GE-491 Academic Writing

Your Bachelor's thesis asks you to read critically, argue clearly and credit every source. This course trains those skills and ends with a draft thesis proposal.

This course follows the OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook. It moves from reading critically and reasoning well, through argument, sources and honest credit, to the structure of a proposal and clear English. You also practise writing for church and ministry readers, many of whom read English as a second language. You bring what you learned before: truthful speech, fairness to those you disagree with and careful reading of Scripture in its context.

What you will study

• Reading critically and reasoning well
• Building an argument with evidence
• Finding, using and crediting sources in APA style
• Quoting the Bible word for word and in context
• Treating other views fairly
• From a problem to a research question and a working thesis
• Planning the thesis: method, sources and chapters
• Clear English for readers of English as a second language

Course materials

• Writing Guide with Handbook, an OpenStax textbook
• The Bible