Ovidius University Constana

Faculty of Letters
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Communication
Text Typology and Writing (Redactare de texte)
Prof. dr. Monica Matei-Chesnoiu

TEXT TYPOLOGY AND WRITING

1st year, English+B, LMA
SEMESTER I
Course: 14 courses/ semester (3 credits E+B, 4 credits LMA)
2014-2015
Time and Location:

Friday 10-12 (every week), Room 132, COURSE

Objectives:
The course is a guide to various types of texts in English and the techniques of writing efficiently. It
addresses a variety of students who are concerned with the basic rules for effective writing in English. It
targets a wide range of researchers, especially undergraduate students who are asked to write a homework
assignment in English language or literature, a graduation thesis or a current research paper as an exam
assignment. The course surveys a variety of writing techniques, types of texts, and various methods of
assessment and documentation styles.
Grading: Final exam: Winter (colloquium): computer-based paper on suggested topics.
Scholastic Honesty:
According to university policy, plagiarism is a serious offense and will be detected.
Schedule: Semester II
Week 1: C: Friday, 10-12: 3.10.2014. Getting Started. Introduction. Finding a Topic. Helpful Hints for
Choosing a Paper Topic. Academic Writing: The Writing Process. Types of Essays.
Week 2: C: Friday, 10-12: 10.10.2014. Writing Essays. Developing Coherent Paragraphs
Week 3: C. Friday, 10-12: 17.10.2014. Developing a Central Idea or Thesis. Writing Informal Essays:
Writing Argumentative Essays; Writing Exploratory Essays.
Week 4: C: Friday, 10-12: 24.10.2014. Developing an Argument. Helpful Hints for Writing an
Argumentative Paper. MLA Workshop. Argumentative Essays. Writing an Academic Essay
Week 5: C: Friday, 10-12: 31.10.2014. Writing Informal Essays: Writing Compare/Contrast Essays;
Writing Thesis/Support Essays.
Week 6: C: Friday, 10-12: 7.11.2014. Internal Documentation. MLA Documentation Style. How to Receive
Feedback on Your Writing. Writing an Academic Essay. All about Footnotes.
Week 7: C: Friday, 10-12: 14.11.2014. Writing Skills. The Students Toolbox for Academic Writing
Week 8: C: Friday, 10-12: 21.11.2014. Writing Research Papers. Definitional Techniques in the Research
Paper. Documenting Your Sources. Developing a Central Idea or Thesis. Critiques
Week 9: C: Friday, 10-12: 28.11.2014. Writing about Literature: Reading Poetry; Analyzing a Poem.
Analyzing a Play. MLA Workshop
Week 10: C: Friday, 10-12: 5.12. 2014. Techniques for writing an essay on literature topics. Practical skills.
Basic Guide to Writing an Essay. How to Write an Essay.
Week 11: C: Friday, 10-12: 12.12.2014. Writing about Literature: Analyzing Prose Fiction. Analyzing
Journals, Articles and Essays. Tips to Writing Essays
Week 12: C: Friday, 10-12: 19.12.2014. Types of Literary Criticism. Techniques for writing an essay on
literature topics. Practical skills
Week 13: C: Friday: 10-12: 16.01.2015. Style: The Plain Style; Clarity; Concision; Cohesion; Rhetoric.
Mechanics: Punctuation; Top Ten Mistakes; Layout and Content Instructions.
Week 14: C: Friday: 10-12: 23.01.2015. Final Research Paper (checking and submission)

EXAMEN (Predare lucrari): Winter session (January 2015)

Ovidius University Constana

Faculty of Letters
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Communication
Text Typology and Writing (Redactare de texte)
Prof. dr. Monica Matei-Chesnoiu

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY (on suggested topics)

Students will write one researched paper (ca. 6-7 double-spaced, typed or computer-printed pages each)
selecting ONE of the suggested topics. Each paper should:
Pose a clear and specific critical question that you would like to answer;
Present a clear and specific answer to that question;
Offer clear and specific evidence as support for your answer;
Use at least three sources in support of your answer, documented according to the required
documentation style.
The format of the essay should follow the MLA style, footnotes.

Texts:
Bailey, Stephen. Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. 3 rd edition. London: Routledge,
2011.
Burns, T and Sinfield, S. Essential Study Skills: The complete guide to success at university. London: Sage
Publications, 2003.
Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
Cottrell, S. Critical Thinking Skills Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Gillett, Andy, Angela Hammond, and Mary Martala. Inside Track to Successful Academic Writing.
Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited, 2009.
Greetham, Bryan. How to Write Better Essays. Palgrave Study Skills. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2001
Gribaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. New York: Modern Language
Association of America, 2003.
Hamp-Lyons, Liz and Ben Heasley. Study Writing: A Course in Written English for Academic Purposes. 2nd
edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Matei-Chesnoiu, Monica. Writing Clues for Students. Bucuresti: Cartea Universitara, 2004.
Mounsey, Chris. One Step Ahead: Essays and Dissertations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Silva, Paul G. How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. Washington, D.C.:
American Psychological Association, 2007.
Soles, Derek. The Academic Essay: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Edit. In-Focus - a Studymates Series. 2nd
edition. Bishops Lydeard: Studymates Limited, 2008.
Swales J.M. & Feak C. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press,
2004.
Zemach, Dorothy E and Lisa A. Rumisek. Academic Writing. London: Macmillan, 2005.