Upper year SPS

This short, elective course for SPS researchers in second-year and above encourages clear and accurate research writing. Course participants will write a 1,000-word piece, which they may submit to The Loop (the Political Science blog for the European Consortium for Political Research). The site editors are willing to publish researchers’ work of appropriate quality, and to give feedback on pitches. 

By the end of the course, participants will: 

• have written a short piece of research writing for a specialist blog 

• practised skills of concision and clarity required for writing in public for a 

• learned/enhanced the skill of pitching for publication. 

The sessions will consist of: 

• language input from the instructor on style, diction, and syntax 

• drafting a pitch and receiving feedback (from the site editors) 

• peer feedback and structured revision activities. 

The teacher will provide targeted materials and activities to help you complete your writing within this timeframe.  

Each session includes both input and peer discussion. You will get feedback on your writing from the teacher, from your peers and from yourselves. 

Ben Carver teaches English research writing and communication at the EUI Centre for Academic Literacies and Languages (CALL). His PhD in literary history was awarded in 2012 (University of Exeter) and appeared as a monograph in 2017 (Palgrave). Since then he has published research articles, edited a volume of essays on literature and conspiracy culture (Routledge), and published pieces for a broad readership on television programmes, science fiction, and music. He is interested in supporting early-career academics’ ability to write and publish in a range of formats, for audiences within and beyond the academy. 

This course is exclusively for second-year SPS researchers preparing for the 25% submission. It combines language input specific to writing in the Social and Political Sciences (based largely on previous SPS dissertations). There is also feedback from the teachers on the researchers’ draft. 

By the end of the course, participants will: 

• have had language input and feedback to assist the completion of the 25% submission. 

The meetings will include: 

• language input on functional features of research writing (effective introductions, summary of scholarship, writing about change and causation) 

• effective expression (syntax, cohesion) 

• individual feedback pre-submission 

The teacher will provide targeted materials and activities to help you complete your writing within this timeframe.  

Each session includes both input and peer discussion. You will get feedback on your writing from the teacher, from your peers and from yourselves.  

Ben Carver teaches English research writing and communication at the EUI Centre for Academic Literacies and Languages (CALL). His PhD in literary history was awarded in 2012 (University of Exeter) and appeared as a monograph in 2017 (Palgrave). Since then he has published research articles, edited a volume of essays on literature and conspiracy culture (Routledge), and published pieces for a broad readership on television programmes, science fiction, and music. He is interested in supporting early-career academics’ ability to write and publish in a range of formats, for audiences within and beyond the academy.