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TDDD65 6 hp /Introduction to the Theory of Computation

Introduction to Advanced Academic Studies


In this part of the course you will practice academic writing and learn how to review scientific work. You will also learn about the university rules, organization and ethical rules of LiU as well as the academic culture in Sweden. There will be lectures, seminars and group meetings all of which are mandatory. A timetable for TDDD65 is available here. Parts of the course belonging to "Introduction to Advanced Academic Studies" are marked with an A.

Important information

  • Articles and groups: The articles for the written assignments are now available here.
  • Course book: We are using the following course book (recommended, not mandatory): J. M. Swales and C. B. Feak. (2004). "Academic writing for graduate students" 2nd ed. University of Michigan Press.
  • Webreg: You need to sign up for this part of the course in the Webreg system at latest September 19. Use Webreg to see your results for the written assignments.
  • Summary template: Summary template available here.
  • Review template: Critical review template available here. Note! The review should be 3 pages.

Lecture Material

Goals

The objective of this part of the course is to prepare you for advanced academic studies and also to let you learn the academic culture in general. After the course, you should:

  • Recognize the most important characteristics of a summary
  • Use quotations and references in an appropriate manner
  • Begin to apply critical feedback to your own and others' work
  • Know how to apply the ethical code of academia in your own studies
  • Have knowledge of the basic rules and regulations for advanced studies at Swedish universities, especially at LiU
  • Be able to improve your written (and spoken) English
Prerequisites: Bachelor degree and all specific requirements for admission to the respective master’s program at LiTH. We also expect you to have the ability to write a correct and fluent text in English.

Organization: This part of the course is scheduled as lectures and meetings, and runs over the entire autumn semester.

Contents: Academic writing, quality assessment, review of scientific work, constructive criticism, university rules, organization and ethical rules, rules on citation and reference, academic culture, library facilities and literature search.

Library Seminar

You will visit the library for a seminar on literature search and how to find information through the library and databases. This seminar will be helpful when you search for material for reports and thesis work. More information will be given at the seminar. (See the schedule.)

Written Assignments

This part of the course consists of two written assignments. You will read a number of scientific articles and write a summary and a critical review of the articles. You will be provided with a template to use for your hand-ins.

Written Assignment 1: Summary

You will be given a general introduction to this assignment on how to write a summary of scientific articles, followed by supervisor meetings. You will be divided into groups and will be provided with two articles in the area of computer science. You are expected to write an individual summary of the two articles and send it electronically to your supervisor. The summary should be 200 words in length. You will receive comments and feedback from your supervisor and meet him/her to discuss your summary individually. Thereafter, you will have approximately one week to attend to your supervisors comments and send the final version of your summary.

  • 24/9 10-12: Introduction to written assignment 1, and supervisor meetings
  • 30/9, midnight: Hand in your summary electronically
  • 8/10: Individual meeting with supervisor (Note: If Eva Blomqvist is your supervisor, you will meet her at the 4th October.)
  • 12/10: Hand in the final version of your summary. Follow the instructions below.
How to hand in your FINAL summary:
  • Correct the summary according to the feedback from your supervisor.
  • Name the summary according to the following format: "TDDD65_Summary_Program_LiU-ID.pdf" (e.g. "TDDD65_Summary_CS_annva871.pdf").
  • E-mail the file to your_supervisor@analys.urkund.se with the subject "TDDD65: Summary, Program, LiU-ID" (e.g. "TDDD65: Summary, CS, annva871").

Written Assignment 2: Critical Review

You will be given a general introduction to this assignment on how to write a critical review of scientific articles, followed by supervisor meetings. You will meet with the same supervisor as for assignment 1 and you will use the same two articles plus one or two additional articles chosen by your supervisor. Each student is expected to write an individual review of the two articles and send it electronically to your supervisor. The review should be approximately 3 pages in length. You will receive comments and feedback from your supervisor and meet him/her to discuss your summary individually. Thereafter, you will have approximately one week to attend to your supervisors comments and send the final version of your summary.

  • 30/10, 10-11, Alan Turing: Introduction to written assignment 2 (Note: Date changed from 29:th to 30th.)
  • 18/11 midnight: Hand in your review electronically
  • 27/11, 10-12: Group meeting and an individual meeting with your supervisor to discuss their comments on your review.
  • 2/12, midnight: Hand in the final version of your review.
  • 16/12, midnight: The final deadline for handing in any additions to assignment 1 and 2.
How to hand in your FINAL review:
  • Correct the critical review according to the feedback from your supervisor.
  • Name the critical review according to the following format: "TDDD65_Review_Program_LiU-ID.pdf" (e.g. "TDDD65_Review_CS_annva871.pdf").
  • E-mail the file to your_supervisor@analys.urkund.se with the subject "TDDD65: Review, Program, LiU-ID" (e.g. "TDDD65: Review, CS, annva871").

Articles used for the Assignments

You will use two articles for the summary. For the critical review you will use the articles used for the summary together with two additional articles. The articles will be provided to you by your supervisor after being divided into groups and having the first supervisor meeting.


Page responsible: Gustav Nordh
Last updated: 2012-10-30