Academic audience

By Agnes Simataa

Most of us struggle to put our opinions on paper when writing academic articles. This can be attributed to many factors as we go through different writing projects. Amongst others it could be inexperience, not knowing exactly what is expected from us, maybe the complexity of the writing task at hand and probably the target audience.

My focus in this article is the later, audience. In academic setups our audiences are usually our lecturers. They grade our papers and we are under immense pressure to satisfy them so as to get a good grade. Subsequently we are just not sure as to how we should begin to write. We are also aware of the fact that our opening line (s) should lure their attention if they are to read our papers with zest. Thus we tend to use complex expressions.

We have written academic papers since our basic education but as we embark on tertiary studies we realise that we have to touch up our levels of academic discourse. In most institutions the freshmen or first year students (as we call them on this side of the world), go through semester or year courses that are tailor-made for academic literacy. Some of us through hard work we excel in these courses, however some of us repeat the courses and eventually pass them.

In spite of this, when we exit from the courses we still labour as much as we did when we were freshman. Putting ideas to a blank page can be tedious. In order to start a writing project, remember that you don’t need to use complex words and sentences that you have little or no understanding of. Your lecturers need you to be clear and concise in order to follow your arguments easily.

Therefore write in clear simple terms. When you are done with your paper, proofread it. You can make use tools that are readily available to you on your computer. When you have revised your document at least twice call for reinforcement. Back-up is essential because we easily fail to spot some of our own inaccuracies. Ask someone to read it and provide you with constructive criticism. This could be a student that is your senior, parents or siblings depending on the level of their education or if there is a writing unit or centre in your community don’t hesitate to visit it you will be well advised. Thereafter, you can re-tailor your paper if need be and hand it in on time.

Easter

Easter

By Kasonde Nkole

Originally Easter is a sacred Christian holiday to remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is observed over a period of three days, Good Friday being the day that Jesus was hung on the cross at Golgotha, Holy Saturday being the day that Christ was put to rest in the tomb and Holy Sunday the day that he rose from the dead.

The Christian scripture adds that after he arose he went and met all his disciples before his ascension into heaven. Today the gravity of this holiday seems somewhat more commercial than sacred.

Easter today is swarmed with all kinds of products that have little relation as to what the commemoration is for except by associating the products on sale with the name Easter. An example per say are products such as Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and many other products that are sold in many shops.

We are further taken away from the actual meaning and manner of commemoration with promotions of Easter holidays to an island or resort that take people away from observing this sacred holiday through meditation, prayer and thanks giving.

Families today will buy the necessary Easter goodies and stay at home with this facade that has been created of what they should have and not what it is about, the question hardly ever lingers in people’s minds. What people should do for Easter today is mostly based on what was advertised, through the rush blown in by the media of what one should get this Easter.

It is therefore legitimate to say that the buying culture has taken over the essence of most sacred holidays, due to the characterisation that accompanies these commemorations. It is now all about the rush to sell or buy something and have more time to rest and get back to work and acquire more means to buy and sell.

Media has impoverished the meaning of most of these important commemorations that shape societal values. Although most people do not realise this, the advertisements are associated to the commemoration only by name Easter and what a view. Values brought by such sacred observations are what make our communities grounded and united for a better good. It is for this reason that the media need to be regulated for the good of society.

The Power of the Written Word

The Power of the Written Word

Cindy van Wyk

 

For centuries, human civilisation has been built upon something as seemingly simple as the written word. Think about it. Where would we be without the ability to write?

 Over the years, writing has not only been used as a method of transmitting information, but also as a method of recording happenings. Without the ability to write - in whichever form - we would not know even a tenth of the things we know about the world and its history. Writing is a skill that most of us learned when we were very young, and that we will use until the end of our days. Every day, we make use of the written word. We write SMSes, we write assignments, we write to-do lists, we write love letters, we write motivational letters, we write CVs, we write in our journals... The list goes on and on. It therefore makes sense to think of the written word as one of the cornerstones of civilisation. It is also easy to see what an important role writing plays in each and every person’s life.

