Writing Project: "The Journal"

Full course description

The overall format of the project is that of a fictitious call for a special issue of the peer-reviewed Maastricht Journal of Liberal Arts. The members of each tutorial group serve as editors, reviewers and contributors. Students will select a tutorial group dedicated to a particular topic. Under the guidance of their tutor and aided by the feedback from their peers, students will write a research paper in which they explore the topic of their group, and use, refer to, and compare several sources dealing with the topic. The topic of the journal issue is the same for all members of a group, but students will examine their own specific research question within this topic. During the process of researching and writing, the work of group members will be evaluated by their peers and the tutor. Students will conduct a review of relevant writing and argumentative aspects of a peer’s paper and exchange reviews with their peers in order to gain a better understanding of what it means to write a clear and cohesive paper in their chosen field. The final papers will be bundled as a proposed special issue for the MJLA. All the tutorial groups will present their group’s journal issues at the end of the project.

Course objectives

To apply academic writing/argumentation skills gained in skills courses in order to improve written projects.
To do an in-depth analysis of a topic, using the knowledge (theoretical framework, factual context, overall interpretations and analyses) acquired during regular content courses.
To write an academic review of a paper and respond to such review in a professional manner.
To gain familiarity with academic journals and their mode of operation.

Prerequisites

Either SKI2084 Writing in an Academic Context OR SKI2049 Argumentation I.

Writing Project: "The Journal"