(CAES1000) Combined

Legg, M., Pat, K., Roberts, S., Welland, R., Chan, L., Chan, L., & Tsang, W. L. (2014).
Academic English: skills for success. Hong Kong University Press.

⾪属关系
Task 3
Create your own speaking assessment criteria
Look at Task 1 and Task 2 again, what do you now think the distinguishing features of a
successful university discussion are? In groups of three to four, create four university
discussion assessment criteria. Record them in the table below, adding one or two
examples for each criterion. The first has been done for you as an example.
University Discussion Assessment Criteria
Criterion 1: Stance Criterion 2:
Example: It is clear and concise. This means Example:

that I should express only one idea at a time
and I should also change the written language
to simple, spoken language.
Example: There is critical thought. This Example:

means that I should show an awareness of
different views, i.e. the complexity of academic
argument.
Criterion 3: Criterion 4:
Example: Example:
Example: Example:
Task 4
Participate in a tutorial discussion
Now, hold a 30-minute tutorial discussion with your group members. The topic of your
discussion addresses the following questions:
1. Is there a good work-life balance in your country?
2. What are some realistic ways that work-life balance could be improved?
28 Unit 1: HEALTH
Task 5
Analyze your strengths and weaknesses
Take five minutes to fill in the form below. Rate your overall performance on each criterion
as follows:
1 = I did this most of the time 2 = I did this some of the time 3 = I rarely did this
My stance was:
clear – e.g. I changed the written language in the source to my own 1 2 3
spoken language.
concise – e.g. I expressed one idea at a time. 1 2 3
critical – e.g. I acknowledged that academic ideas are complex, not 1 2 3
black and white.
I interacted well by:

linking my ideas smoothly into the discussion – e.g. I linked my 1 2 3
point to a point that had been mentioned before.
using active listening skills – e.g. I used eye contact, nodding and 1 2 3
expressions of agreement.
not dominating – e.g. I allowed other students to break into the 1 2 3
discussion.
My language was:
fluent – e.g. I was able to speak without a lot of hesitations. 1 2 3
accurate – e.g. I was able to use a range of grammar and vocabulary 1 2 3
to express complex academic ideas.
clear – e.g. I used stress, intonation and pausing to express my 1 2 3
meaning.
I cited:
from sources to support my stance – e.g. I didn’t just rely on my 1 2 3
own personal opinion in the discussion.
by mentioning the reliability of my source – e.g. I mentioned 1 2 3
that the information I cited came from a reliable source (The Journal
of XX/The World Health Organization).
Ideas for future improvement
Introduction to features of academic writing and speaking 29

2
GLOBAL
Note-taking and paraphrasing
ISSUES
Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

analyze assignment topics,
take notes from sources within a plan,
synthesize ideas through note-taking and paraphrasing,
reference multiple sources concurrently to strengthen evidence relating
to your stance,
use linking words and phrases to show the relationship between
arguments and counter-arguments, and
transform written language into spoken language during a tutorial
discussion.
Note-taking and paraphrasing 31

ACADEMIC
WRITING
Task 1
Achieve the Millennium Development Goals
In the year 2000, eight international development goals were established following the
Millennium Summit of the United Nations. These goals, shown below, aim to encourage
development in the world’s poorest countries by improving social and economic
conditions.
Eradicate
extreme
poverty and
Create a hunger Achieve
global universal
partnership for primary
development education
Promote
Ensure Millennium gender
environmental Development equality and
sustainability Goals empower
women
Combat
HIV/AIDS, Reduce child
malaria and mortality
other diseases
Improve
maternal
health
32 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

Work in groups of three and choose one of the above Millennium Development Goals.
Imagine you are policy-makers in a developing country who have just been given $1 million
by an aid agency to promote your Millennium Development Goal.
In your group, discuss how you would spend this money. Then choose a note taker to
record your ideas or plan of action in the space below.
Our Millennium Development Goal:
Task 2
Prioritize economic or human development
Share your plan of action with other groups and, using the table below, write two ideas
which you feel will have the biggest impact in each category. An example has been done
for you.
Plans which mainly develop the economy Plans which mainly develop human well-being
Initiate a training programme which

promotes ecotourism (an example for in rural areas (an example for maternal
environmental sustainability goal) health goal)
Plans which develop both the economy and human well-being
an example for gender equality goal)
Now, drawing on these ideas, decide which you believe is more important when aiming to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals: economic or human development.
Based on these ideas, I think that human/economic development is more important when
aiming to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The importance of understanding an assignment
topic
Recall from the previous unit that the academic writing process begins with a search
for a range of information on the topic from different viewpoints.
However, before you are able to begin this search, it is necessary for you to ensure
that you fully understand the assignment topic so that you can read selectively and
critically.
Task 3
Analyze an assignment topic
Imagine you are asked to write a report on the following topic, which relates to your
discussion in the preceding tasks:
Compare and contrast Human Capital Theory and the Capabilities

Approach and evaluate which has a more positive impact on society.
Look at the five steps in the left column below which can help you prepare for the writing
process. Then complete the gaps in the right column. When you are finished with each
step, compare your answers with a partner.
Steps in analyzing
an assignment Application of these steps to a given topic
topic
1: Circle the directive Compare and contrast Human Capital Theory and the Capabilities
verbs and think Approach and evaluate which has a more positive impact on society.
about what they
ask you to do. Compare and contrast ask you to
Evaluate asks you to

2: Underline the Compare and contrast Human Capital Theory and the Capabilities
main content Approach and evaluate which has a more positive impact on society.
words and think
about what they
mean.
3: Think about Use the information you generated in Steps 1 and 2 to help you
what kind of complete this step.
information you
You will need to find:
will need to find in
order to complete a range of sources which define the key terms in the report topic;
the assignment.
There is no one correct way of doing this. However, you need to

taking headings. ensure that the structure of your report will help you answer the
assignment topic fully. Use your notes above to develop an outline
for this report. You may wish to add subheadings or reduce/increase
the number of headings given below:
1. Introduction
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
These headings will help you synthesize ideas later during the note-
taking stage of the writing process.
5: Think about what This kind of information is likely to be found in:

kind of texts United Nations websites NGO websites
would have the
information you
need to support
your stance in an
academic way.
If you were required to complete this assignment, you would now be ready to begin the
reading/note-taking process.

Task 4
Look at a student’s analysis
This assignment was completed by another student, Katie. Look at pages 154 and 155 to
see how she analyzed the assignment topic. Take a moment to compare her analysis to
your own.
The process of note-taking

As you develop a deeper understanding of the topic through reading, you will
continuously refine your notes by:
adding/removing/changing headings,
clustering related concepts,
replacing weak evidence with stronger examples,
expanding on evidence with related references, and
integrating your stance into your notes.
This process is illustrated in the figure below:
Develop Draft Read Read

headings selectively Refine selectively Refine This process
initial
for note- and outline and outline continues
outline taking critically critically

Task 5
Take notes within a plan
Look at the following two versions of Katie’s notes. It is clear that the first version was
drafted early on in the note-taking process described above, while the second version was
developed after much refinement.
Notice, at this stage, that some of the notes are incomplete. You will complete these later,
in Task 8.
Early Version of Katie’s Notes
HCT CA
Defn./
background
Pros
Cons
�

Later Version of Katie’s Notes
Aid in a Globalizing World: economic or human development?

1 1. Introduction
2 2. Theories underpinning allocation of development aid
3
4 2.1 Economic growth in Human Capital Theory (HCT)
5 economic growth . . . now
6 economic growth
7 E.g. $$ allocated to education can
8 eco. growth
9
10
11
12 2.1.1 The shortcomings of relying on Human Capital Theory
13
14
15
16
17
18 2.2 Human development in the Capabilities Approach (CA)
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28 2.2.1 The importance of developing appropriate human capabilities
29
30
31
32
33
34 3. Merits of foregrounding human development
35
36
37 harm
38
39

With a partner, discuss the following questions:
1. Is Katie’s stance similar/different from the viewpoint you established at the end of
Task 2? How do you know?
2. What are some similarities and differences between the first and the second versions
of Katie’s notes?

Task 6
Take notes effectively
Look again at Katie’s notes in Task 5 and, on your own, answer the questions below.
Include the line number of an example from the notes to support your ideas.
Line
Question My thoughts number
from
notes
Noting
sources notes come from the
sources? Why/why
not?
2. Why are some of the

sources paraphrased
and not direct quotes?
3. How are direct quotes

incorporated?
4. Why is there more

than one source under
each heading?
5. What reference details

are included in the
notes? Why?
Synthesizing 6. Are the notes grouped

ideas according to sources
or according to
themes? Why?
7. What role do the

headings play in
helping the note-taker
synthesize ideas?
8. How are the

relationships
between the main
and supporting ideas
conveyed in the
notes?

9. How will synthesizing
ideas at the note-
taking stage help
the writer during the
writing stage?
10. How is the complexity

of the topic
acknowledged in the
notes?
11. Why is this important?
12. What language is

used in the notes to
show the relationship
between ideas?
13. What language/

symbols are used in
the notes to show the
relationship between
ideas?
14. Which sections of

the report contain no
specific notes? Why?
Incorporating
stance stance incorporated
into the notes?
16. Why does the writer

do this at the note-
taking stage?

