Unit 1: The Nature of Academic Texts

Lesson 2
Academic Texts across the
Disciplines

English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Senior High School Applied - Academic
Most forms of
academic
writing share
common traits
and basic
features. How
can we identify
which texts are
written in
which
disciplines?
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 ● Identify the unique features and
language of various academic
Learning
disciplines.
Objectives
● Find connections between the
At the end of the
lesson, you should different academic disciplines.
be able to do the
following: ● Determine when and how to write
in a particular academic discipline.
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 1. What branches or fields are
under the major academic
Essential disciplines?
Questions 2. What similarities do the
different academic disciplines
have with each other?

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 The Academic Disciplines
Academic disciplines have various branches
under them.
● Business: accounting, economics, finance,
management, marketing
● Humanities: art, creative writing, languages,
literature, music, philosophy, religion,
theater
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The Academic Disciplines

● Natural and applied sciences: biology,

chemistry, computer science, engineering,
geology, mathematics, physics, medicine
● Social sciences: anthropology, education,
geography, history, law, political science,
psychology, sociology

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The Academic Disciplines

● Each of the disciplines and their branches

have their own vocabularies, styles, and
modes of communication.
● While they might all follow a basic format
and guidelines, their application differs per
discipline.

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The Academic Disciplines

● Different disciplines also tend to get their

data and evidence from varying research
methods.
● Examples:
○ Biologists perform lab experiments.
○ Social scientists conduct surveys and
interviews.
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The Academic Disciplines

● Sources of information that are relevant to

the different disciplines also vary.
● Examples:
○ Business students study resumes, memos,
and product descriptions.
○ Humanities students study history books,
literature reviews, or journals.
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The Academic Disciplines

● What the different disciplines focus on in

their academic texts are also different.
● Examples:
○ Social sciences emphasize the
methodology and their results or findings.
○ The sciences focus on the hypothesis and
if the experiment proves or disproves it.
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Tips

As you encounter different

articles and texts in your classes,
take note of the vocabulary and
jargon used in various disciplines.
Doing so can help you be more
familiar with them should you re-
encounter them.
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The Academic Disciplines
Example 1
Below are examples of how a discipline frames
the topic of social media.
● Business: How can social media be used to
increase the efficiency of office workers?
● Humanities: How does social media affect
the evolution of language?

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The Academic Disciplines
Example 2
Below are examples of how a discipline frames
the topic of social media.
● Natural and Applied Sciences: Which
programming language is best used in
creating a social media website?
● Social Sciences: How can instances of
cyberbullying in social media be reduced?
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Remember

There are many differences in

academic writing, from cited
sources to the narrative tone or
the voice used by the writer.
Always keep an open mind and an
observant eye when reading
different academic texts.
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 Connections across Disciplines

● The disciplines are not so different in their

development and purpose.
● Disciplines were developed and designed to
help us make sense of our world and its
phenomena.

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Connections across Disciplines

● Knowledge is gained when a practitioner can

build on a previously established body of
work from their discipline.
● Research requires you to use sources that
touch on a similar topic or line of thinking
that you are studying.
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Connections across Disciplines

● Pay attention to details in your different

classes to see if you can find similarities and
connections between them.
● You can become better at knowing how your
specialization can fit with the rest of the
world.
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 Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing

● All disciplines already have a number of

debates, studies, and the like that have been
going on for years.
● There are existing binary oppositions in
each discipline that can help you make more
sense of the different issues and topics you
might encounter.
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Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing

It might seem that certain binary oppositions

are more suited to a particular discipline, but it
is not impossible for these binaries to be
applied elsewhere.

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Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing

Example
● Business: surplus - shortage
● Humanities: theism - atheism
● Natural and Applied Sciences: logic - faith
● Social Sciences: hope - despair

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1. Choose a chapter or lesson from another
subject you are currently taking.
2. Take the time to read it once more, this
time taking note of the focus, vocabulary,
techniques, and formatting that is used.
3. Then, answer the following questions.

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1. What kind(s) of questions are being asked?
2. What issues are being tackled or discussed?
3. How does the chapter/lesson discuss or
share information from its discipline?

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Please send copy of your activities at
dmttalan.montessori@gmail.com

Thank you!

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 Questions

What fields can be found under the

discipline of the humanities?

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Question

What fields can be found under

the discipline of the social
sciences?

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Question

How can binary oppositions help

you in your academic writing?

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 Wrap Up
Academic disciplines have different
branches with their own vocabularies,
styles, and modes of communication.

Connections can always be found

between the different academic
disciplines.
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 Wrap Up

Binary oppositions can help you

understand issues and problems you’ll
encounter in any discipline.

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“Exploring Academic Disciplines.” ER Services. Accessed February 17, 2020.
Bibliography
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-jeffersoncc-styleguide/chapter/exploring-
academic-disciplines/

“Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Academic Writing Style.” Research Guides.
Accessed February 20, 2020. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/academicwriting.

Purdue Writing Lab. “Writing in Psychology Overview.” Purdue Writing Lab. Accessed February
20, 2020.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writi
ng_in_psychology_experimental_report_writing/index.html.

“Writing in the Humanities.” Lumen Learning. Accessed February 20, 2020.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-
humanities/.

“Writing in the Natural and Social Sciences: The Research Paper and the IMRAD Model.” Lumen
Learning. Accessed February 20, 2020. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-
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imrad-model/.

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