Here below you can find all master courses the University Centre offers. All courses are taught in 1-3 week modules running from August through June. See how the courses are organised in the teaching schedule for both programs. Usually 2-3 courses are taught at the same time, but students may only enroll in one course at a time.

The master courses are available to you whether you plan to pursue a degree or just take a course or courses. Please review the options for guest studies to determine how you can apply.

For further information, contact the Administrative Director of Education and Teaching.

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Academic Writing

  • Autumn 2024
  • Instructors: Dr. Brack Hale / Dr. Matthias Kokorsch
Learning outcome

About the course

This course introduces students to academics at the graduate level. It reviews fundamental elements of academic writing, such as argumentation, thesis formulation, evidence integration, and structural organisation. It will also introduce students to the academic resources available at UW for literature research. Through practical exercises, it will help students improve their skills necessary for crafting well-referenced academic texts. Additionally, it will provide students with the tools to engage with and comprehend challenging texts effectively, synthesise them into a literature review, and develop relevant supporting tables and figures. It includes both lectures and practical sessions.

Instructors

Dr. Brack Hale:

is the Academic Director of the Coastal and Marine Managment program at UW. 

Brack holds a Ph.D. in Land Resources from University of Wisconsin-Madison, a M.E.M. degree in Water Resources from Duke University, and a bachelor's degree in Comparative Area Studies from Duke University. He is full professor of Biology and Environmental Science and division chair of the Division of Environment, Math, Psychology, and Health at Franklin University Switzerland.

Dr. Hale has extensive experience in academic administration, curriculum development, teaching, quality assessment, as well as leadership and management. Coming from a small and highly international institution like Franklin University Switzerland.

Brack Hale has been engaged in various collaborations with UW during the last ten years and has brought student groups to Iceland since 2010, both to the Westfjords and other parts of Iceland, and has spent a semester on sabbatical at the University Centre in 2017.

Brack Hale on ResearchGate

Dr. Matthias Kokorsch:

is the Academic Director of the Coastal Communities and Regional Development program at UW.

Regional development, the structural change of communities and socio-economic challenges have always been my major interests. Coming from an old industrial area in Germany where structural change was a living reality, I faced these issues first-hand throughout my childhood and adolescence. I was also always fascinated by the everyday lives of people living in remote places, particularly in the circumpolar regions.
My main current research interests include community resilience, regional development, particularly in sparsely populated regions, structural changes of old-industrial areas, and resource management in combination with aspects of justice and decision-making processes.

Learning outcome

On completion of the course a student:

  • is familiar with common practices in academic writing.
  • can critically evaluate published studies, find relevant literature, and reference sources correctly.
  • can synthesise literature into effective literature reviews.
  • can construct evidence-based arguments and articulate them within conventions of academic writing.
  • can interpret complex illustrations and figures.
  • can convert information into tables and figures.

 

Prerequisites: No prerequisites registered for the course

Assessment: Pass / Fail

Final Exam: Assignment

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