Task 7
Develop a note-taking checklist
Now share your answers to Task 6 with three other classmates and develop your own
“Note-taking Checklist” below. To complete this task, you will need to:
decide which are the eight most important aspects of note-taking inspected in Task 6,
through negotiation with your group members,
create your own subcategories for your checklist based on the key ideas you select, and
personalize your checklist to address your own needs.
Note-taking Checklist
Subcategory # I will . . . assessment in Task 8

(tick if present )
Use of e.g. . . . use symbols to speed up the note-taking process.
symbols

Task 8
Develop a note-taking style
Now that you have developed a checklist, you are ready to practise your own note-taking
skills. In order to do this,
1. look below at two of the sources used by Katie, and
2. complete Version 1 of Katie’s notes in Task 5 by drawing on these source texts.
What constitutes “a capability” has recently received much attention in aid agencies
and governments of both developed and developing nations. Several attempts to
index capabilities and their relationship to human well-being have proven popular; most
notably, the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI).
However, many argue that identifying what constitutes well-being is a nearly impossible
challenge, and, by extension, establishing which capabilities to foster is often an
(2000) argues for ten basic principles which have the potential to greatly assist
framework for the achievement of the overarching capabilities applicable to all human
beings:
1. the ability to live
2. the ability to have bodily health
3. the ability to have bodily integrity and freedom of movement
4. the ability to use one’s senses, imagination, and thought
5. the ability to have attachments and authentic emotions
8. the ability to live with concern for other species

9. the ability to play
10. the ability to have control over one’s environment
(Newman, 2002)

B
A feature fundamental to Human Capital Theory is the role played by people in the
development of economic growth, a chief objective of aid for policymakers adopting
this approach. In the past, investment in technology was made to improve the
economy. Human Capital Theory, in contrast, suggests that investment in people is one
of the best ways to ensure economic returns. For instance, a national investment in
free higher education or a regional endowment in a health and nutrition campaign has
Consider the example of free higher education for a moment. In the instance that
the costs associated with this intervention exceed the benefits, the rate of return to
investment would be negative and thus, the investment would be deemed unwise
within the HCT paradigm. This may occur in a country with high levels of graduate
their resources which would yield a positive rate of return.

(Okene, 2006)
When you have finished taking notes,

1. swap your notes with a partner,
2. use your partner’s checklist in Task 7 to assess their notes, and
3. return your feedback to your partner.
Now look at Katie’s full set of notes on page 156. Compare the way she has taken notes
with the way you and your partner have completed this task. Take a moment to reflect on/
improve the checklist you created in Task 7.
Task 9
Develop a full draft
Read the full draft of Katie’s report below and decide whether the following statements
are true or false.
Statement True/False?
Katie believes that allocating aid towards human development is

more important than allocating it towards economic development.
Katie believes economic development is likely to be one of several

aspects which promote well-being.
Katie offers an example to help explain the Capabilities Approach.
Katie has written a “forward-looking” conclusion.

Aid in a Globalizing World: Economic or Human Development?
1. Introduction
In 2000, the United Nations established the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which
aim to enhance efforts of member states in assisting countries and regions facing health, wealth,
equality, and environmental challenges. The target date for achieving these goals is 2015; a worrying
deadline given that more than half of the indicators associated with the MDGs reveal that progress
is insufficient to reach the target (The United Nations, 2012). This troubling mismatch between the
forecasted and actual progress in international development highlights the importance of exploring
approaches adopted when nations and agencies decide how aid is allocated and the consequent
impact on societies. This report briefly outlines two popular approaches: Human Capital Theory
(HCT), which places economic growth as the main objective of development aid, and the
Capabilities Approach (CA), which places human well-being as its key aim. This will provide a
platform to argue that aid should focus on human well-being rather than economic growth in order
to have an optimal impact on society as a whole.
2. Theories underpinning allocation of development aid

The following sections briefly explore the theory behind these two popular but somewhat conflicting
approaches to how donor agencies and policymakers allocate development aid.
2.1 Economic growth in Human Capital Theory (HCT)

Despite the inclusion of the word “human” in the term, HCT in fact foregrounds economic
growth as the core objective of development. Within this approach, it is believed that investing
in people, through education, health and nutrition for example, will lead to economic benefits
for individuals and society (Okene, 2006). This investment in people is termed “human capital”
and the economic benefits derived from investing in this human capital are calculated as a rate of
return.
Decisions regarding whether to invest in developing higher-education systems within a country,

for example, are therefore based on the rate of economic return. In other words, policymakers
ask themselves the following question, “Will a given amount of public investment in higher-
education resources yield a greater amount of returns in labour market productivity and worker
earnings?” If the answer is “Yes”, investment is justified within the HCT paradigm.
2.1.1 The shortcomings of relying on HCT

While this approach appears to be practical to many donor agencies and government bodies,
its assumption that development can be measured and modelled as a rate of return is, in most
cases, simplistic. This can be illustrated through the example of Afghanistan. Each dollar
spent on education in this nation is likely to yield greater productivity in the labour market
and is consequently likely to encourage investment in education. However, if this education
is only accessible to certain sections of society or favours males over females, its impact on

the distribution of wealth or gender equality may be negative. Thus, while investment in
education leads to economic growth, society’s well-being as a whole may be harmed as a
result of the nature of the investment. Aid which causes more harm than good is clearly
counterproductive if not unethical and places HCT’s “economic focus” in a questionable light.
2.2 Human development in the Capabilities Approach (CA)

An alternative approach to deciding how resources are allocated is the CA. This approach
repositions economic development as one means of human development and acknowledges
that there are many social, moral and cultural issues not accounted for in HCT (Sen, 1979;
Nussbaum & Sen, 1993; Robeyns, 2005; OECD, 2006). Robeyns, a key proponent of the
CA, convincingly argues that, “while income is generally an important means to well-being
and freedom, it can only serve as a rough proxy for what intrinsically matters, namely people’s
capabilities” (Robeyns, 2005, p. 97). Capabilities, in this context, are skills which are developed
through goods and services (e.g. education) and a range of social contexts (e.g. environmental
factors or cultural norms) which result in an individual’s ability to do things he/she wishes to
do (Sen, 1979; Robeyns, 2005; Nussbaum, 2000). Here, the main objective is not to stimulate
economic growth but create society capable of achieving things which enhance its well-being.
Returning to the example of investment in education in Afghanistan noted in Section 2.1.1,

the CA would aim to foster a schooling system which equitably develops capabilities which the
people going through the system perceive as likely to enhance their well-being. For instance, a
women’s agricultural training programme may yield lower economic returns than a course on
computer technology for men but may lead to a greater sense of well-being for society as a whole.
In this instance, women become more empowered, have greater control over their environments,
and are more likely to use their generated income to enhance the health and well-being of their
(male and female) children.
The CA clearly moves beyond HCT’s use of output-based measures such as GDP by using
more humane indices of progress, including the Human Development Index, the Gender
Empowerment Measure, and the Gender Inequality Index. These indices aim to embody a broad
range of capabilities and are used as tools by many aid agencies, such as the UN, to inform how
development aid should be spent.
2.2.1 The importance of developing appropriate human capabilities

An associated challenge with the CA is selecting which capability sets are most in need of
development in a given context. Nussbaum (2000) and Newman (2002) controversially argue
for a general list of ten central human capabilities, including freedom of senses, imagination
and thought; choice of affiliation; control over one’s environment; and bodily health.
Critics of the CA may note that developing capability sets relies on policymakers’ thorough
understanding of what citizens in a given society consider “well-being”. For example, the
need to develop imagination and thought in the education system may be more pressing in a
society with a heavily censored press than in a nation with strong freedom of speech. Thus,

while Nussbaum’s list of central human capabilities serves as a useful starting point for aid
allocation, adopting a “one size fits all” approach is clearly suboptimal.
3. Merits of foregrounding human development

Despite the challenges of identifying which capabilities a society wants and needs, a focus on
human development is more likely to enhance well-being than an emphasis on economic growth,
as shown in sections 2.1.1 and 2.2. HCT’s focus on economic growth may also very well overlook
fundamental gender equality issues or environmental sustainability concerns. In the worst-case
scenario, economic development of this kind could potentially diminish a society’s overall well-being,
placing development aid in a very questionable light.
On the other hand, as discussed in Section 2.2, the CA empowers humans rather than only
economies by aiming to develop capability sets which provide individuals and societies with the
opportunities to function in areas which drive sustainable human well-being. This paradigm, which
focuses on enhancing the capability and agency of humans irrespective of the rate of economic
return, therefore appears to be (i) more ethical, as it acknowledges cultural and personal preference;
and (ii) more sustainable, as agents have ownership over the choices they make and environmental
sustainability is considered within the approach.
4. Conclusion
The above sections have endeavoured to illustrate that the choice of approach when allocating aid
has a significant impact on the nature of development. HCT’s prioritization of economic growth at
the potential expense of human development seems short-sighted, especially when the more holistic
CA may include economic development as one of several aspects which promote well-being in
society. In view of the declining amount of international aid being offered and the imminent deadline
for the achievement of the MDGs, there is a crucial need for donor agencies and policymakers to
reconsider the ethics and sustainability of investment in order to develop societies, rather than solely
economies.
5. References
1. Newman, A. (2002). Human Development and Capabilities. Journal of the Development of Humanity, 22(1),
55–20.
2. Nussbaum, M. (2000). Woman and Human Development. In S. Deneulin & L. Shahani, An introduction to
the human development and capability approach. London: Earthscan.
3. Nussbaum, Martha C., & Amartya Sen, eds. (1993). The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
4. OECD. (2006). Alternative measures of well-being. Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth (129–142).
(The remaining references have been taken out to save space.)

Avoiding plagiarism when paraphrasing
Using the exact words in the original sources without any acknowledgements or
quotation marks is plagiarism, a serious academic offence. To avoid this, you must
rewrite (or paraphrase) the ideas in your own words. Although this takes more time,
the benefits of paraphrasing are that you can show you have understood the ideas
and are able to present them in your own voice.

Task 10
Move from source texts to a paraphrase
As Katie writes her first draft, she needs to paraphrase. Take a look at the following
example of where Katie has paraphrased and draw lines connecting the ideas in the
original source with Katie’s paraphrase. An example has been done for you.
Compare your answers with a partner and discuss any differences in your thinking. When
you have finished, look at page 158 and, if necessary, make changes to your original
annotations.
Source text Final version of Katie’s Paraphrased excerpt from

notes Katie’s report
A feature fundamental to Human 2.1 Economic growth in 2.1 Economic growth in

Capital Theory is the role played Human Capital Theory Human Capital Theory (HCT)
by people in the development of (HCT)
Despite the inclusion of the
economic growth, a chief objective
word “human” in the term, HCT
of aid for policymakers adopting
in fact foregrounds economic
this approach. In the past, invest-
growth as the core objective
ment in technology was made
of development. Within this
to improve the economy. Human
approach, it is believed that
Capital Theory, in contrast, sug-
investing in people, through
gests that investment in people
education, health and nutrition
is one of the best ways to ensure
for example, will lead to
economic returns. For instance,
economic benefits for individuals
a national investment in free
and society (Okene, 2006).
higher education or a regional
This investment in people is
endowment in a health and nutri-
termed “human capital” and the
tion campaign has the potential
economic benefits derived from
edu
investing in this human capital
Consider the example of free are calculated as a rate of return.
higher education for a moment.
Decisions regarding whether
In the instance that the costs
to invest in developing higher-
associated with this intervention
education systems within
a country, for example, are
return to investment would be
therefore based on the rate of
negative and thus, the investment
economic return. In other words,
would be deemed unwise within
policymakers ask themselves the
the HCT paradigm. This may
following question, “Will a given
occur in a country with high levels
amount of public investment in
of graduate unemployment, for
higher-education resources yield
example. Policymakers would then
a greater amount of returns in
labour market productivity and
their resources which would yield
worker earnings?” If the answer
a positive rate of return.
is “Yes”, investment is justified
(Okene, 2006) within the HCT paradigm.

