2021 Faculty Courses School of Life Science and Technology Department of Life Science and Technology Graduate major in Life Science and Technology
LST Academic Writing 2 B
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Life Science and Technology
- Instructor(s)
- Craig Takeuchi
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Wed
- Class
- B
- Course Code
- LST.A505
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2021
- Offered quarter
- 1-2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Expository writing or academic writing is a type of writing that is used to convey information correctly and effectively to those who do not have prior knowledge of the topic. Knowledge and skills for expository writing are essential for students' future career, as professional members in society are asked to write a number of documents and reports. In this course, the instructor will help students learn how to write grammatically correct and coherent, logical texts on a given topic in English in a small class setting. The instructor is a native English speaker with a lot of experience in research and writing papers and patents at academic institutions and in the pharmaceutical industry.
The aim of this course is to help students learn how to write grammatically correct and coherent, logical texts on research topics or any other topics of interest.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. give descriptions of people, machinery and objects in English.
2. give explanations for observations made in experiments in English.
3. compare and contrast objects of interest in English.
4. write grammatically correct and coherent, logical paragraphs in English.
Keywords
Academic writing, Expository writing
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The flow of each class is basically as follows: (1) Introduction to each topic, (2) class or group discussion to unpack ideas and expand ideas on a specific topic, (3) session of technical vocabulary and definitions, (4) impromptu writing, and (5) homework writing assignment.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Level Check/ Orientation/ Rules |
Students should understand the outline and class rules for the course. |
| Class 2 | Introduction to Academic Writing |
Students should be able to identify differences between academic and non-academic writing. |
| Class 3 | How to Write an Introduction |
Students should be able to write an introduction to describe a new topic or concept. |
| Class 4 | Definitions/ Vocabulary/ Word Origin |
Students should be able to write simple or extended definitions for technical terms in their study field. |
| Class 5 | How to Write About a Technical Process |
Students should be able to write a description about a technical process. |
| Class 6 | How to Write Descriptions of Devices or Machinery |
Students should be able to write a description about a technical device or machinery. |
| Class 7 | How to Write Instructions for a Procedure |
Students should be able to write instructions for a procedure. |
| Class 8 | Compare and Contrast |
Students should be able to compare and contrast two objects or concepts based on characteristics. |
| Class 9 | How to Prepare Visual Aids of Tabulated Data |
Students should be able to prepare visual aids from tabulated data. |
| Class 10 | Results and Discussion |
Students should be able to write a discussion about results for a poster or paper. |
| Class 11 | Abstracts and Research Poster |
Students should be able to write an abstract for a research poster. |
| Class 12 | Preparing a Research Poster |
Students should be able to prepare a research poster based on experimental results. |
| Class 13 | Poster presentations |
Students should be able to present a research poster. |
| Class 14 | Final class/ Short Test |
Short comprehensive test based on writing exercises in the class. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Great Writing 5: From Great Essays to Research, 3rd ed. (Keith Folse & Tison Pugh), Cengage, ISBN: 978-1285194967
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Specified by the instructor as necessary.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Assignments 60%
Participation 15%
Poster/Exam 25%
Related courses
- LST.A416 ： LST Academic Writing 1
Prerequisites
English learners at any level are welcome.