Do you struggle to complete research assignments in American Studies? Do you feel uneasy about your writing because you still don’t entirely understand what academic writing is all about? Don’t despair! This independent study course might be just what you have been looking for.

Indeed, you are not the first person to struggle with this. It isn’t easy to “decode” how academic disciplines work and what is expected of students/scholars. Moreover, as experts, university instructors sometimes fail to explain the very basics of their field because they have gotten so used to specific tasks.

This is where this course comes in handy. In the winter term 2021/2022, I asked my students in the M.A. program of North American Studies to share their ideas on how to teach academic writing in American Studies. Together we created this independent study course full of exciting material, including comics, videos, an interview, a vlog, and a video game.

I hope you enjoy this course as much as I have enjoyed watching it come alive. My students did a remarkable job – and so can you!

Gesine Wegner

Academic Standards: MLA

Finding a Research Topic

Finding Useful Literature

Reading Techniques: Primary Literature

Critical Thinking

Paragraphs, Register & Style