Task 11
Decide how to paraphrase from sources
The following checklist provides some useful guidelines when moving from your notes to
your full draft. Use the checklist to identify these features of paraphrasing in Katie’s notes/
report in Task 10.
Checklist
Check that you have not plagiarized or conveyed ideas from the source text
incorrectly.
Include the author and the year of publication but . . .
. . . omit the page number(s) of the source text unless you are directly quoting.
Use your own words; not those of the original text.
Ensure that you make sufficient changes to the grammatical structure or items
of vocabulary to avoid plagiarism.
If possible, reference multiple authors who share the same view(s) to

strengthen your argument.
Task 12
Practise paraphrasing
Complete the following sentence:
Globalization leads to . . .
Compare your sentence with a partner, then read the text on page 51 and check your
ideas.

Globalization leads to countries being more connected and interdependent culturally, economically
and politically. Economically, it has led to an enormous increase in international trade and
investment across different countries, resulting in an increase in wealth and living standards for
many countries. For example, the average yearly income per person in China rose from US$1,460
in 1980 to US$4,120 in 1999 (Malan, 2008). However, the gap between the richest and the poorest
around the world has increased from 30 to 1 in 1960 to 82 to 1 in 1995 (Purdue, 2004). Not all
countries, or people within those countries, benefit from globalization equally. In many developing
countries, Western companies are maximizing profits by using the cheap labour and raw materials
(Kennett, 2009). Globalization often benefits the Western companies, not the people in developing
countries.
Primary source: Houston, A. (2010). Has globalization improved the living standards in the third
world? In S. Edward (ed.), Globalization and Its Effects in the World (pp. 15–23). London: Johnson
Publication.
Now complete the paragraph below by paraphrasing the above text.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to globalization. According to
Task 13
Identify appropriate paraphrasing
There are excerpts of students’ writing on page 52, which contain paraphrases of the
text in Task 12. Decide whether they are good or poor examples of paraphrasing. Then
compare your ideas with a partner and note a reason for your answer.

Excerpt 1
Countries are now being more connected and interdependent culturally, economically and politically
because of globalization. Economically, it has brought about an enormous increase in international
trade and investment across different countries, leading to an increase in wealth and living standards
for many countries. For instance, the average yearly income per person in China rose from $1460
USD in 1980 to $4120 in 1999.
Well paraphrased Poorly paraphrased

Reason:
Excerpt 2
Globalization has improved the economy of some developing countries. An example is China, where
average incomes have increased by more than half in just two decades (Malan, 2008 as cited in
Houston, 2010) as a result of increased trade with and investment by foreign companies. This essay
aims to examine the relationships between international trade and the economic growth of China in
the past few decades.

Reason:
Excerpt 3
Globalization often benefits Western companies, not the people in developing countries. The reason
is that in many developing countries, Western companies are maximizing profits by using the cheap
labour and raw materials (Kennett, 2009, as cited in Houston, 2010). This essay will demonstrate
that not all countries, or people within those countries, benefit from globalization equally.

Reason:

Task 14
Improve your paraphrase
Based on the aspects of paraphrasing discussed in Tasks 11 and 13, improve your
paraphrase in Task 12.
Now, swap your writing with a partner and note a few comments explaining:
strengths of the paraphrase, and
ways in which the paraphrase could be improved.
Refer to page 160 to see an example of how you could have paraphrased the source text.
Compare this paraphrase to your own. Which do you prefer? Why?
Homework
Prepare for a tutorial discussion
The topic for your next speaking tutorial is:
Is the impact of globalization positive or negative? Support your

viewpoint by synthesizing a range of appropriate evidence.
1. Search for information on Google Scholar and your library’s electronic databases for
at least two written texts on this issue.
2. Read the texts. Take notes as you read. Use the note-taking checklist developed
earlier to guide the way in which you take your notes. Your peers will use this
checklist to analyze your notes in the next class.
3. Make a note of the references of your source texts.

ACADEMIC
SPEAKING
Task 1
Revise note-taking
Earlier in this unit, you spent some time developing a personalized note-taking checklist.
Take a moment to explain your checklist to a partner and identify similarities and differences.
Now swap the notes which you took for today’s speaking tutorial with the same partner,
and complete the following three steps:
1. Use your partner’s note-taking checklist to assess how well he or she has taken notes.
2. Give your partner constructive feedback.
3. Explain to your partner how he or she could improve their notes in the next speaking
tutorial. Give reasons for your suggestions.
Task 2
Transform written language into spoken language
Work in pairs. Student A: read the text in the box on page 55 about transforming written
language into spoken language. Student B: close your book and do not read the text.
Now, Student A: explain what you have read to Student B. Together, think of another
reason why it may be important to transform written language to spoken language in a
tutorial discussion.
Transforming written language into spoken

language
In tutorials, you are expected to present and discuss both facts and opinions about
a particular topic. To do so, you need to read academic texts for your discussion.

When it comes to the tutorials, students often make the mistake of reading aloud
from the sources they have read. This is problematic as reading aloud does not
require that you understand the meaning behind the source and often the content
is too dense for listeners to understand in real-time. It also means that your spoken
style will be inconsistent and your intonation is likely to sound unnatural.
It is therefore very important to transform written language into spoken language

by gaining an understanding of the information before presenting the ideas and
data in the tutorial.
Task 3
An example of transforming written language into spoken
language
In her search for information for the upcoming tutorial discussion, Katie came across the
concept of “protectionism”. She feels that this term is important to her tutorial discussion
and decides to take notes on its definition in order to integrate it into her discussion of the
impact of globalization on developing economies.
Look at the following two texts which define the term “protectionism”. One of the texts
is the original written version and the other is Katie’s spoken version. As you read, decide
whether Katie has accurately represented the information in the source text.
Written text Spoken text
“Protectionism refers to the imposition of Sometimes players in the government place

barriers to international trade by government barriers on international trade for economic
entities. These barriers usually involve either or political reasons. There are two typical
taxes on imports — that is, tariffs — or examples: the first is taxing, and the second
quantitative restrictions limiting the volume is limiting imports. These taxes are called
notes
of legally allowable imports of particular tariffs and the limitations are called quotas.
goods — or quotas — to achieve various And, when tariffs or quotas are imposed, it
economic and political targets.” (p. 247) is called protectionism.
Source: Globalization: Encyclopedia of Trade,

Labour and Politics, Volume 1

Task 4
Identify the differences between spoken and written texts
Spend a few minutes brainstorming the differences between the two texts on page 55 in
terms of the categories below. An example has been done for you.
Categories Written text Spoken text
Grammatical
structures are often used. are usually simplified to enhance
understandability.
Vocabulary
Signposting
Emphasis
Audience
Compare your answers with a partner and then add to your notes by looking at the
suggested answers on page 160.
Task 5
Prepare to transform written language into spoken
language
With a partner, briefly discuss the following two questions:

1. What form of government exists in your country?
2. How does this impact on society?
On pages 57 and 58 are definitions of different forms of government around the globe.
Identify one text and transform it from written language to spoken language.
Make concise notes below in point form (do not write out a script; you would just be
putting the text back into writing). Refer to your notes in the preceding task.

Notes:
TEXT 1
Monarchy
A monarchy is a governmental system in which sovereignty of a state is held by one single person,
the monarch, who is considered to be the permanent head of state. Monarchy originated in the 16th
century when new nation-states were formed. The notion that the monarch represented the rule of
God formed the basis of unlimited power endowed on him and his inheriting successors, a system
referred to as absolute monarchy. The term has, however, evolved to include a political system in
which the hereditary head of state acts as a symbolic head, as his power is confined by a constitution
that mostly employs a parliamentary system headed by a prime minister. This form of government is
called constitutional monarchy, as typified by the monarchy in the United Kingdom.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Political and Social Sciences, Volume 1, p. 76.

TEXT 2
Communism
The term “Communism” was originally used to refer to a social movement advocating the collective
ownership of all means and outcomes of production by everyone in society, culminating in the
abolition of class and state. Resources and manufactured products are distributed equally among
all members of society, and political and economic decisions are made collectively by means of
free participation of every member of society. In modern usage, the term is often used to refer to
the government of a state by a Communist party, which typifies the rule of a single party centrally
planning the economy and owning all means of production such as state-controlled factories.
Current examples of this are China, North Korea, Cuba and Vietnam, although they do vary in
their extent of adherence to communist ideology.
Source: Williamson, T. (1995). Economic politics: The rise of communism (p. 59). Camford: Camford
University Press.
TEXT 3
The latest edition of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines “socialism” as a political
theory that “advocates collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of
production and distribution of goods”. The term is often used in contrast to “capitalism”, which
“advocates private ownership for the administration of the means of production and distribution
of goods”. The dictionary defines a “social democrat” as “one who advocates a gradual and peaceful
transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means”. Volume XV of the Oxford English
Dictionary defines “democratic socialism” as “a socialist system achieved by democratic means” and a
“social democrat” is “a member of a political party having socialistic views”.
Source: Roberts, M. (2002). Democratic socialism: A note on terminology. Current Sociology, 22(4), 6.
TEXT 4
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are owned and operated by
private businesses for the purpose of generating profits. The supply of and demand for goods are
wholly determined by a free market in which governmental intervention is kept to a minimum.
Profits belong to owners who invest in businesses, and wages are paid to workers. Prices of goods
and wages for workers are driven by market forces. There are two main benefits to such a system.
First, it encourages competition, which in turn drives prices down. Second, it provides incentive for
participation in economic activities and development.
Source: Roberts, J. (1999). Macroeconomics (p. 52). Boston: International Press.

