ATS1297 Academic writing
Faculty of Arts
ATS1297 Academic writing is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Caulfield and Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Caulfield, Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS1297
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After ATS1297
No unit lists ATS1297 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prohibition: ENH1240
Overview
This unit introduces you to academic writing and the attitudes, values and practices of academic culture. The unit will help you to write effective essays at a tertiary level. There is a particular focus on how academic writing presents clear reasoning with evidence to support a position, and how the academic essay differs from other types of non-fiction writing, such as the opinion piece. You will learn key principles of grammar and academic style conventions, as well as how to use sources correctly (finding, referencing, quoting, and paraphrasing) and avoid problems of plagiarism. You will also learn how to plan, research, edit, and proofread essays to a high standard.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Caulfield | Flexible |
| First semester | Clayton | Flexible |
Assessment
- QuizQuiz / Test15%
- Analytical exerciseExercise20%
- Peer AssessmentWritten10%
- EssayWritten40%
- ReflectionWritten15%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Identify and explain core attitudes, values and practices of academic culture and how academic writing reflects these;
- 2
Reflect critically on the differences between academic and opinion writing and apply this understanding in the composition of academic essays;
- 3
Utilise primary, secondary and tertiary sources in digital and print in their research;
- 4
Apply scholarly principles of referencing, quoting, paraphrasing;
- 5
Recognise and use the fundamental concepts of grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage and style;
- 6
Self-edit and revise writing in an academic context.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
A key element of academic writing is research. Students will be encouraged to engage actively in research practice and, in doing so, develop abilities that will be valuable throughout their degree.
It is expected that you will engage in enquiry as an essential part of developing an academic perspective
Learning resources
Required resources
There are required texts for this unit. Required texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore (https://www.monash.edu/retail/books-and-merchandise-store/Textbooks) and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library (https://www.monash.edu/library).
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Andrew Johnson
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Andrew Johnson
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS1297?
ATS1297 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS1297 offered?
In 2025, ATS1297 runs in Semester 1 at Caulfield and Clayton.
How much work is ATS1297?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS1297 have an exam?
No. ATS1297 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.