unit 1: the nature of academic texts l e s s o n 2 : a c a

Unit 1: The Nature of Academic Texts Lesson 2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines

Contents

Engage 1 Introduction 1 Objectives 2

Explore 2

Explain and Elaborate 4 The Academic Disciplines 4 Connections across Disciplines 10 Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing 10

Extend 14 Activity 1 14 Activity 2 15

Evaluate 17

Wrap Up 20

Bibliography 20

Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines

Engage

Introduction

Fig. 1. No matter the discipline, academic writing should always make use of credible

sources.

Most forms of academic writing share common traits and basic features. Academic writing,

for example, no matter the subject or topic, should always consist of a thesis or argument

backed up by sound evidence and credible sources. For an academic paper to be effective, it

must be written with an open but critical mind. However, each academic discipline has its

own structures, methods, and vocabulary. How much do academic texts differ depending

on the discipline in which they are written? How can we identify which texts are written for

which disciplines? What must we know to make sure that we are using the correct

techniques and language to write an academic paper in our chosen discipline? In this lesson,

you will learn how to identify, read, and write academic texts according to the discipline they

are in.

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Objectives

In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Identify the unique features and language of various academic disciplines.

● Find connections between the different academic disciplines.

● Determine when and how to write for a particular academic discipline.

DepEd Competency

Differentiate language used in academic texts from various disciplines.

(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-2)

Explore

15 minutes

With a partner, read the passages below. Then, answer the questions that follow. Be ready

to share your answers with the class.

Text 1

At the turn of the last century, the illustrated children’s books of the so-called “golden age”

provided readers with many unforgettable images: think of John Tenniel’s blue-aproned

Alice looking up at the sneaky grin of the Cheshire cat, or Walter Crane’s pink-dressed Belle

falling in love with the boar-headed Beast. Such works are usually viewed as the exclusive

realm of the great London and New York publishing houses. But on the other side of the

globe, around the same time, Japan was opening its ports to the world, and in Tokyo the

Kobunsha publishing company would put its own unique mark on illustrated books for

children. Under the leadership of Takejiro Hasegawa, the Japanese Fairy Tale Series

captured the imaginations of countless young readers with books that combined the work

of western writers and translators with Japanese artists. Source: “Woodblocks in Wonderland: The Japanese Fairy Tale Series” (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/woodblocks-in-wonderland-the-japanese-fairy-tale-series)

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https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/woodblocks-in-wonderland-the-japanese-fairy-tale-series


Text 2 There are two main categories of patients who take a daily low-dose aspirin for

cardiovascular (CV) event prevention: patients who have not yet had serious cardiovascular

problems but may be at risk of having these problems AND patients who have already

experienced serious cardiovascular problems like a heart attack or clot-related stroke. What

the updated guidelines tell us is that certain individuals in the first category (have not yet

had an event, often called primary prevention) may not need to continue taking aspirin due

to the increased risks of bleeding outweighing the cardio-protection benefit. Whether or not

you are one of these individuals in this category depends on your own personal risk factors,

which is why it is important to consult your doctor who can help you understand the

benefits and risks and what is best for your health. For people in the secondary category –

those who have already experienced a cardiovascular event – aspirin can be a lifesaver. Not

only is it proven to help prevent another heart attack or clot-related stroke, aspirin is also

one of the most extensively studied drugs in history. This is why aspirin remains the

cornerstone preventative therapy for secondary prevention. Source: “Sorting Through the Research on Aspirin” (https://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/health/sorting-through-the-research-on-aspirin/) Guide Questions

1. What are the similarities between the two excerpts, if any?

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2. What are the differences between the two excerpts, if any?

3. Under what academic discipline could each excerpt fall?

4. What do you think can make writing in these disciplines easy? What can make it

challenging?

Explain and Elaborate

The Academic Disciplines The table below shows some of the main academic disciplines, or fields of study and

knowledge, and some of the branches that could fall under them.

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Table 1. Academic disciplines have various branches under them.

Discipline Branches

Business accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing

Humanities art, creative writing, languages, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater

Natural and applied sciences

biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, medicine

Social sciences anthropology, education, geography, history, law, political science, psychology, sociology

Each of the disciplines and its branches have distinct communities that make use of their

own vocabularies, styles, and modes of communication. While they might all follow a basic

format and guidelines, their application differs per discipline. As you become exposed to

more academic texts in varying disciplines, try looking for these formal aspects and

guidelines in what you read and see how they are used or modified depending on the

discipline:

● Title format

● Introduction

● Point of view (first, second, or third person)

● Tone (level of formality)

● Voice (active or passive)

● Discipline-specific vocabulary

● Sections and subheads

● Overall organization

● Use of images (graphs, graphics, pictures, tables, etc.)