Task 6
Practise transforming written language into spoken
language
Work in a group with members who read about the other three forms of government.
Imagine that you are in a tutorial discussion about the merits/weaknesses of different
forms of government. Your group’s task is to:
1. explain the forms of government, and
2. evaluate the forms of government.
Now consider whose explanation was clearest and why. Take a few notes below and then
share your feedback with other members of the group.
Taking the feedback given to you into account, repeat the above task with another group.
Task 7
Participate in a tutorial discussion
Now, hold a 30-minute tutorial discussion with your group members. The topic of your
discussion is:
Is the impact of globalization positive or negative?
Remember to support your viewpoint by synthesizing a range of appropriate evidence.

Task 8
Analyze your strengths and weaknesses
Take five minutes to fill in the form below. Rate your overall performance on each criterion
as follows:
1 = I did this most of the time 2 = I did this some of the time 3 = I rarely did this
My stance was:
clear – e.g. I changed the written language in the source to my own 1 2 3
spoken language.
concise – e.g. I expressed one idea at a time. 1 2 3
critical – e.g. I acknowledged that academic ideas are complex, not 1 2 3
black and white.
I interacted well by:

linking my ideas smoothly into the discussion – e.g. I linked my 1 2 3
point to a point that had been mentioned before.
using active listening skills – e.g. I used eye contact, nodding, 1 2 3
expressions of agreement.
not dominating – e.g. I allowed other students to break into the 1 2 3
discussion.
My language was:
fluent – e.g. I was able to speak without a lot of hesitations. 1 2 3
accurate – e.g. I was able to use a range of grammar and vocabulary 1 2 3
to express complex academic ideas.
clear – e.g. I used stress, intonation and pausing to express my 1 2 3
meaning.
I cited:
from sources to support my stance 1 2 3
own personal opinion in the discussion.
by mentioning the reliability of my source – e.g. I mentioned 1 2 3
that the information I cited came from a reliable source (The Journal
of XX/The World Health Organization).
This Unit’s Focus

I paraphrased information without changing its meaning. 1 2 3
I transformed written language to spoken language naturally. 1 2 3
Ideas for future improvement

3
ETHICS
Expressing stance
Learning outcomes

identify features of a successful academic stance,
write a stance which has an academic tone, is reasonable and well-justified,
integrate counter-arguments and rebuttals into a stance to make it
more critical,
express agreement and disagreement with the stance of others in
speaking, and
use questions to make a tutorial discussion more critical and
thoughtful.
Expressing stance 61
ACADEMIC
WRITING
Task 1
Express a personal opinion about an ethical issue
Imagine that you could go forward in time to before your future children (one male and
one female) were born. At this time in the future, parents are able to select from a range of
their own embryos for transplantation based on a “menu” of traits and abilities. However,
they are able to choose only four traits for each child.
Look at the menu of traits below and answer the following questions:
1. Which four traits would you choose for your female child?
2. Which four traits would you choose for your male child?
3. Do you think it is ethically acceptable to use technology for embryo selection in this
way? Why? Or why not?
“Mental” traits Physical characteristics “Athletic” traits Personality traits
mathematical ability hair colour strong upper body studiousness
musical ability eye colour strong lower body dependability
ability to be empathetic height good balance self-confidence
spirituality weight flexibility sociability [e.g. ability

to make friends]
ability to be loving body type good coordination sensitivity
good memory ability to age well good endurance independence
62 Unit 3: ETHICS
Mike and Jane are undergraduate students. They have two very different stances on the
use of technology for embryo selection based on physical and mental traits.
“I think that embryo selection based “I think that embryo selection based
on physical and mental traits is always on physical and mental traits is always
a terrible idea!” a great idea!”
Mike Jane
These personal opinions are clear, but they are not suitable as an academic stance.
Task 2
Analyze the language of a successful academic stance
Look at the table below. Jane and Mike improve their personal opinions in four ways to
make them more appropriate for an academic audience. Identify what these four changes
are. Record the changes in the column on the left.
Mike Jane
Stance is too
I think that embryo I think that embryo personal/
selection based on physical selection based on physical emotional,
and mental traits is always and mental traits is always not
a terrible idea! a great idea! reasonable,
Change made not justified
and not
critical.
I think that Embryo I think that Embryo
selection based on physical selection based on physical
and mental traits is always and mental traits is always
a terrible idea! ethically a great idea! ethically
unacceptable. acceptable.
Embryo selection based Embryo selection based on

on physical and mental physical and mental traits
traits is mostly ethically is, on the whole, ethically
unacceptable. acceptable.
Embryo selection based Embryo selection based on

on physical and mental physical and mental traits
traits is mostly ethically is, on the whole, ethically
unacceptable because it acceptable because
will lead to increased parents have the moral
discrimination against responsibility to give
the poor who will not be their children the best
able to afford this type of opportunities in life they
technology. can afford.
Embryo selection based Embryo selection based

on physical and mental on physical and mental
traits is mostly ethically traits is, on the whole,
unacceptable because ethically acceptable because
it will lead to increased parents have the moral
discrimination against responsibility to give
the poor who will not be their children the best
able to afford this type of opportunities in life they
technology. Although it is can afford. Although it
argued that this type of has been claimed that this
technology will improve will lead to discrimination
the life of individual against people too poor
children by giving them to afford the technology, Stance is
more opportunities, the this is a reason to ensure cautious,
effect on society as a that the technology is well-justified,
whole will be more social made accessible to as critical
inequality for people many people as possible and has an
too poor to afford the through government academic
technology and social control. Discrimination tone (not
instability. is not a reason to ban the personal/
technology itself. emotional).
Task 3
Identify and define a counter-argument and rebuttal
Look again at the final successful stance for Jane and Mike.
Identify which part of the stance is the counter-argument and which part is the rebuttal.
Underline the counter-argument and circle the rebuttal.
Now, define the two terms.
A counter-argument is
A rebuttal is
64 Unit 3: ETHICS
Features of a successful academic stance
The following table summarizes the features of a successful academic stance which
you have just been analyzing:
A successful academic A successful academic stance should:

stance should be:
written using an take out emotional adjectives/nouns/verbs and
academic tone personal references such as “I think”
cautious include hedging when appropriate
well-justified include explanations and citations when appropriate
critical include counter-arguments and rebuttals when
appropriate
Task 4
Identify stance in an academic essay
Read the essay below and decide whether it was written by Jane or Mike by identifying
stance. Does the essay support (like Jane) or not support (like Mike) the use of technology
for embryo selection? You will find the stance in multiple places in the essay. Also,
underline the writer’s stance in the essay.
ESSAY
Consider two cases. Michele and Michael have two embryos ready for
implantation. Embryo A has XY sex chromosomes. Embryo B has XX.
Should they be allowed to reject one embryo based on gender? Sex
selection technology is currently being practised to varying degrees in
many countries, although it is almost universally illegal. Consider the
second case of Sally and Sam. Their embryo A has a gene that is linked
to the propensity to be overweight, while B does not. Should they be
allowed to reject embryo A? It is a possibility that tests in the future could
identify a propensity (not 100% probability) to certain traits related to
appearance, although this is not possible now. However, as we rush to gain
a deeper understanding of the link between genetics and why some of us
are more beautiful, more intelligent, etc., it is necessary to ask ourselves
whether it is advisable to use pre/post-pregnancy technology for embryo/
fetus selection of non-disease traits. This essay argues that the use of such
technology is unwise because it has the potential to cause greater harm
than good for society as a whole, leading to an increase in social instability
and inequality. The issues raised in the two cases above will be used to
support this stance throughout the essay.
The main argument supporting the use of pre/post-pregnancy technology

for non-disease states, such as gender and appearance, is that parents
have the moral responsibility to “select” the best children that they could
have based on the information available to them. One major proponent
of this argument is Professor Savulescu, Uehiro Professor of Practical
Ethics at the University of Oxford. He believes that “couples (or single
reproducers) should select the child, of the possible children they could
have, who is expected to have the best life, or at least as good a life as the
others, based on the relevant, available information” (Savulescu, 2002,
p. 415). He believes that technology should be used to give parents as
much information as possible about their future child, that they should
be given free choice which child to have, and “advice as to which child will
be expected to enter life with the best opportunity of having the best life”
(p. 425). Admittedly, making decisions which are in the best interests of
others is, of course, a moral good. However, people have a greater moral
responsibility to act according to the good of society as a whole. Humans
exist and thrive within a social network, and if that social network is
harmed, we are all, in turn, harmed. This means that moral decisions
need to be made primarily at the social level for the good of all and this
technology has been shown to lead to certain types of social instability.
The current use of sex selection technology is the prime example of the
link between pre/post-pregnancy technology and social instability. The
use of this technology in countries where there is a “combination of son
preference, easy access to sex-selection technologies and abortion” (Hesketh
& Jiang, 2012, p. 3) has led to unbalanced sex ratio at birth (SRB) rates.
For example, in 2011, the SRB for China was reported to be 118 (National
Bureau of Statistics of China, as cited in Hesketh & Jiang, 2012) – 118
males for every 100 females. Extensive use of ultrasound screening and
selective abortion has led to approximately 30 million more males under
the age of 20 than females (Zhu, Li, & Hesketh, 2009). In India, one
large-scale study reported that the SRB was 132 for second births when
the first birth was a female and 139 for third births with two previous
female births ( Jha et al., 2006). While these skewed SRBs are also a result
of better health care and food for boys, female infanticide and a high rate
of death in childbirth (Allahbadia, 2002), it is clear from research that the
66 Unit 3: ETHICS
use of sex selection technologies plays a significant role in the high male-
to-female ratios ( Jha et al., 2006; Zhu, Li, & Hesketh, 2009).
The result of these unbalanced SRBs is that a significant proportion of

