English Academic Discourse

7 Outubro 2020, 15:00 • Marta Pacheco Pinto

This session focused on the discussion of the main conventions and features of English academic discourse (EAD) based on Karen Bennett’s article “The transparency trope”. In addition to briefly reviewing the history of EAD, the main differences between English and Portuguese academic discourses were also covered. Several discursive strategies were highlighted in order to target the main features of EAD (e.g. nominalizations, hedging devices, connectors, signposting). The use of quotations and footnotes – how and when to use – was also covered in the discussion, and recommendations were made with reference to communication style. Several checklists for guaranteeing coherence across the PhD thesis were also presented. 

Speed presentations and (English) academic writing

30 Setembro 2020, 15:00 • Marta Pacheco Pinto

Students made a 5-minute presentation of their PhD research work (research questions and claim, conceptual and methodological approaches, contribution to the field/brief state of the art), which was followed by up to 10 minutes of peer discussion.

After these “speed presentations”, we started discussing the conventions and main features of academic writing. We covered issues concerning abstract writing and keywords, in addition to exploring different abstract typologies (structured vs. non-structured, and video abstracts). Several resources (both online and in-house) were also presented for students to improve their English academic writing.

PhD research planning: a multi-stage process

23 Setembro 2020, 15:00 • Marta Pacheco Pinto

This session focused on PhD research preparation tasks. It introduced students to more general features of academic discourse and main text types; different models of PhD presentation were discussed (i.e. the monograph classical model vs. the paper-based model), and advice was given on how to plan PhD research (including the creation of a timeline and a reading/writing routine). A macrotextual approach to PhD writing was first followed by discussing its structure and formal organization (into parts and sections). Then, we discussed how to formulate research questions and hypotheses, how to make a claim and write an effective state of the art (emphasis was put on the need to carefully select information and make use of reliable sources), and also how to build a sound theoretical and methodological framework. At the end, several online bibliographic resources for research were presented and discussed. Overall, a checklist of good practice was provided relating to each of these topics.

Introduction to the Seminar and discussion of Comparative Studies as an area of research

16 Setembro 2020, 15:00 • Marta Pacheco Pinto

Students' self-presentation and introduction to the Seminar, its aims, syllabus, schedule, and evaluation criteria.

Assessment includes attendance; active participation in in-class activities; an annotated bibliography on the research topic of the final paper (max. 3 pages; to be submitted on October 28); an oral presentation (either a paper or a poster) on the topic of the final paper, which will be followed by peer discussion (it will take place on November 11); a review article of a book chosen according to individual academic interests (c. 800 – 1,800 words) to be submitted on November 25; and a written paper resulting from students’ PhD research that meets the requirements to be published (c. 6,000 words including footnotes and references) to be submitted on December 16.

After presenting the overview of the seminar, Eugene Eoyang’s chapter “Synergies and synaethesias: An intraworldly comparative literature” (2012) was discussed in order to promote reflection on the field of Comparative Studies.