● Conclusion

● Types of sources cited

● Use of source information

● Documentation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

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● Intended audience

● Published format (print or online)

Different disciplines also tend to get their data and evidence from varying research

methods. For example, how professors in the branch of literature collect their data would

typically be different from how researchers in biology collect theirs. Biologists are expected

to perform lab experiments for their research. Meanwhile, studying literature would require

reading up on both primary sources (e.g., an essay or novel) and secondary sources (e.g.,

texts on literary criticism). On the other hand, social scientists might have to conduct

surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and the like.

On a related note, the type of information that is relevant to the different disciplines and

how they might organize the information they need also vary. For example, in business

disciplines, they need to study and keep resumes, memos, and product descriptions.

Science and engineering students often include notes, drawings, and results related to their

experiments. Meanwhile, those in the social sciences and humanities might find history

books, literature reviews, or journals relevant.

What the different disciplines focus on in their academic texts also tend to be different, and

it is crucial to note what each discipline values in their writing. For example, a paper written

for the social sciences would have a bigger emphasis on the methodology and how the data

was collected, followed by a close discussion of the findings. In the sciences, there is an

emphasis on the statement of the hypothesis, a prediction of the experiment, and how the

experiment proves or disproves the initial hypothesis. Meanwhile, in a literary essay from

the humanities, the writer might take the time to establish the theoretical foundation he or

she will be using in discussing a particular text or novel.

Tip

As you encounter different articles and texts in your classes, take

note of the vocabulary and jargon used in various disciplines. Doing

so can help you be more familiar with them should you encounter

them again.

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Example 1

Take a look at how a student of each discipline may write the thesis statement on the topic

of recycling.

Business: Which methods of recycling can help cut down costs in the production of goods?

Humanities: What recyclable materials can best be used for sculpting?

Natural and Applied Sciences: Which recyclable materials can be used to create an

emergency life vest?

Social Sciences: How can recycling be promoted better in middle to lower class families?

Explanation: Take note of the varying concerns and vocabulary in each discipline. Even in

the early process of stating the problem, each discipline may look at the same topic

differently. Their approach and how they conduct their research will then vary depending on

what the discipline is looking for or specializes in.

Example 2

Sample Text

Approximately 5.5 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia, and no

cure or preventive measure currently exists. However, a new dietary supplement has shown

an ability to improve cognitive function in adults with dementia, based on results of a

year-long clinical trial. In the study, 34 adults with an average age of 80 were given one

teaspoon, four times a day, of a dietary supplement containing multiple natural ingredients,

notably a unique form of aloe vera and stabilized rice bran, for 12 months. "Overall, our

results showed statistically and clinically significant improvements in cognitive functioning

and statistically significant improvements in immune functioning for a disease that

otherwise has no efficacious medical treatment," says John E. Lewis, Ph.D., founder and

chief science officer of Nurish.Me, a company focused on developing innovative dietary

supplements." Many participants had a renewed ability to recall people, places, events and

situations, which was remarkable given their disease severity and from what the caregivers

reported to us," Lewis adds. In addition, participants showed significant improvements after

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12 months of treatment in scores on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive

Subscale (ADAS-Cog), the current gold standard for measuring and assessing cognitive

function in dementia patients. On average, patients in the study showed improvements in

the ADAS-Cog of greater than four points, which is considered clinically significant. The initial

results of the study were published in 2013 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Additional

findings were published in 2017 in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, and a

third paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical and Translational

Research. Source: “Dietary Supplement Improves Cognition in Alzheimer’s” (https://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/health/dietary-supplement-improves-cognition-in-alzheimers/)

Explanation: In the excerpt, take note of the language and the source of research. The

article mostly discussed Alzheimer’s dementia and how it could possibly be mitigated by a

dietary supplement. It based its information on a clinical study on the effects of a dietary

supplement on people with an average age of 80. The results and statistics were discussed

through a quoted interview. This example demonstrates how a scientific text might be

written.

Example 3

Sample Text

By the time Friar William of Rubruck arrived at the camp of Möngke Khan in the last days of

1253, he had pushed his body to its breaking point. The trip from Acre had taken him by

way of Constantinople, across the Black Sea, and then on a punishing overland journey

featuring extreme cold, a demon-haunted pass, and little enough food that his

travel-companion, Bartolomeo of Cremona, had been close to tears, exclaiming “It seems to

me I shall never get anything to eat”. And then there had been the Mongols themselves.

