Writing in and across Disciplines
BEYOND FORMAL CONVENTIONS – TALKING ABOUT ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC WRITING IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTEXT
Andreas Corr
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Central Administration II – Academic Affairs, DiversityOriented Writing Centre, Tübingen, Germany
Usually, university writing courses (implicitly or explicitly) focus their attention on a specific academic or scientific discipline. This might have to do with institutional issues as well as the common idea, that Academic or Scientific Writing skills are, in a way, bound to specific disciplines and their particular standards or conventions (e.g. in style, textual structure and citation). In this short presentation however, I will look into the challenges and benefits of Academic and Scientific Writing courses in an explicitly interdisciplinary context, where students coming from different academic backgrounds are addressed. Relating to our experiences at the Tübingen Writing Centre, the following questions will be raised: What problems and challenges does one have to face when she/he is talking about writing in an interdisciplinary context? Where are the main differences between diverse scientific fields when it comes to writing – and which similarities can eventually be found? Are there any advantages of an interdisciplinary approach in teaching Academic and Scientific Writing Skills – and what are they? In conclusion, I will argue that – despite its many challenges – teaching writing in an interdisciplinary context can profoundly sensitise for the general demands and functions of scientific texts. It also lays the groundwork for keeping an open mind and being able to think outside the box. I will claim that, in order to become a better writer, it is vital to know the possibilities you have in writing – beyond the formal constraints of a particular area of expertise.