men are unable to marry and this also leads to social instability. In the
countries mentioned above, social status is strongly related to marital
status. Men who are left unmarried are largely the poor and uneducated,
further increasing social inequalities (Lichter, Anderson, & Hayward, 1995).
High SRBs have been linked to increases in prostitution, kidnapping and
trafficking of women in China (Tucker et al., 2005) and in other parts of
Asia (Hudson & Den Boer, 2004). Hudson and Den Boer also attribute
a recent large increase in dowry prices in parts of India to the shortage of
women. All of the above can lead to social instability. While Savulescu
might argue that the parents of these male children have ensured the “best
life” for their child, this is not always true as many of these males are likely
to suffer from low self-esteem if they can’t fulfill societal expectations such
as marriage and procreation. One recent study using in-depth interviews,
for example, showed that older unmarried men in Guizhou province
reported feeling depressed and hopeless because of their single status
(Zhou, Wang, Li, & Hesketh, 2011).
It is also important to look to the future and consider the ethical

implications of developing pre/post-pregnancy technology. It is feasible
that technology might develop in the future to allow screening for
desirable attributes related to appearance. Ideals of beauty are social and
cultural concepts. It has been shown that people who don’t meet those
ideals suffer discrimination. For example, Judge and Cable (2004) found
from an analysis of 45 studies that height was significantly correlated
with career success and that a person who is 72 inches tall is likely to
earn $166,000 more over a career than someone who is 65 inches tall.
Widespread discrimination has also been shown based on weight in
multiple domains such as the workplace, education and health care (Puhl
& Brownell, 2001). It might seem logical, therefore, that parents use such
technology to ensure the “best life” for their children. In fact, if we look at
the effect on society as a whole, as we did with sex selection, it seems that
a widespread use of this technology would lead to even less tolerance for
diversity than exists now and therefore greater social inequality for those
without access to such technology for economic reasons. This would lead
to greater discrimination. What this means is that while there might be
benefits for individual children born from the use of this technology, on
the societal level, the effect would be much greater social inequality.
Establishing an equitable and stable society is the responsibility of every
individual who makes up that society. Establishing a society like this will
sometimes require people to act against their own individual best interest
for the sake of the greater good. The use of pre/post-pregnancy technology
is an example of this. While selecting traits such as gender and appearance
might lead to individuals having a “best life”, the harm that this does to
society as a whole outweighs the benefits to the individual. There needs to
be regular and timely consultation about this issue between policy makers,
ethicists, medical and legal professionals, and the general public.
References
Allahbadia, G. (2002). The 50 million missing women. Journal of Assisted
Reproductive Genetics, 19(9), 411–416.
Hesketh, T., & Jiang, M. (2012). The effects of artificial gender imbalance. Science
& Society Series on Sex and Science. EMBO Report, 13(6), 487–492.
Hudson, V., & Den Boer, A. (2004). Bare branches: The security implications of
Asia’s surplus male population. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Jha, P., Kumar, R., Vasa, P., Dhingra, N., Thiruchelvam, D., & Moineddin, R.
(2006.) Low female-to-male sex ratio of children born in India: National
survey of 1.1 million households. Lancet, 367, 211–218.
Judge, T., & Cable, D. (2004). The effect of physical height on workplace success
and income: Preliminary test of a theoretical model. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 89(3), 428–441.
Critical argumentation: Using counter-

arguments and rebuttals
As you saw in Task 2, integrating counter-arguments and rebuttals into your
academic writing is important because it strengthens your stance. It also shows that
you:
understand the complexities of the topic,
are less biased, and
have good critical thinking skills.
Your argumentation becomes logically stronger and more persuasive through

the use of counter-arguments and rebuttals.
68 Unit 3: ETHICS
A typical critical argument structure looks like this:
Stage One Stage Two Stage Three

The stance The counter-argument The rebuttal
The first stage is to After this, the writer The writer then includes
write a stance. includes a major a rebuttal explaining
counter-argument why the counter-
against this stance. argument is wrong.
Writing a convincing rebuttal is usually the hardest stage for students as it requires
very good critical thinking skills. This three-stage critical argument process can be
used in many ways to structure an academic text. You can often see the three stages
in one paragraph/section. You can also see the three stages throughout an essay
or report.
Task 5
Identify the differences between three possible critical
argument structures
There are many ways that this critical argument structure could be used to organize an
essay. The table below shows you three ways. Analyze the three examples and:
1. fill in the boxes which are empty, and
2. discuss how this structure compares with the structure of the essays you wrote at
secondary school.
Structure One Structure Two Structure Three
Introduction Stance Stance Stance
1st argument 1st argument Counter-argument for

Paragraph 1 supporting stance supporting stance stance
+
Rebuttal
Paragraph 2 2nd argument Counter-argument for 1 1st argument

supporting stance + supporting stance
Rebuttal +
Counter-argument for 1
+
Rebuttal
2nd argument
Paragraph 3 supporting stance
Counter-argument for 3rd argument

Paragraph 4 1, 2 and 3 supporting stance
+ +
Rebuttal Counter-argument for 3
+
Rebuttal
Summary of stance and Summary of stance and Summary of stance and

Conclusion arguments 1, 2 and 3 arguments 1 and 2 arguments 1, 2 and 3
Task 6
Identify critical argument structure in an academic text
Read the essay again. Does the argument structure in the essay match Structure One, Two
or Three from the table above?
The argument structure in the essay matches Structure from the table above.
You have already underlined the stance in the essay. Now identify the rest of the critical
argument structure in the essay by highlighting the following in different colours:
1. the counter-arguments
2. the rebuttals
Label each of these in the right column of the essay on pages 65–68.
70 Unit 3: ETHICS
The introduction has been done for you below:
Argument
ESSAY structure
Consider two cases. Michele and Michael have two embryos ready for
implantation. Embryo A has XY sex chromosomes. Embryo B has XX.
Should they be allowed to reject one embryo based on gender? Sex
selection technology is currently being practised to varying degrees in
many countries, although it is almost universally illegal. Consider the
second case of Sally and Sam. Their embryo A has a gene that is linked
to the propensity to be overweight, while B does not. Should they be
allowed to reject embryo A? It is a possibility that tests in the future could
identify a propensity (not 100% probability) to certain traits related to
appearance, although this is not possible now. However, as we rush to gain
a deeper understanding of the link between genetics and why some of us
are more beautiful, more intelligent, etc., it is necessary to ask ourselves
whether it is advisable to use pre/post-pregnancy technology for embryo/
fetus selection of non-disease traits. This essay argues that the use of Stance
such technology is unwise because it has the potential to cause greater
harm than good for society as a whole, leading to an increase in social
instability and inequality. The issues raised in the two cases above will be
used to support this stance throughout the essay.
Task 7
Practise expressing stance and using critical thinking skills
You are going to practise writing counter-arguments and rebuttals on six issues related to
science, technology and ethics. To prepare for this, debate the six topics in groups of three.
Debating will give you ideas for your writing.
Get into groups of three. Debate the six issues by playing one of the following roles:
Student 1 argues for the stance.
Student 2 argues against the stance.
Student 3 judges whether Student 1 or 2 has the most convincing arguments.
You will have 2 minutes for each debate and the judge will have 30 seconds to say who
had the most convincing arguments and why.
Switch roles every time you debate a new issue. You will have two chances to play each
role.
Stance 1 Stance 2 Stance 3
The use of live animals in Euthanasia should be legal Genetically modified

scientific experiments is for terminally ill patients. crops are necessary.
justifiable.
Stance 4 Stance 5 Stance 6
Nuclear energy should be Factory farming (raising Governments’ use of

the primary form of energy livestock such as chickens surveillance should be
used by governments. in confined spaces) should strictly regulated and
be banned. they should be required
to notify people when
they are being watched.
Task 8
Identify language used to signal the counter-argument
and the rebuttal
Look at the words/phrases listed below. Some of these words/phrases are used in writing
to signal the counter-argument to the reader and some are used to signal the rebuttal.
Admittedly, Opponents/critics of this position believe that . . .
While it is true that . . . Nevertheless, . . . In fact . . .
This claim is not justified because . . . It might seem that . . .
This is not true because . . .
Put them in the right place in the table on page 73 and add two more examples of your
own for each column. Some of the words/phrases might fit in both columns.
72 Unit 3: ETHICS
Language used to signal the counter-argument Language used to signal the rebuttal
My examples: My examples:
Task 9
Practise writing counter-arguments and rebuttals
Now you should be ready to practise writing counter-arguments and rebuttals. Use the
supporting and opposing arguments you and your group members used in the debates in
Task 7 to write a critical stance for four of the issues you debated. You should do this by:
1. adding a justification for the stance,
2. adding a counter-argument against that stance,
3. adding a rebuttal which explains why the counter-argument is wrong,
4. indicating where you would need to include a citation to back up your stance, and
5. using some of the language from the table above to signal the counter-argument
and the rebuttal.
The first stance has been done for you as an example.
Issue 1: Genetically modified crops are necessary because the rising population requires the
production of pest resistant crops with a high yield [citation]. Even though many opponents
of genetic modification (GM) have claimed that these crops are a risk to our health [citation],
there have been no reliable unbiased studies that have shown that the GM itself, rather than the
pesticides that are sometimes used alongside the GM food, are harmful [citation]. GM food is so
widespread now [citation] that if it were harmful to health, there would be evidence to prove it.
Issue 2: Nuclear energy should be the primary form of energy used by governments
because . . .
Issue 3: Factory farming (raising livestock such as chickens in confined spaces) should be
banned because . . .
74 Unit 3: ETHICS
Task 10
Assess your partner’s counter-arguments and rebuttals
Swap your work with your partner. Ask him or her to assess your writing using the criteria
below:
Peer assessment Peer assessment

of Issue 2 of Issue 3
You have a clear and logical justification for Yes No Yes No

your stance.
You have a clear and logical counter-argument Yes No Yes No

against the stance.
You have a clear and logical rebuttal which Yes No Yes No

explains why the counter-argument is wrong.
You have correctly indicated where the Yes No Yes No

citations are needed.
You have used signalling language correctly Yes No Yes No

to show where the counter-argument and the
rebuttal are.
Hedging: The importance of being cautious

