Skill Development Support
Basic Course for English Academic Writing
A professional English instructor will explain the basic skills you need to write an academic essay in English through five stand-alone lecture videos.
*This course is for beginners in academic writing.
Curriculum （Lecture: 90 minutes / Language：English）
| Topic | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1.Essay and Assignment Planning | This planning stage focuses on the writing process and what constitutes good writing. Outlining and organizing ideas into main ideas, supporting ideas, and detail will be introduced.。 |
| 2.Paragraph and Sentence Structure | Individual sentences need to be constructed so that the reader can easily grasp the main idea. This session focuses on paragraph organization with emphasis on topic sentences and controlling ideas. |
| 3.Cohesion and Coherence in Academic Writing | This session focuses on the three features that a paragraph should have; unity, development, and clarity, as well as completing each paragraph's idea and transitioning into the next paragraph cohesively.。 |
| 4.Common Errors and Writing Accuracy | Focusing on writing accuracy, specifically, on common problems seen with grammatical accuracy, writing techniques such as using transitions and passive/active voice effectively will be introduced. |
| 5.Punctuation and Style | This session focuses on overall style and incorporating effective punctuation and word-choice. Techniques will also be introduced to avoid wordiness issues. |
*This is the content recorded from the lecture part of "Online Academic Writing Program [Lecture Series]" held in the Fall semester AY 2024.
*Unauthorized reproduction and secondary use of this material are prohibited.
*Course materials are also available exclusively for Ritsumeikan University graduate students.
Instructor profile
Instructor: Hideki Maeda
As chief proofreader and instructor at SEICO Inc., Mr. Maeda has instructed academic writing and presentation skills for over 20 years at the graduate and under-graduate level at universities including Ritsumeikan University, as well as specializing in curriculum design and corporate/teacher training.