  • LO5. Write in English with a clear and appropriate structure, referencing, style, grammar and presentation.
  • LO6. Provide feedback on thesis writing and revise writing in response to feedback.
  • LO7. Use resources which develop thesis writing skills in English, including a good model of a thesis, The Write Site, the MASUS (Measuring the Academic Skills of University Students) writing criteria and library training in literature searches.
  • LO8. Give an oral presentation on your expanded chapter draft, which addresses the criteria of the unit.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

1. Supervisors from across the empirical humanities continuum will be invited to provide input into the seminars. 2. Other changes have been made to the materials in the Canvas site.

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.