ELT 501 - Graduate Seminar

This PhD seminar provides a foundation for theory building and academic writing. Rather than focus
on particular statistical or analytical methods, the goal is to provide participants with a rigorous
grounding in the scientific approach to constructing theoretical arguments and designing appropriate
literary research. The course is organized around the question of how to do good research. Topics to be
covered include common threats to validity in research design, decisions regarding the choice of samples
and settings, literary theory and its application to texts, measurement issues such as reliability and
validity, estimation methods, data collection tools, and ethics in planning, conduct, and publication of
research. The course will not only focus on academic writing and discussion, but will also guide students
through the writing of MA thesis, and Ph.D. dissertation. Now that you have a definition of academic
writing, here are some things to remember about the characteristics of academic writing. Planning -
There is a certain amount of planning before you start writing the paper; so, it will be analytical and
organized. Outline - A proper outline is a must for academic writing. An outline will not only help you
formulate your thoughts, but will sometimes make you aware of certain relationships between topics. It
will help you determine the pertinent information to be included in your paper. Tone - A formal tone is
used. You do not use slang words, jargon, abbreviations, or many clichés. Language - The language in
your paper needs to be clear and words need to be chosen for their precision. A thesaurus is a good tool
to help you pick just the right words to explain the issues. Point-of-view - The point of view in the third
person, as the focus of academic writing is to educate on the facts, not support an opinion. Approach -
Deductive reasoning is a big part of academic writing as your readers have to follow the path that
brought you to your conclusion. Through the criteria employed above, students will present the papers
they have already written, will work on at least five dissertations or scholarly books in their area, write
reports on the introduction and conclusion of those books, paying attention to the arrangement of the
chapters. The course will also initiate the
students into their prospective theses and dissertations.

1. Describe the primary steps of the dissertation process.
2. Develop a timeline, semester goals, and write progress reports regarding his or her dissertation.
3. Execute research and collect data.
4. Complete a dissertation defense with committee.