When you express a stance, you need to think about how strong you want to make
that stance. You need to think about whether you can claim that something is:
definitely true true all the time true for all people true in all contexts
probably true true only for some true only for some true only in some
of the time people contexts
It is important that you are cautious when expressing stance. If you over-generalize,
you run the risk of being criticized by the person assessing your writing.
Task 11
List hedging words
The following table has three different categories of hedging words commonly used in
academic writing. Add five examples to each category. Put them in order of strength.
Frequency Certainty Quantity
all the time definitely all Strong
infrequently possibly a small proportion weak
Task 12
Improve a paragraph
The following paragraph has two problems:

1. The tone is too personal/emotional.
2. Some of the statements are not cautious enough. They need to be hedged.
Identify the words in the text that need changing. Correct the text.
1 I think it is really cruel to use live animals in experimental testing. But it should be
2 allowed because of the benefits it brings to human health. This kind of testing has led
3 to amazing improvements in medical treatments for cancer (Hausen et al., 2002) and
4 HIV (Rickman et al., 2009). It has led to the development of vaccines (Morgan et al.,
5 2000) and medical treatments such as insulin (Nagano et al., 2005). It has also allowed
6 scientists to determine the safe level of exposure to common chemicals (Vanderberg,
76 Unit 3: ETHICS
7 2010). Some opponents claim that these benefits are outweighed by the suffering
8 which animals endure and that other types of testing should be used instead, such
9 as the use of cell cultures. This technique should be used when possible; however, its
10 use is limited. Tests using cell cultures can only show effects on the molecular level
11 (Burns, 2005) whereas animal testing can show systematic effects around the body.
12 Legislative regulations have been put in place in countries to stop animals being
13 tortured in experimental research (Baumans, 2004). These regulations are largely based
14 on the three “Rs” first described by Russell and Burch (1959) – Replacement, Reduction,
15 Refinement. For example, 1. animal tests should be replaced by other techniques,
16 when possible, 2. the number of animal used should be reduced when possible and 3.
17 experimental techniques used should be refined to stop the agony and misery that the
18 poor animals feel.
Task 13
Express stance in your own paragraph
Now, let’s put everything you have learnt in this unit so far together.
Remember what you have learnt about writing a successful academic stance on page 65.
A successful academic stance should:
be written using an academic tone (not emotional or personal),
be cautious (include hedging where necessary),
be well-justified (include explanations and citations), and
be critical (include counter-arguments and rebuttals).
Write your own paragraph based on the stance that euthanasia should be legal for
terminally ill patients. Use the notes on page 78 to help you.
Euthanasia for terminally ill patients
78 Unit 3: ETHICS
Homework
Get together with your tutorial discussion group members and choose one of the
following issues for your next tutorial discussion:
Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3
The use of live animals in Euthanasia for terminally ill Genetically modified crops
scientific experiments patients
Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6
Nuclear energy Factory farming (raising Governments’ use of

livestock such as chickens in surveillance
confined spaces)
To prepare, search for information on Google Scholar and your library’s electronic
databases for at least three sources on this issue. Read the texts and take notes. Include
the references for your source texts.
4
CHINA
Synthesizing ideas in a
paragraph or section
and ASIA
Learning outcomes

logically connect ideas within a paragraph or a section,
write accurate and appropriate section headings,
connect ideas through the use of cohesive devices and strategies,
synthesize ideas from multiple sources,
link your speaking turn to what has been previously said, and
change focus within an academic discussion.
Synthesizing ideas in a paragraph or section 87

ACADEMIC
WRITING
Task 1
Prepare for a role-play discussion
Discuss the following question with a classmate and justify your reasoning:
Which is more important to focus on in China,

the environment or the economy?
Task 2
Participate in a role-play discussion
Form a group of three with your classmates. Each student will choose one of the following
roles:
You are a representative from the Department of Labour in China. You are
responsible for achieving high employment rates in China and believe
that this should be top priority for the future of the country. Convince the
top leader that the economy should be the focus for the future.
Student 1
You are a representative from the Department of Environmental Protection

in China. You are responsible for the country’s environmental beauty and
protection and believe that this should be top priority for the future of
the country. Convince the top leader that the environment should be the
focus for the future.
Student 2
You are a top leader of the country listening to the representatives

from the Department of Labour and the Department of Environmental
Protection. You are responsible for both departments and the direction
that China takes in allocating resources for the future. Moderate the
discussion and decide who you agree with. Be sure to challenge their
Student 3 ideas and reasons.
88 Unit 4: CHINA and ASIA

In your groups, assume your roles and conduct the role-play discussion for 15 minutes.
Task 3
Read for stance
The following report covers issues discussed in the role play that you just conducted
on the economy and environment in China. Read the report and answer the following
questions with a partner:
1. What is the writer’s stance on the issue of the economy and environment in China?
2. Circle any supporting arguments that are similar to those that you heard or discussed
in the role play.
3. Underline any supporting arguments that were not mentioned in the role play, but
would have been useful.
Tough Choices Ahead: An Emphasis on Economic or

Environmental Challenges?
1. Introduction
In a recent report by the World Economic Forum (2013), environmental and economic issues were
listed as top concerns that “will present unprecedented challenges to global and national resilience”
(p. 17). As the world’s most populous nation and its second largest economy, China not only
manifests these issues, but, by its sheer size and pivotal role in an interconnected world, also imposes
them onto the world. As a result, tough choices await China in balancing these two concerns. The
aim of this report is to describe the current economic and environmental situation in China and,
given the limited resources available, to evaluate which should receive immediate attention. This
report will first review the slowing Chinese economy and China’s worsening environment. It will
then illustrate why attention needs to be shifted from economic issues to environmental concerns.
2. Challenges on Two Fronts: Economic and Environmental

This section discusses the challenges that China faces in its economy and environment.
2.1. Declining Economic Growth

Decelerating growth in China’s GDP presents economic complications for multiple stakeholders.
While China has seen unparalleled economic expansion in the past 30 years, many suspect that such
expansion will not continue (Haltmaier, 2013; Silk, 2013). For instance, China’s GDP most recently
expanded by 7.7%, which was a decline from the previous period and markedly slower than expected
(“Speed isn’t everything,” 2013). This slowdown can have negative implications for connected
economies such as Taiwan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, and Germany as well as Africa, which
counts China as its third largest trading partner (Schiere, 2011). Apart from outside stakeholders,
Chinese rural workers have already been negatively impacted by their country’s weakening economy
(Eichengreen, Park, & Shin, 2011). These Chinese rural workers were more adversely affected by the
decline in growth than any other social group due to higher unemployment. Possible consequences

include further income inequality, social unrest, and additional strain on younger generations who
often need jobs to carry the burden of providing for their parents.
2.2. Deterioration of the Environment

In addition to a stagnant economy, China also faces ongoing environmental issues. Among these
include air pollution — a noticeably extreme problem — as China, according to Liu and Diamond
(2008), “has 16 of the world’s 20 cities with the worst air pollution” (p. 37). A critical concern
is that this statistic is likely to worsen. Coal, a major contributor to air pollution, accounted for
approximately 70% of China’s energy sources (Shealy & Dorian, 2010). Even with conservative
assumptions in economic growth, Shealy and Dorian (2010) estimated that China would still utilize
over 6 billion tons of coal in 2025, which is three times that produced and used in 2005. Indicators
measuring broader environmental factors also point to a deteriorating environment. Emerson et
al. (2012) report that China’s environmental performance index in 2012 ranked 116 out of 132
countries analyzed and is trending downwards. Taken together, these statistics show a debilitating
environmental situation.
3. Shifting Focus to Environmental Issues

In light of the above overview on economic and environmental issues confronting China, this section
provides justification for shifting attention from the economy to the environment.
3.1. Historical Perspectives: A Strengthened and Reformed Economy

While the current economic risks mentioned in section 2.1 are concerning, they are partially
alleviated when China’s historical economic improvements are considered. For instance, China’s
rapid GDP growth of 10% over the past 30 years has boosted its economy to the second
largest globally (The World Bank, n.d.). Apart from significant GDP growth as an indicator of
improvement, the World Bank (n.d.) reports that between 1981 and 2008, 600 million people were
lifted out of poverty, representing a 71% decrease in poverty. A closer examination also reveals a
more sophisticated economy. An example of this is China’s shift towards a service-based economy,
which has helped to raise wages and household income (“Speed isn’t everything,” 2013). This can
potentially ease some of the high unemployment worries also discussed in section 2.1. Lastly, a
declining Chinese economy is unlikely to be detrimental as current conservative predictions of 6.6%
in GDP growth would still leave China on target to be a high-income country and to surpass the
US in economic size by 2030 (The World Bank, 2013). All this suggests that the current economic
challenges mentioned in section 2.1, after accounting for the improvements made to a weak Chinese
economy 30 years ago, are manageable and perhaps less of a concern.
3.2. Justifying Concentration on Environmental Challenges

In view of the relatively mild challenges on the economic front, a greater focus on the environment
can be further justified in two ways. First, despite the severity of the situation, as discussed
in section 2.2, existing policies designed to preserve the environment still show considerable
deficiencies. Liu and Diamond (2008) contend that “although more than 100 environmental laws
and regulations exist in China, they are often ignored by local government leaders” (p. 37). A
highly publicized example of the probable consequences of such weak enforcement is evident in
the reporting of Beijing’s poor air quality and visibility (Wong, 2013; Li, 2013; “Wrapped in smog,”

