The event is organized by Ilia State University (ISU) International Doctoral School (IDS) in cooperation with the Centre for Academic Writing (ISU) and the Georg-August University of Göttingen in Germany International WritingLab (IWLUGOE).
Academic writing partnerships are open to students pursuing Bachelor’s, Master’s as well as Doctoral degrees. The number of participants is limited to 15. Working language is English. Only applicants who hold at least B2 English certificate will be admitted to the selection process.
International Joint Classroom between Ilia State University and the University of Göttingen: The Online Experience of Academic Writing Partnerships
What are the Academic Writing Partnerships?
During one semester, 2 to 4 students of various countries, different cultural backgrounds and disciplines work together on an academic writing project of their choice. It can be an academic essay, but also different genres such as a report or an entry for an academic blog. The summer term 2021 will bring together students from the Georg-August University of Göttingen in Germany and students from the Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia. They will engage in a Collaborative Online Intercultural Learning (COIL) experience.
What will you learn?
You and your partners will get to know helpful techniques for academic writing processes. By working on a collaborative writing project, you will learn a lot about different types of texts, structure, style, referencing and paraphrasing. Help will be provided by tutors during your entire writing process.
You will also get to know students from a culture very different from yours and reflect on your experience while working with them. This will contribute to the development of your intercultural skills.
You will also expand your insight in writing traditions of other countries and cultures. But, most of all, you will be able to reflect on and improve your own writing process. After having completed the project, you will receive a certificate detailing your work and indicating the skills you have gained.
How will you start?
Two initial online workshops in April 2021 will help you to get to know each other, choose partners and to decide upon a specific topic for your text. The broad topic for this semester will be ‘Living in a Post-Corona world: Where do we go from here?’, but you are free to choose other topics as well. During the workshops, you will also acquire knowledge about the writing process and ways to organize your own writing and reflect on it.
How will you continue?
After the initial sessions, you will be on a two-month timeline to finish your writing project. You will exchange feedback with your partners but you will also get feedback from tutors during previously fixed online meetings.
How is the timeline?
April 10th – April 15th: individual work on assignments in advance
April 17th, 1.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.: 1st online kick-off workshop
April 18th – April 22nd: work on a first proposal for the writing project
April 24th, 1.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.: 2nd online kick-off workshop
April 25th – June 18th: autonomous collaborative work in intercultural groups, regular online meetings with tutors every two weeks
June 19th, 1.00 – 5.00 p.m.: online final workshop
What is requested of participants?
As a participant in the Academic Writing Partnerships, you are obliged to:
- prepare an assignment a week before the first kick-off workshop
- partake in at least three workshops
- work with your group during the semester (meet with the group and a tutor every two weeks)
hand in (preliminary) drafts of your writing project on a regular basis
How do I participate?
If you are interested please click here to get registered until April 10th, 2021. You will then receive further instructions and the first assignment.
Information about Instructors/Tutors who will lead the course:
Dr. Ella Grieshammer has been working in the field of teaching academic writing since 2008. She is now head of the International Writing Lab at the University of Göttingen.
Dr. Melanie Brinkschulte teaches academic writing and applied linguistics since 2001. She is the head of the key competencies ‚Intercultural Interaction‘ including the International Writing Lab, Intercultural Learning Lab, and the Department German as a Foreign/Second Language at the University of Göttingen.
Annett Mudoh (M.A.) is a teacher and consultant of the International Writing Lab at the University of Göttingen. She uses blended learning and learning management systems (LMS) to work on collaborative academic writing since 2012.
Do not miss the Intercultural Experience of Academic Writing Partnerships!