Passing into their territory was like passing “through one of the gates of hell”, and leaving

their presence comparable to escaping “the midst of devils”. Safe to say that the Mongols

seemed quite alien to this Flemish friar.

William grumbled at their (in his view) incurable greed, commented repeatedly on his

distaste for the women's noses, and spoke of the foolishness of their religion. Though in

many ways a clever traveller and, despite this xenophobia, an at times astute observer, he

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was in other ways a fish out of water, even going about at first in bare feet on the frozen

winter ground. But not everything was so unfamiliar, so strange to him.

There at the heart of the Mongol Empire, he found a surprisingly cosmopolitan scene

comprised of Hungarians, Greeks, Armenians, Alans, Georgians, and more. In the capital of

Karakorum, he found a “Saracen” quarter with its markets and a “Cathayan” one with its

artisans; he found temples and mosques, and he found a church. He met a Christian from

Damascus who represented the Ayyubid Sultan, a woman from Metz named Pacquette who

had been captured while on business in Hungary, and the son of an Englishman named

Basil. Most helpful to him during his stay was an artisan from Paris named Guillaume

Boucher. This Parisian smith created several pieces which William saw — an altarpiece, a

kind of mobile oratory, an iron to make communion wafers, and, perhaps his most

significant mark left at Möngke’s capital, the Mongol khan’s wonderfully elaborate drinking

fountain. Source: The Khan’s Drinking Fountain” (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-khans-drinking-fountain)

Explanation: This excerpt is from a historical essay discussing the symbolism found in the

fountain at the center of the Mongolian capital in the 1200s. Here, the author details

historical events like he is telling a story. Since this essay was written with a historical lens

rather than a scientific one, technical jargon or scientific terms were not used. Instead,

descriptions of people and places are given more focus. Notice again how the language,

details, and even the tone changed depending on the discipline in which the paper is

written.

Remember

The differences in academic writing can range from something as

obvious as the cited sources to something more subtle, like the

narrative tone or voice used by the writer. Always remember to keep

an open mind and an observant eye when reading different academic

texts.

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Connections across Disciplines In academic writing, the disciplines are not so different in their development and purpose.

Disciplines, in general, were developed and designed to help us make sense of our world

and its phenomena. Knowledge about the world is gained when a practitioner can build on a

previously established body of work from his or her discipline. Often, research in any

discipline requires you to make use of sources in the form of past papers, journal entries,

experiments, and research that touch on a similar topic or line of thinking that you are

studying. This helps not only your own research but also the discipline itself, as you are

helping expand and add to the previous studies in your chosen discipline.

As you take your other classes in high school and when you get to college, it helps to pay

attention to these details not just to be able to pass the class and its requirements, but also

to see if you can find similarities and connections between two different classes you are

taking at the same time. You may realize that a concept you are studying in math can help

you figure out how to conduct an experiment in science. The messages and insights you can

pick up in the literature that you study could be applied to events in history or in current

events. Keep an open mind while studying for classes that are seemingly not significant to

your track or specialization. With more knowledge in different disciplines, you will become

better at knowing how your own specialization can fit with the rest of the world.

What other similarities do the different academic disciplines have with each other?

Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing Any discipline you choose to enter already has a number of debates, studies, controversies,

experiments, and the like that have been going on for years, if not decades or centuries. You

are not expected to completely master your chosen discipline in your lifetime, much less

overnight. However, there are long-standing binary oppositions in each discipline that can

help you make more sense of the different issues, themes, and topics you might encounter

when reading academic texts and conducting your own research in the future.

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Table 2. The binaries found in various academic disciplines

Discipline Binary Oppositions

Business production-consumption

labor-capital

Humanities artist-culture

text-context

Natural and applied sciences

empiricism-rationalism

observer-subject

Social sciences nature-nurture

free will-determinism

These are just a few examples of the many binaries found in each discipline. With time and

effort, you will be able to pinpoint these binaries in the academic texts you read as well as

determine other binaries within the disciplines.

These binaries can also move freely between disciplines, and this is often how connections

can be seen between the different academic disciplines.

