Writing is more than an indispensable part of presenting our research results. It is a process of constructing our understandings of social, cultural, and linguistic studies. We can be partly trained as good writers and qualified scholars by practicing writing and revising.

Are there any techniques or tricks involved in writing and publishing in the English language for the most competitive and intellectually vibrant journals? How can we improve a first draft and revise it so that it becomes fully publishable? Are there specific procedures that would help us to achieve this goal?

In this writing workshop, Prof. Michael Herzfeld will guide us as we revise draft papers and learn the skills of academic writing in English for anthropologists and other cultural specialists.

Directed by Prof. Michael Herzfeld (Ernest E. Monrad Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University, and Chang Jiang Scholar, SISU) and Dr. Yu Hua (SISU), the workshop consists of two parts:

18-19 August

The first session will be a supervised ethnographic writing workshop.

21-22 August

The second session is designed for faculty members and advanced graduate students who intend to bring their written work for discussion and critique .

20 August

Between the two sessions, there will be a one-day break (20 August), during which we will hold an informal round-table discussion as part of the workshop; one section of this will specifically address participants’ fears of venturing into the unknown territory of English-language publication and will provide advice on calming and overcoming those fears.

Schedule:

18-19 August:  Ethnographic Writing, Critique and Discussion

20 August:  One-day break: an informal round-table

21-22 August:  Writing and Revising Practicum

Abstract Submission:

Prospective participants are required to submit an abstract of a paper on which they intend to work, and will be expected to bring early drafts of the papers in question to the summer school. Please email your abstract to Dr. Yu Hua at yuhuafish@126.com by 15July 2017, including the following information:

Name of the Author (and co-authors, if any):

Organizational Affiliation:

E-mail Address:

Research Discipline:

Present a draft paper Y/N:

Paper Title:

Abstract:

Keywords(s):

Participation: 15-20 participants will be invited to this intensive writing workshop according to the quality of the abstract or the draft paper submitted. Invitation letters will be sent out on 21 July, 2017. M.A. students, Ph.D students, young scholars and faculties are all welcome!

Prizes: The best three writers will be awarded signed copies of Prof. Herzfeld’s ethnography of Bangkok.

Participation Fees: The writing workshop is free of charge. Participants are responsible for covering their own travel, food, and accommodation.

Venue: Hongkou Campus, Shanghai International Studies University

Organized by: Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University,

Research Center for Foreign Language Planning & Policy, State Language Commission