ACA-401D SYLLABUS
Course code: ACA-401D
- Credit value: 3 (US standard) | 6-8 (ECTS standard)
- Indicative duration (full-time): 2-3 weeks
- Indicative duration (part-time): 4-6 weeks
- Certificate: Yes
Course instructor: Prof. Kabiru Gulma, Ph.D.
Instructor mode of contact: Email and (Zoom appointments upon request)
Prerequisite: Having carefully studied the Student Orientation PDF received in the initial email (which also includes other important files such as the templates and checklists).
OVERVIEW
This course offers a review of the fundamentals of international academic writing, using proper English and rules of style, as well as graduate-level research, designed to ‘level the playing field’ for Ph.D. students at EUCLID.
This course is based on ACA-401, which can be used at any level, including the master’s level, but ACA-401D includes specific Ph.D. level aspects to ensure that the student’s writing skills are on the level required for the academic program being pursued.
As part of this course, students must understand the requirements and techniques of writing publishable-grade academic papers internationally. As a result, the course does cover the differences between US and UK English (spelling and punctuation). The course also discusses proper citations, plagiarism, logical flow in writing, etc.
A basic resource that may be useful for non-native speakers of the English language is Write Source 2000. It is a comprehensive 540-page textbook, originally designed for high school students, but it has also proven to be an invaluable resource for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as for working professionals. Some of the discussions (use of single quotes and double quotes, for instance) may also be useful to doctoral students in view of the level of excellence, indeed perfection, that is expected at this level.
ABOUT EUCLID’S MANDATORY RULE OF STYLE: EUCLID USES THE TURABIAN STYLE
Turabian’s manual for writers provides comprehensive, detailed, superior guidance to writers of research papers. It has been revised to conform with the Chicago Manual of Style. From “Parts of the Paper” (including the niceties of copyrights and dedications) to “Sample Layouts,” everything having to do with formatting is covered. Mechanics of style (abbreviations to quotations) are reviewed with the help of tables and illustrations and chapters on bibliographies, parenthetical references, note-taking, and citations. There are suggestions for manuscript preparation, hints on word-processing software, and formatting for research papers’ more complex features. It provides quick, accessible, reliable answers to your questions about structure, scholarly propriety, and academic style.
This textbook (Turabian) is the reference text for the recommended style, but this course also covers (as directed by the instructor) other rules of style that may be applicable, such as the WHO and the Blue Book.
Last but not least, the course exposes the doctoral student to the ‘final product,’ in this case, a review of doctoral theses published by leading universities in similar areas of interest. This review is combined with a textbook dealing specifically with doctoral dissertations.
COURSE METHODOLOGY
This course is based on standard EUCLID methodology. Students may refer to the following resources:
Academic Guidelines (HQ version)
Academic Guidelines (most recent version, even if unofficial)
Student Orientation Guidelines (most recent version, even if unofficial)
Zotero instructions for EUCLID students
Watch the short video below for an overview of every course approach👉
GROUP INTERACTIONS (CHATS)
Students can join the course WhatsApp group by clicking the button below. This will allow you to interact with the instructor easily and also benefit from other students’ questions about the course. This forum will enable you to ask questions and get answers from the instructor without writing emails. Upon joining the group, students will also find out the course group is in a community and will find other EUCLID program groups that they can join.
Join Group
COURSE OBJECTIVES | LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:
- use a mandated Word template
- use Word styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Normal, Quote)
- auto-generate a table of contents
- understand the rules of US spelling and punctuation placement
- understand the rules of UK spelling and punctuation placement
- properly use various approved rules of style
- avoid plagiarism and include proper citations
- use structure and logical flow
- know how to write an EUCLID response paper
- know how to create an EUCLID quiz
- know how to evaluate a Ph.D. dissertation
- write academic assignments at the graduate and post-graduate level
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIAL
The course material is provided in PDF format (with supplemental videos) on the page for each course period.
COURSE INSTRUCTOR | ASSOCIATED FACULTY
Dr. Kabiru Gulma is the course instructor. He is a graduate of Euclid University and the subject-matter expert on academic writing and publishing at EUCLID.
Dr. Gulma also serves as an auditor for the doctoral dissertation panel and an Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) team member.
Dr. Gulma has a record of experience in academic writing and publishing. He has authored three books, written chapters for books, and has over a dozen peer-reviewed publications and over fifty article publications. Dr. Gulma is a reviewer of some peer-reviewed journals.
While students study independently through the periods, Dr. Gulma’s role is to provide them with outstanding faculty support, including but not limited to helping students to master:
- Excellent academic/professional paper writing
- Use of relevant software for referencing (Zotero)
- Use of Grammarly Premium (provided by EUCLID)
- Appropriate use of referencing styles (Turabian, but also APA, WHO, EC, Harvard, and Oxford)
- Use of the US or UK English (spelling and punctuation rules)
- Appropriate use of Response Paper (RP) template
Dr. Gulma aims to provide students with a response within two (2) business days of submitting their assignments. Should you not hear from him within this timeframe, students are advised to send him a reminder by email.
COURSE SYLLABUS | ACCESS TO 7 PERIODS