Example 1

The binary of empiricism (making use of the scientific method) and rationalism (using logic

and reasoning to come to conclusions) associated with the natural and applied sciences is

also a common debate in philosophy, a branch of the humanities. In the social sciences,

teaching techniques and theories have been formed based on either empiricism or

rationalism. Even in business, researchers have started using more empirical methods, like

performing experiments, to study how markets work as opposed to a more rationalist

approach of relying on the study of economics.

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This is a straightforward example of how the binaries can be seen in different disciplines.

Practicing close and critical reading on the academic texts you encounter later on can help

you determine for yourself how else these binaries come into play in different disciplines.

Example 2

Take the time to read the excerpt provided below. Take note of the language used and the

issues discussed.

Sample Text

Throughout the years, technology has improved drastically – creating machines and devices

that were unimaginable 50 years ago. And perhaps the most advanced and interesting of

society’s technological advancements is robots – but it is also the most misunderstood. In

fact, according to recent Pew Research, more than 70 percent of Americans express concern

about a world in which machines perform many of the tasks done by humans. Fortunately,

there are people who believe humans and robots can coexist and work together in harmony

and are working to debunk many of the fears people have about them. Mouser Electronics

Inc., a leading semiconductor and electronics component distributor based in Fort Worth,

TX, and celebrity engineer Grant Imahara, have teamed up again for the fourth consecutive

year for their Empowering Innovation Together program. This year’s program is called

Generation Robot, which features five videos filmed across the world, including in the U.S.,

Germany and Japan. Mouser’s goal is to reach innovators around the globe by showing how

robots have a positive impact on humanity and change how people see the possibility of

interacting with them. Throughout the Generation Robot series, the entire spectrum of

robotics will be examined, as will the understanding of how robots not only have a

technological impact on society, but also a social and moral one. The video series begins

with the Imahara visiting the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at Georgia Tech

and speaking with the executive director, Dr. Magnus Egerstedt. There, he explores several

aspects of robots, such as the basics of the machines, myths and misconceptions, as well as

the hopes for, and fears of, the advancement of robot technology. In the video, Dr.

Egerstedt mentions that robots used to be about mechanical engineering, but now modern

robots involve psychology, because these machines will be working along with humans and

thus they need to understand people. Source: “A New Perspective on Robots and How They Will Shape Humanity” (https://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/computers/a-new-perspective-on-robots-and-how-they-will-shape-humanity-2/)

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Explanation: The sample above is clearly in the discipline of the natural and applied

sciences, as it discusses robotics in detail. It also uses research to support its claims. The

topic, robotics, has always been a highly debated one. It is often discussed among scientific

circles and communities whether or not robots with highly independent AI or artificial

intelligence can ever be created. However, debates about robots and AI can also be

approached by professionals and experts from other disciplines. As also discussed in the

sample, the advancing technology of robotics will also have social and moral implications.

Those in the discipline of humanities might be more interested in the morality that would be

involved in working with robots, while those in the social sciences might instead focus on

the impact robots might have on society. A binary opposition that might be explored across

disciplines through this article is human versus artificial intelligence. For example, scientists

might explore what tasks are better suited to human intelligence and in which tasks artificial

intelligence is superior. Philosophers might discuss if robots are capable of grasping the

concept of morality and making moral decisions like humans. Psychologists might examine

if robots can experience the same mental stressors as humans do.

Example 3

Sample Text

In Mary and Percy Shelleys’ tragic personal lives, there is much evidence that they believed

the dead could be successfully reanimated. For example, Percy Shelley writes of their child,

William Shelley’s last illness: "By the skill of the physician he was once reanimated after the

process of death had actually commenced, and he lived four days after that time". Death, it

seems, could be reversed.

In the years leading up to Mary Shelley’s publication of Frankenstein, there was a very public

debate in the Royal College of Surgeons between two surgeons, John Abernethy and William

Lawrence, on the nature of life itself. Both of these surgeons had links with the Shelleys:

Percy had read one of Abernethy’s books and quoted it in his own work and Lawrence had

been the Shelleys’ doctor. In this debate, questions were asked about how to define life, and

how living bodies were different from dead or inorganic bodies. Abernethy argued that life

did not depend upon the body’s structure, the way it was organised or arranged, but existed

separately as a material substance, a kind of vital principle, "superadded" to the body. His

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opponent, Lawrence, thought this a ridiculous idea and instead understood life as simply

the working operation of all the body’s functions, the sum of its parts. Lawrence’s ideas were

seen as being too radical: they seemed to suggest that the soul, which was often seen as

being akin to the vital principle, did not exist either. Lawrence was forced to withdraw the

book in which he had published his lectures and resign the hospital post he held, though he

was reinstated after publicly denouncing the views he had put forward. The episode showed

just how controversial the categories of life and death had become and provided further

inspiration for Mary Shelley’s novel. Source: “The Science of Life and Death in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-science-of-life-and-death-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein)