2013). Additionally, tax policies towards renewable energy projects have not been favourable; when
compared with conventional energy projects, renewable energy projects often receive similar or
higher taxation (Yu & Pugliese, 2012). However, the negative impacts of ignoring the environment
are apparent not only in the environment, but also the Chinese economy. Statistics on tourism
and GDP, two economic indicators, show that pollution in China has had damaging consequences
(“Pollution blamed,” 2013; Matus et al., 2012). The extent of the economic damage from worsening
environmental conditions has also been measured. The World Bank (19) calculated that the total
cost of outdoor air pollution and water pollution to China’s economy was approximately USD100
billion or 5.8% of GDP per year. Assessing the above, it is clearer that government policies and
regulations for the environment require immediate attention. Perhaps even more significant, the
aforementioned evidence strongly suggests that a greater focus on the environment rather than the
economy would help to improve both.
4. Conclusion
From this report, it can be seen that a declining Chinese economy and deteriorating environmental
conditions present significant challenges for China. While a slowdown in economics is a valid worry,
significant environmental conflicts have arisen and require immediate attention. Rationale for this
has been presented by considering a more historical view of China’s economic position, newfound
environmental concerns from citizens, flaws in current frameworks to solve such concerns, and
the economic consequences of a degraded environment. A logical recommendation for improving
current solutions is to ensure enforcement from multiple levels of government. Additionally, a
reallocation of resources from the economy to the environment should be enacted. This has broad
implications since larger expenditures on the environment could help China tackle both challenges.
Reference List
Eichengreen, B., Park, D., & Shin, K. (2012). When fast-growing economies slow down: International
evidence and implications for China. Asian Economic Papers, 11(1), 42–87.
Emerson, J. W., Esty, D. C., Hsu, A., Levy, M. A., de Sherbinin, A., Mara, V., & Jaiteh, M. (2012). 2012
environmental performance index and pilot trend environmental performance index. Retrieved from
http://epi.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2012_epi_report.pdf
Haltmaier, J. (2013). Challenges for the future of Chinese economic growth. Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System, International Finance Discussion Papers, 1072. Retrieved from http://www.
federalreserve.gov/pubs/ifdp/2013/1072/ifdp1072.htm
Li, A. (2013, March 8). Beijing’s air pollution soars as sand storm looms. South China Morning Post. Retrieved
from http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1186259/beijings-air-pollution-soars-sand storm-
looms
Liu, J., & Diamond, J. (2008). Revolutionizing China’s environmental protection. Science, 319(5859), 37–38.
Schiere, R. (2011). Impact of the financial and economic crisis on China’s trade, aid and capital inflows to
Africa. Development Research Department, African Development Bank, 11. Retrieved from http://www.
afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Financial-Information/Impact_china.pdf
Silk, R. (2013, July 9). Economists see further slowdown in China. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323823004578593200107930868.html
Speed isn’t everything. (2013, April 20). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/
leaders/21576400-hidden-consolation-disappointing-chinese-growth-more-modern-economy-speed-
isnt
World Economic Forum. (2013). Global risks 2013: An initiative of the risk response network (8th ed.).
Retrieved from http://reports.weforum.org/global-risks-2013/

Task 4
Identify the writer’s logic and argumentation
Outline the logical flow of arguments and evidence presented in section 3.2 of the report
on pages 90–91. Some have already been done for you.
Stance
Supporting argument #1 Supporting argument #2

Government policies are insufficient.
Evidence given Evidence given

1. 1.
2. Beijing’s poor air quality and visibility 2.
3.
Refinement of stance in light of evidence

1.
2. Helping the environment can also help the economy.
Ensuring a logical flow of ideas

After you have collected information from your notes, you need to organize it in a
logical manner. The following academic features of a report section can be used:
1. Section headings/topic sentences (Tasks 5–7)
2. Cohesive devices and strategies (Tasks 8–9)
3. Synthesizing ideas from multiple sources (Tasks 10–11)

Task 5
Identify the appropriate report section heading
Without looking at the whole report again and referring only to the section/paragraph
below, identify the most appropriate report section heading from items 1 to 5. Justify your
answer in the box below.
1. Importance of Economic Progress
2. Environment
3. Risks of Ignoring the Economy
4. Reasons for Shifting Focus to the Environment
5. The Economy Needs Our Help Now
I think . . . because . . .
3.2
In view of the relatively mild challenges on the economic front, a greater focus on the
environment can be further justified in two ways. First, despite the severity of the situation,
as discussed in section 2.2, existing policies designed to preserve the environment still
show considerable deficiencies. Liu and Diamond (2008) contend that “although more
than 100 environmental laws and regulations exist in China, they are often ignored by local
government leaders” (p. 37). A highly publicized example of the probable consequences of
such weak enforcement is evident in the reporting of Beijing’s poor air quality and visibility
(Wong, 2013; Li, 2013; “Wrapped in smog,” 2013). Additionally, tax policies towards renewable
energy projects have not been favourable; when compared with conventional energy
projects, renewable energy projects often receive similar or higher taxation (Yu & Pugliese,
2012). However, the negative impacts of ignoring the environment are apparent not only in
the environment, but also the Chinese economy. Statistics on tourism and GDP, two economic
indicators, show that pollution in China has had damaging consequences (“Pollution blamed,”
2013; Matus et al., 2012). The extent of the economic damage from worsening environmental
conditions has also been measured. The World Bank (19) calculated that the total cost of
outdoor air pollution and water pollution to China’s economy was approximately USD100
billion or 5.8% of GDP per year. Assessing the above, it is clearer that government policies and
regulations for the environment require immediate attention. Perhaps even more significant,
the aforementioned evidence strongly suggests that a greater focus on the environment
rather than the economy would help to improve both.

Showing stance through section headings and
topic sentences
Section headings are features commonly found in reports. Section headings are
similar to topic sentences in that they need to accurately reflect the information in
the section. Here are a few general principles to be aware of:
1. The heading should indicate the stance of the section.
While there may be times you need a neutral heading, most sections have a
stance that should be reflected in the heading. This will also depend on the
type of report being written.
2. Most report headings throughout this book are formed through noun phrases
or gerunds. Here are a few examples:
Historical Perspectives: Strengthened and Reformed Economy [colon is used for
longer noun phrase]
Deterioration of the Environment [noun phrase – this could serve as a noun in a
sentence]
Shifting Focus to Environmental Issues [noun phrase that begins with a gerund]
Topic sentences are similar to section headings in that they also indicate stance.
While they are commonly found in essays, they can also appear in reports. Here are
some functions of topic sentences:
1. Reflect or summarize what the paragraph/section is about.
2. Indicate the stance of the paragraph/section.
3. Provide a transition between paragraphs/sections through the use of cohesive
devices and strategies, which will be discussed in Tasks 8–9.
Task 6
Write report section headings and identify topic sentences
The following sections/paragraphs are from the report on pages 89–91. Without turning
back to look at the full report:
1. Underline the topic sentences in each section and identify the functions of those
topic sentences. The three functions of a topic sentence keep listed here:

Reflect or summarize what the paragraph/section is about.
Indicate the stance of the paragraph/section.
Provide a transition between paragraphs and sections through the use of cohesive
devices and strategies.
2. Write alternative section headings in the blanks. The overall heading for section 3 has
been completed for you.
2.
This section discusses the challenges that China faces in its economy and environment.
2.1.
Decelerating growth in China’s GDP presents economic complications for multiple
stakeholders. While China has seen unparalleled economic expansion in the past 30 years,
many suspect that such expansion will not continue (Haltmaier, 2013; Silk, 2013). For instance,
China’s GDP most recently expanded by 7.7%, which was a decline from the previous period
and markedly slower than expected (“Speed isn’t everything,” 2013). This slowdown can have
negative implications for connected economies such as Taiwan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia,
and Germany as well as Africa, which counts China as its third largest trading partner (Schiere,
2011). Apart from outside stakeholders, Chinese rural workers have already been negatively
impacted by their country’s weakening economy (Eichengreen, Park, & Shin, 2011). They
reported that these Chinese rural workers were more adversely affected by the decline in
growth than any other social group due to higher unemployment. Possible consequences
include further income inequality, social unrest, and additional strain on younger generations
who often need jobs to carry the burden of providing for their parents.
2.2.
In addition to a stagnant economy, China also faces ongoing environmental issues. Among
these include air pollution — a noticeably extreme problem — as China, according to Liu
and Diamond (2008), “has 16 of the world’s 20 cities with the worst air pollution” (p. 37). A
critical concern is that this statistic is likely to worsen. Coal, a major contributor to air pollution,
accounted for approximately 70% of China’s energy sources (Shealy & Dorian, 2010). Even with
conservative assumptions in economic growth, Shealy and Dorian (2010) estimated that China
would still utilize over 6 billion tons of coal in 2025, which is three times that produced and
used in 2005. Indicators measuring broader environmental factors also point to a deteriorating
environment. Emerson et al. (2012) report that China’s environmental performance index in

2012 ranked 116 out of 132 countries analyzed and is trending downwards. In aggregate,
these statistics show a debilitating environmental situation.
3. Shifting Focus to Environmental Issues

In light of the above overview on economic and environmental issues confronting China, this
section provides justification for shifting attention from the economy to the environment.
3.1.
While the current economic risks mentioned in section 2.1 are concerning, they are partially
alleviated when China’s historical economic improvements are considered. For instance,
China’s rapid GDP growth of 10% over the past 30 years has boosted its economy to the
second largest globally (The World Bank, n.d.). Apart from significant GDP growth as an
indicator of improvement, the World Bank (n.d.) reports that between 1981 and 2008, 600
million people were lifted out of poverty, representing a 71% decrease in poverty. A closer
examination also reveals a more sophisticated economy. An example of this is China’s shift
towards a service-based economy, which has helped to raise wages and household income
(“Speed isn’t everything,” 2013). This can potentially ease some of the high unemployment
worries also discussed in section 2.1. Lastly, a declining Chinese economy is unlikely to be
detrimental as current conservative predictions of 6.6% in GDP growth would still leave
China on target to be a high-income country and to surpass the US in economic size by
2030 (12). All this suggests that the current economic challenges mentioned in section 2.1,
after accounting for the improvements made to a weak Chinese economy 30 years ago, are
manageable and perhaps less of a concern.
Task 7
Analyze report section headings
Exchange your answers with a partner and complete the checklist below on whether the
section headings:
reflect or summarize what the paragraph/section is about
indicate the stance of the paragraph/section
are written in the form of a noun phrase
Inform your partner of any improvements that can be made.