 At the Writing Excellence Unit in the Language Department at the University of Namibia, we are committed to helping you not only produce the best possible assignments you can, but also to polish up your writing skills. When you walk into the Writing Excellence Unit, we will help you sharpen up one of your most important skills FOR FREE. That’s right, for free. At no charge to you, our friendly tutors will sit with you and work through your assignment, essay or thesis to ensure that your writing is of the highest standard when you submit it.

 

We can also assist you with:

 ·         Coherence

·         Grammar
·         Spelling
·         Referencing using the APA format
·         Paragraphing
·         Essay structure
·         Essay planning

And much, more.

 

Pop into the Writing Excellence Unit, we look forward to helping you utilise the power of the written word to the best of your abilities.

P.S.

Finding us is as easy as 1-2-3! Walk into the Language Centre (D-Block) and follow the black footsteps on the floor, all the way up the stairs.

The Big Secret at Your Finger Tips

The Big Secret at Your Finger Tips

Albert Einstein once said “science is the giant on whose shoulders we stand to see the future”, I say writing is the  mother of success, why? Here are a few answers. Firstly your success at qualifying to university thus far has been because you are able to write what you have studied, secondly what would the world be without music,  all of us have listened to music written by ABBA,U2,Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, Kirk Franklin and many others. At the end of a song or a movie most of us critic the different aspects of a movie that had to be scripted or written. The measure of how good all the above mentioned are is based primarily on how well written a work of music, scripts and school work is. For this reason the Writing Excellence Unit at the University of Namibia seeks to help every student to reach the required degree of work written to achieve the best work and results.

The value of any written work efforts are next to nothing if the work is not coherent and comprehensive, As we can see that the value of every written work is based on this, it means the kind of results students get in assignments and tests is dependent on how well students understand and then are able to explain what is required of them. The Writing Excellence Unit has tutors who are found at the Language Center to assist all students and to give the much needed influence for students to add more value to the work they hand in.

All students are encouraged to make use of the Writing Excellence Unit that has been made available for them at no cost, so the secret to your success lies in how well you write what you study. A resounding call is made to all students, that your struggles to high marks in whatever science you are in  best faced when you work hand in hand with the attributes of writing.

Common problem areas of most students include:

• Referencing according to the APA format;
• Essay Writing;
• Thesis Writing;
• The list is endless but we are here so feel free to see us at the Language center.

K.Nkole,Tutor

ACADEMIC WRITING: A CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS OF HIGHER LEARNING

Writing is inevitable at institutions of higher learning. In order to succeed at higher learning, one has to be equally competent in academic reading and writing. Conversely most of us are cognisant of the fact that academic writing has been problematic to both undergraduate and graduate students. Generally, the University of Namibia and other institutions of higher learning in Namibia seem to be contending with issues pertaining to academic discourse. In some gatherings one hears lecturers complaining about how the writing of their students is below the required standards. On the other hand, one hears students complaining about the difficulties and pressures that come with academic reading and writing. Many reasons have been attributed to this discontent. At UNAM for example; English for Academic Purposes, a core course for all undergraduate students was introduced to help students cope with the challenges that come with academic communication. Though courses like this one are introduced in most institutions; there is a lot that needs to be done to enable Namibian scholars to be proficient in academic discourse.

There are multitudes of reasons that students attribute to the difficulties they grapple with when they are assigned writing projects. In my experiences, my students generally complain about:

·         Not finding enough literature to substantiate their writing assignments. They say that the libraries on their campuses do not have enough literature;

·         Not having ample time to thoroughly complete their assignments as all the lecturers give them writing work almost at the same time;

·         Finding it difficult to write with computers;

·         No or limited access to computers with internet connectivity;

·         Not knowing how to reference.

On the other hand lecturers generally complain about issues pertaining to:

·         Plagiarism;

·         Lack of cohesion in written essays;

·         Lack of thesis;

·         Language problems;

·         Lack of proper planning;

·         Sometimes assignments not written as stipulated by the lectures.

The question then is who is failing who? Is it the students who are incapable of acquiring skills that are necessary to succeed in their tertiary education? Is it the lecturers who are not coaching and equipping their students with the necessary skills?