Explanation: In this excerpt, the binary opposition is life and death, and it is discussed in

the lenses of science, literature, and even philosophy or faith. The essay is primarily about

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and how life and death are portrayed in the novel, but it also

discusses the novel by comparing it to the experiences the author has had or has seen with

regard to whether or not the dead can be brought back to life. What started out as a literary

inquiry became one very much grounded in scientific and historical fact. It even brings into

question the existence of the soul when discussing the debate between John Abernethy and

William Lawrence, thus possibly sparking a philosophical line of thinking as well.

Extend Activity 1 Choose a chapter or lesson from another subject you are currently taking. Take the time to

read it again, this time taking note of the focus, vocabulary, techniques, and formatting that

are used. Then, answer the following questions:

1. What kind(s) of questions is/are being asked?

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2. What issues are being tackled or discussed?

3. How does the chapter/lesson discuss or share information from its discipline?

Guide

● Be sure to take extra note of the language the chapter/lesson uses. Hints of what the

discipline focuses on, what information can be taken from it, and how it shares its

knowledge can usually be found there.

● Pay attention to the examples used to demonstrate a lesson as well. These might

discuss possible issues or further show how this particular discipline is taught.

Activity 2 Using the same chapter or lesson from Activity 1, or using a different chapter/lesson from

the same subject, find examples from the text of the main discipline borrowing concepts or

discussing different sides/binaries from other disciplines. List them down and explain how

the concepts or binaries from other disciplines appeared in the chosen text in the space

provided.

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Guide

It might be easier to find these borrowed concepts and binaries again from the

examples or discussion sections. It could also be helpful to read the text or chapter

while keeping your specialization in mind (if the chosen text is from a discipline

primarily unrelated to your chosen track) so that you can identify familiar concepts

you would normally see in your own chosen discipline instead of the one in the text.

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Evaluate

A. Answer the following questions in complete sentences

and using your own words.

1. What is an academic discipline?

2. What are some common guidelines that all disciplines should follow?

3. Where might the different academic disciplines vary?

4. What are binary oppositions?

5. How are academic disciplines usually developed or expanded?

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B. Read the instructions for the following items carefully.

Write your answers and explain them comprehensively on

the space provided.

1. How can familiarizing yourself with a discipline’s vocabulary improve your academic

writing?

2. Why does an academic text’s formatting and style of writing vary depending on the

discipline it is in?

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3. How can familiarizing yourself with more binary oppositions help you read academic

texts?

4. Choose two different disciplines and discuss a similarity and a difference between

them.

5. Choose a binary opposition from the examples given in Explain and Elaborate (or try to

come up with your own) and briefly describe how two disciplines might use them

differently.

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Wrap Up ___________________________________________________________________________________________

● Academic disciplines have different branches under them, and each discipline and

branch have distinct communities that make use of their own vocabularies, styles,

and modes of communication.

● The different academic disciplines were created and developed for similar reasons,

so connections between them can always be found.

● Binary oppositions and being more familiar with them can help you understand

issues, debates, problems, and solutions you might encounter in your chosen

discipline as well as in other disciplines.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography “Exploring Academic Disciplines.” ER Services. Accessed February 17, 2020.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-jeffersoncc-styleguide/chapter/exploring-academic-disciplines/

“Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Academic Writing Style.” Research Guides.

Accessed February 20, 2020. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/academicwriting. Purdue Writing Lab. “Writing in Psychology Overview.” Purdue Writing Lab. Accessed

February 20, 2020. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writing_in_psychology_experimental_report_writing/index.html.

“Writing in the Humanities.” Lumen Learning. Accessed February 20, 2020.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-humanities/.

“Writing in the Natural and Social Sciences: The Research Paper and the IMRAD Model.”

Lumen Learning. Accessed February 20, 2020. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-natural-and-social-sciences-the-research-paper-and-the-imrad-model/.

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https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/academicwriting

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writing_in_psychology_experimental_report_writing/index.html

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writing_in_psychology_experimental_report_writing/index.html

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-humanities/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-humanities/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-natural-and-social-sciences-the-research-paper-and-the-imrad-model/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-natural-and-social-sciences-the-research-paper-and-the-imrad-model/

unit 1: the nature of academic texts l e s s o n 2 : a c a

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