Special Project Course for International & Finnish Students: Academic Writing and Editing in English, and Finnish Culture

(This description is for international students. Finnish students, see course description for Finnish students.)

This course is intended for international students - particularly in the humanities and social sciences - who wish to:

• strengthen their skills writing & revising an academic paper in English
• become familiar with a topic specific to Finnish/local Tampere culture
• interact academically with Finnish students

This project course consists of:

• a cultural component; 

International students attend two compulsory visits to local Tampere sites of cultural relevance. Sites such as the Lenin Museum, the Orthodox Cathedral, Tampere-talo, etc. are candidates for these visits.  These visits will include guided tours given in Finnish, but these will be interpreted completely into English.  Interpreters are native speakers of Finnish, who all have very strong English skills, as they are English specialists in the Multilingual Communication and Translation Studies Programme.  The visit serves as the central cultural topic/impetus for the students' academic paper.  Anu Viljanmaa will oversee this component.

• a series of workshops & lectures on writing an academic paper in English; 

These will be conducted by both Anu Viljanmaa and Stuart von Wolff.  They will include cross-cultural differences in academic writing styles, in addition to language and grammar considerations.

• the writing and revision of an academic paper (in English!), approximately 3,000 words in length (roughly 12 pages) for 2 credits, and approximately double that length for 4 credits; 

The paper is to be written from a humanities/social science perspective.  Students must submit a preliminary plan that must be approved by the instructors.  The revision process includes feedback from Finnish TaY students, who are specialists in English translation and interpreting, and who will serve as initial editors for international students' papers.  As with the interpreters, these students all possess very strong English skills, especially written and editing skills.  The revision process will be supervised primarily by Stuart von Wolff.

• a reflective commentary on the process;

This is a requirement of all students participating in this special project.

• a 1-on-1 consultation;

This final requirement ensures individual feedback and assessment for all students.

Students must attend a preliminary meeting at the beginning of Period III, at which the course instructors will present the special project, answer any questions, and have students complete a brief, initial questionnaire regarding academic needs & background. Shortly after this preliminary meeting, students will be notified via e-mail by the course instructors regarding their acceptance into the course.