N A G OYA U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y W O R K S H O P S 2 0 1 7

Academic WritingandLogical Thinking
May 17 ~ June 14, 2017

Instructor: Dr. Paul Lai

Nagoya University Library Workshops in 2017

Academic Writing andLogical Thinking Skills
After completing all the workshops,
you will be given a Certiﬁcate of Completion!

5

June 14 2:45pm - 4:15pm
Final Session by Students(friends and classmates are welcome to join!)
4June 7 2:45pm - 4:15pm
How to make your writing convincing
32
1May 31 2:45pm - 4:15pm
How to use logic practicallyMay 24 2:45pm - 4:15pm
How to make your writing clear

May 17 2:45pm - 4:15pm
Why it is important to think logically for your writing

Instructor: Paul Lai, Ph.D
Director, Nagoya University Writing Center (Mei-Writing)
At: Multipurpose Room (Central Library)
Target: All students of Nagoya University

The venue
has changed!

Contact: Nagoya University Central Library
Tel: 052-789-3679 E-mail: sanko@nul.nagoya-u.ac.jp

http://www.nul.nagoya-u.ac.jp/guide/literacy/guidance.html#writingReservation

Nagoya University Library

Certificate of Completion
This is to certify thathas successfully completed a series of workshops on

Academic Writing
andLogical Thinking Skills
Date June 15, 2016Director,
Nagoya University LibraryDirector,
Nagoya University Writing Center(Mei-Writing)Mei-Writing

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By&Paul&W.&L.&Lai&&&Copyright&2015&

Build&a&&
Thesis&Statement&Build&a&&
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Abstract&Elabora1on&into&a&Full&Paper&&3

Build&a&one3sentence&thesis&statement&with&a&non3compound&sentence&structure.&&3 Find&and&eliminate&the&linguis1c&&&
structural&ambigui1es.&

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Integrate&the&thesis&statement&and&argument&into&a&succinct&logical&structure&(abstract)&by&specifying&the&following:&(i)&mo1va1on,&(ii)&main&task,&(iii)&method,&(iv)&results.&

Elaborate&each&of&the&abstract&components&into&a&full3blown&paper&sec1on&.&3 Modify&the&thesis&statement,&argument,&abstract&again&and&again.&Why is it important tothink logically foracademic writing?

textsVsthoughts

texts express thoughts“Dog”

Writing is a process ofcommunicating thoughts
through the arrangement of texts

Writing is a process ofcommunicating thoughts
through the arrangement of texts

There is a dog.
because today isWednesday.

There is a dog
because today isWednesday.

Peter is in Nagoya
becausehe has a house in Nagoya.

Which one of the following is convincing?

Peter was here earlierPeter was here earlier

becausebecausehis footprints were here.

his shoes were here.

What is “convincing”?
According to Oxford Dictionary of English,“convincing” means the following:
capable of causing someone to believe thatsomething is trueThus, to make X convincing is to have thecapability of causing someone to believethat X is true.

Which one of the following is convincing?

Peter was here earlierPeter was here earlier

becausebecause

his footprints were here.

his shoes were here.

Which one of the following is convincing?

PeterPeter was Peter
here earlierPeter was here earlier

becausebecausePeter’s footprints
his footprintswere here.

his shoes were here.
Peter’s shoes

Which one of the following is convincing?

Peter was here earlierPeter was here earlier

becausebecausehis footprints were here.

his shoes were here.

Which one of the following is convincing?

PETER

Peter’s being inPeter isNagoya
in Nagoya.

Peter is in Nagoya.
TokyobecausebecausePeterhasahouse
inPeter’s having aNagoya.
house in NagoyaPeterNagoya
is not in Tokyo.

PETERWhich one of the following is convincing?

Peter is in Nagoya.

Peter is in Nagoya.

becausebecausePeter has a house inNagoya.

Peter is not in Tokyo.

All academic writers are required to know

The Writing Requirement
How words can be properly arranged
to express the ideas.

The Thinking Requirement
How ideas can be properly arranged
so that they can be properly expressed
through words in a clear & convincing
manner.

Main point of my talkTraining of logical thinking skills
is needed in order for your thoughts
to be communicated properlyin an academic paper.

教養教育院

What isAcademic Writing?

Study the following paragraphs, and give us your opinion:Peter Brown lives with his wife and three children inBrighton. He works as a ticket salesman at the Odean
Cinema from Monday to Saturday, between 9:00 and 18:00.
He also has a part-time job at a local pub between 20:00 and24:00 during the weekdays.
Every morning before he goes to work, Peter drives hischildren to school, and his wife to work. During lunchtime he
usually has lunch with his wife. And after the daytime work,Peter always goes to pick up the kids from school before hestarts the evening job at the pub.

The modified version
Peter Brown, who lives with his wife and three kids in Brighton, is a
devoted family man.
He spends most of his time for work in order to earn enough for afamily of five. He works as a ticket salesman at the Odean Cinemafrom Monday to Saturday, between 9:00 and 18:00. But the income
as a ticket salesman is not enough to pay off the mortgage of thefamily house and tuitions of his three kids, so he also takes a parttime job between 20:00 and 24:00 during the weekdays.
Whenever he has spare time, Peter always spends it for the family.
Every morning before he goes to work, Peter drives his children toschool, and his wife to work. During lunchtime he usually has lunchwith his wife. And after the daytime work, Peter always goes to pickup the kids from school before he starts the evening job at the pub.

The modified version
Peter Brown, who lives with his wife and three kids in Brighton, is a
devoted family man.
He spends most of his time for work in order to earn enough for afamily of five. He works as a ticket salesman at the Odean Cinemafrom Monday to Saturday, between 9:00 and 18:00. But the income
as a ticket salesman is not enough to pay off the mortgage of thefamily house and tuitions of his three kids, so he also takes a parttime job between 20:00 and 24:00 during the weekdays.
Whenever he has spare time, Peter always spends it for the family.
Every morning before he goes to work, Peter drives his children toschool, and his wife to work. During lunchtime he usually has lunchwith his wife. And after the daytime work, Peter always goes to pickup the kids from school before he starts the evening job at the pub.

Thesis Statement

Support 1

Support 2

Support 3

Conclusion

An academic paper isessentially alogical argument
Premise 1

Premise 2

Premise 3

Try to make the following reason convincing:Peter cannot come to school today
because his car broke down.

Peter cannot come to school todayN O D I R E C T R E L AT I O N ! ! !

his car broke downPeter cannot come to school today
HOW TO CONNECT THE TWO?

his car broke downPeter’s car broke down+Peter needs to come to school by car+No other car is available+Peter’s car cannot be repaired+

Impossible to get a new car
Peter cannot come to school today

Main point of my talkTraining of logical thinking skills
is needed in order for the paper’s
thesis statement to be convincing.

教養教育院

MainResearch Idea

Support(e.g. evidence)

Abstract

OthersIntroduction

(Homework)(i) Think about a paperthat you are planningto write.
(ii) Develop a thesis
statement for thepaper.
(iii) Discuss your thesis
statement on June 14.

Try to make the following reason convincing:Peter cannot submit the assignment on Monday
because his computer broke down on Saturday.

Thank you very much!