As I mentioned earlier, next semester I’m planning to teach two courses at BNU. One is the general elective A General History of Science; the second is going to be a specialized course. However, at the Philosophy Department of BNU, one cannot just open a new specialized course at will; one must claim a course that already exists in the pre-established teaching plan. And most of the courses, of course, have already been claimed by one teacher or another, leaving only two and a half uncclaimed. So I chose this one, “Introduction of Academic Research.”
Though this course may seem rather expendable, I feel it is still quite meaningful. In fact, many undergraduates and even graduate students do not know how to write a proper academic paper. At least from my experience at Peking University, there are quite a few students who need to take a course like this. Not to mention that, judging from my earlier experience as the convener of the Beijing forum for students of history, philosophy, and science, BNU students’ performance in terms of academic normativity is even somewhat poorer.
I don’t know which teacher first proposed this course, but the outline he left behind was very vague. Besides retaining the bibliography he listed for it (in fact, this course does not need an assigned bibliography), I redesigned the entire outline. Of course, this course should take the form of face-to-face small-group discussion, and the actual teaching will be quite flexible.
学术研究导引
Introduction of Academic Research
【Course Code】0202001135
【Course Category】Specialized course in philosophy and ideological-political education
【Credits】1
【Applicable Majors】All humanities majors
【Class Hours】16
【Date of Drafting】October 2014
【Instructor】Hu Yilin
【Semester Offered (Spring/Autumn)】Spring
1. Course Introduction
2. Teaching Objectives
To enable students to understand the basic knowledge, basic methods, and basic norms of academic research, especially in the humanities and social sciences, thereby increasing students’ interest in, consciousness of, and adherence to academic research norms. The course is intended to help students enter academic research and paper writing, and also to promote the study of their own major.
3. Teaching Content and Allocation of Class Hours
(1) What Is Academic Research (2 class hours)
Main content: Introduce the history and current situation of the contemporary academic community; discuss the difference between academic research and ordinary prose, miscellaneous essays, and reading notes; what academic norms are; and why one must observe them.
Teaching requirements: To give students an initial understanding of the significance and positioning of academic research.
Key points and difficulties (optional)
Other teaching activities: Teacher-student interaction to understand each student’s academic background, so as to conduct teaching in a targeted manner
(2) Academia as a Way of Life (2 class hours)
Main content: Discuss the difficulties and pleasures of academic research, especially philosophical research. The position and mission of undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars.
Teaching requirements: Understand the significance of academic research and the possible misunderstandings to which it may be subject.
(3) Reading and Note-Taking (2 class hours)
Main content: Discuss relevant attitudes and techniques for reading and organizing literature. When reading classic works, how to set one’s mindset right, “conversing” with great thinkers, and understanding them sympathetically. Also how to consult secondary literature and frontier materials. Finally, how to organize what one has gained from reading and turn it to one’s own use, and so on.
Teaching requirements: To help students understand the importance of reading literature for academic research, and to be able to enter a reading state and gain something from it.
Key points and difficulties: Distinguish academic reading from the reading-comprehension exercises of Chinese language classes in middle school; summarizing the general idea is by no means the goal of reading.
Other teaching activities: After the introduction, students may be encouraged to write reading notes, which can then be discussed and commented on.
(4) Citations and Source Attribution (2 class hours)
Main content: Introduce several popular citation formats in Chinese and foreign academic circles; explain, through sample texts, the proper ways of direct and indirect quotation; and discuss the significance of citation and source attribution, as well as the relationship between citing others’ views and expressing one’s own views.
Teaching requirements: While enabling students to master the basic citation formats, it is even more important to help them understand why citations are needed, rather than treating citation format merely as a formal task.
Key points and difficulties: Understanding the relationship between citation and innovation in academic research. Academic originality is not achieved by merely talking to oneself; on the contrary, it presupposes respect for the work others have already done.
Other teaching activities: Explanation centered on sample texts (both positive and negative examples) is more vivid. In addition to the teacher finding some papers, students may be asked to provide texts.
(5) The Structure of a Paper (4 class hours)
Main content: Introduce the overall structure of a general academic paper, including the main title and subtitle, abstract, keywords, chapters of the main text, references, and so on. The title should be precise and clearly identify the issue; attention should be paid to the fact that the abstract must not be written as an introduction, the proper selection of keywords, and the way references are listed, etc.
Teaching requirements: Because of the importance of “citation,” it was set as a separate lesson earlier; this stage of the course introduces other formal conventions of academic papers.
Key points and difficulties: Not only should students understand how to do it, they should also understand why these conventions are necessary.
Other teaching activities: Here again, explanation should center on sample texts. Students may bring out short papers they have written in other courses, or try writing a short paper themselves; students can exchange ideas with one another, and the teacher can comment and correct.
(6) Questioning and Seeking Explanations (4 class hours)
Main content: Cultivate students’ sense of questioning, and teach them self-reflection in the process of reading and writing. The standardization of paper structure makes one’s own problems and omissions easier to expose; one should learn to pursue further materials while carrying questions, thereby cultivating students’ ability for independent research
Teaching requirements: Learning and thinking reinforce each other; academic research requires continuous imitation and practice, and also the ability to calm down and engage in self-reflection. The final stage of the course is a consolidation of what has been gained earlier.
4. Teaching Materials and Learning Resources (Required Item)
Li Chenggui: The Road to the True Realm of Academic Study: A History of Methods in Modern Chinese Academic Research, Jiangxi People’s Publishing House, 2002
Xiao Dongfa, Li Wu: Thesis Writing and Academic Norms, Peking University Press, 2009
Yang Yusheng: Reader on Academic Norms, Henan University Press, 2004
Ministry of Education: Academic Norms for Research in Philosophy and Social Sciences in Institutions of Higher Education
5. Prerequisite Requirements and Recommendations on Teaching Strategies and Methods
No prerequisites required. But if earlier courses have assignments or papers, they can be commented on and guided in this course.
6. Assessment Method
Class participation 30%, short paper 70%.
Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
Leave a Reply