Task 8
Identify cohesion within a section
Return to section 3.2 in Task 5 and circle the words or phrases that connect each sentence
together.
Example:
In view of the relatively mild challenges on the economic front, a greater focus on the
environment can be further justified in two ways. First, despite the severity of the situation,
as discussed in section 2.2, existing policies designed to preserve the environment still show
considerable deficiencies.
Cohesive devices and strategies

One way of ensuring that a paragraph/section is logically constructed is through
the use of cohesive devices and strategies. They can help to clarify the relationship
between your arguments, supporting evidence, counter-arguments, and your
interpretation of the sources. Three common ways of doing this are:
1. Referencing – words such as this, that, these, those, it, its, he, his, she, her, they,
and them can be used to refer to other sentences. Here are some examples:
China’s economic rise has been prominent over the last 30 years. This can
be attributed to 3 major factors. The first of these is the rise in investment from
foreign countries. Chan (2010) states that investment rose by more than 150%
within the same period. He also compared *this figure* to other developing
countries’ foreign investment numbers and found that China had the largest
increase.
2. Lexical Repetition – the usage of synonyms and similar vocabulary or phrases

can build cohesion across sentences in a paragraph/section. Here are some
examples:
China’s economic rise has been prominent over the last 30 years. This can be
attributed to 3 major factors. The first of these is the rise in investment from
foreign countries. Chan (2010) states that investment rose by more than 150%
within the same period. He also compared *this figure* to other developing
countries’ foreign investment numbers and found that China had the largest
increase.

* Notice that referencing and lexical repetition can be combined to create a
stronger cohesive effect
e.g. Compare the following sentences with the sentences above.
He also compared this figure to other developing countries’ . . .
He also compared this to other developing countries’ . . .
3. Linking Words and Phrases – these are words and phrases that signal the
relationship between ideas. Here are some common categories and examples:
Additive (signalling more to come): in addition, additionally, apart from,
furthermore, similarly, etc.
Contrasting (signalling an opposing idea): however, although, even though,
while, etc.
Causal (signalling cause): therefore, consequently, as a result, due to, etc.
Example (signalling the onset of an example): for example, for instance, to
illustrate, etc.
Task 9
Categorize and identify cohesive devices and strategies
Place all of the connections that you circled in Task 8 into the following categories of
cohesion. For the Referencing and Lexical Repetition categories, write what each circle is
connected to. Two examples have been completed for you.
Are there any cohesive devices and strategies that you missed in Task 8? If so, also place
them into the appropriate category of cohesion.
Referencing Lexical repetition Linking words and phrases
two ways – first ignored by local however

environmental laws and government leaders –
regulations – they weak enforcement

Task 10
Understand the reasons for synthesizing
There are two sentences with information cited from multiple sources in section 3.2 of the
report. Why do you think the writer has done this? What relationship do the sources have
with each other? Write your answer in the box below.
I think this is done because . . .
The relationship between the sources is . . .
Synthesizing information from your sources

When searching for evidence in your sources, you will find information that overlaps
or differs. The process of combining this information for use in your writing is called
synthesis. Here are a few examples of the ways that it can be done:
Example 1:
From Xu, 2011:
China has had major increases in economic output for the past 30 years.
From Chan, 2010:
For the last 30 years, China’s economy has been outperforming expectations.
One possible synthesis:
China’s economy has been strong for the past 30 years (Chan, 2010; Xu, 2011).
Example 2:
From Xu, 2011:
However, the environment has been essentially ignored with air pollution at record highs.
From Chan, 2010:
Statistics from the past 10 years show that air pollution has increased by more than 20%.
From Yin, 2011:
Regulations have helped to lower air pollution in some parts of China.

One possible synthesis:
While regulations in some areas of China have helped to decrease air pollution
(Yin, 2011), statistics still indicate that air pollution has actually worsened in
the past 10 years (Chan, 2010; Xu, 2011).
Here are some guidelines that the above synthesized examples followed:
1. Analyze the similarities and differences.
2. Use cohesive devices and strategies to show the relationship between ideas.
3. Accurately represent the meaning of the information being synthesized.
4. Synthesize by using one sentence or multiple sentences.
Task 11
Synthesize overlapping and contradictory information
The following information is from sources related to the economy and environment in
China. Synthesize the information in Items 1–3 using all the sources. Complete Item 4
when you have finished.
(1)
From Smith, 2010:
Increasing concern for the environment has been met by intense opposition from corporations.
From Ellis, 2011:
Concern for the environment has been consistently opposed by corporations through promises of
more jobs and higher paying salaries.
Your synthesis of the information from the two sources above:

(2)
From Lin, 2009:
While worries about the Chinese economy are valid, ignoring air pollution concerns will lead to
further increases in dangerous pollutants such as nitrous and sulphur dioxide.
From Tompkins, 2010:

In China, the impact of job losses from shifting resources to the environment will not be viewed
positively.
Your synthesis of the information from the two sources above:
(3)
From Chu, 2010:
Sulphur dioxide in air pollution in Southern China has increased by 25% in the past 5 years.
From Chan, 2009:

Recent figures show that Southern China has experienced significant increases in sulphur dioxide.
From Lu, 2013:

Recent measures of air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide have declined by 5% due to a slowdown
in economic growth.
Your synthesis of information from the three sources above:
(4) Analyze your synthesized sentence(s) by completing the checkboxes below:
I have integrated information that overlapped and differed.
I have used cohesive devices and strategies.
My synthesis accurately represents the original meaning of the information from the
sources.
I have synthesized through one or multiple sentences.

Task 12
Prepare to write a paragraph/section
The last task of this writing section will require you to synthesize supporting arguments
and counter-arguments in order to write a paragraph/section. Before you move onto this
task, you will need to do the following:
1. Notice the box below containing information taken directly (word for word) from
sources.
2. Notice the chart below the sources.
3. Read the stance in the chart on whether China should focus on the economy or the
environment.
4. Categorize the information from the sources into the appropriate columns.
5. Think about how the supporting arguments can be used as rebuttals to the counter-
arguments in order to support the given stance.
6. Look at the example provided in the chart for guidance.
From Fung, 2010, p. 120:

Statistics from the Department of Environmental
⽂本 Protection indicate that water and air
pollution cost the Chinese economy approximately $6.5 billion USD in 2010. Much of this
can be recovered by creating incentives for entrepreneurs to start companies and hire staff
with the mission of reducing water and air pollution. Since 2001, companies servicing the
environment have made profits of more than $10 billion USD in the United States and have
employed over 300,000 people.
From Xu, 2011, p. 5:

With the aim of reducing air pollution, the government has already created numerous
regulations to decrease the usage of coal in various parts of China.
From Li, 2012, p. 25:

Regulations aimed at controlling the use of coal have often gone ignored or given very little
importance in many parts of China.
From Smith, 2013, p. 80:

While the economy has certainly cooled off from its peak in the mid-2000s, GDP, an indicator
of economic power, is still growing at a steady pace of 8%, which is higher than most
developing countries.
From Lan, 2013, p. 90:

In 2012, the levels of employment in China slowed to 8% growth from the previous year, its
slowest growth rate in over 40 years.

From Xiao, 2013, p. 10:
What Chinese citizens need are jobs; while the environment is certainly an issue requiring
solutions, draining resources used to create jobs in order to focus on the environment could
lead to social instability from higher levels of unemployment.
Stance
Economic concerns still exist, but should focus on environment
instead of economy; helping the environment can strengthen
both the economy and the environment
Supporting arguments of Counter-arguments of this

this stance stance
I think . . .
1. From Smith, 2013: 1. From Lan, 2013:
economy still growing slowdown in growth to 8% Growth of 8%
at 8%, higher than most is slowest in 40 years seems low if you
developing countries only look at China,
but looking at
most developing
countries, it’s still
high.

Task 13
Write a cohesive and logical paragraph
You will now write a paragraph/section of a report using the information from the sources
that you just categorized. Use the stance given in the chart on page 103. You do not need
to include all of the information from the sources. Remember to:
1. include a section heading,
2. write a topic sentence,
3. use cohesive devices and strategies to achieve cohesion,
4. paraphrase or quote when necessary, and
5. synthesize when necessary.
(Write your section heading here)

Task 14
Identify academic features in a paragraph/section
Exchange your paragraph/section with a classmate and then analyze his/her paragraph/
section by answering the following questions:
1. Does the section heading summarize what the paragraph/section is about? Yes No
2. Is the section heading written in a noun phrase? Yes No
3. Does the section heading and topic sentence indicate the stance? Yes No
4. Are there examples of cohesive devices and strategies? Yes No
5. Are sources being synthesized appropriately? Yes No
Afterwards, compare the paragraph/section with the one in the answer key.
Homework
The issue of choosing more economic growth or solving environmental concerns is a

global concern that can also be narrowed into specific issues. Hence, the next speaking
tutorial topic will be chosen from a range of related topics. Form groups of five and choose
one of the following topics. Conduct some research, formulate a stance, and take notes on
your group’s chosen topic:
1. Can renewable sources of energy help both the economy and the environment in
China?
2. What should China do to help reverse global warming?
3. Should Southeast Asian countries focus on economic growth or environmental
protection? What can be done to address both concerns?
4. Who should bear the most responsibility for global warming, developed or developing
countries?

Unit 2
ACADEMIC WRITING
Task 4
Look at a student’s analysis
The following table shows an example of a student’s analysis of the essay topic:

Steps in analyzing
an assignment Application of these steps to a given topic
topic
1: Circle the directive Compare and contrast Human Capital Theory and the Capabilities
verbs and think Approach and evaluate which has a more positive impact on society.
about what they
ask you to do. Compare and contrast ask you to find similarities and differences.
Evaluate asks you to assess the two different approaches in terms

of their impact on society and consolidate your own stance.
2: Underline the Compare and contrast Human Capital Theory and the Capabilities
main content Approach and evaluate which has a more positive impact on society.
words and think
about what they Human Capital: the skills, knowledge and attributes humans
mean. possess so they can perform labour which, in turn, produces
economic value. Human Capital Theory supports the idea that
investing in humans produces positive economic returns.
Capabilities Approach: unlike Human Capital Theory, this approach

seems support the idea that we should focus investment in areas
which develop human well-being rather than economic growth.
Positive impact on society: the report will need to look at the impact
of these theories at the level of society (not just the individual) and
will need to clearly convey which theory is more positive and why.
154 Answers – Unit 2

3: Think about Use the information you generated in Steps 1 and 2 to help you
what kind of complete this step.
information you
will need to find in You will need to find:
order to complete a range of sources which define the key terms in the report topic;
the assignment.
and the Capabilities Approach;
these theories on society;
4: Develop an There is no one correct way of doing this. However, you need to
outline for the ensure that the structure of your report will help you answer the
report. assignment topic fully. Use your notes above to develop an outline
for this report. You may wish to add subheadings or reduce/increase
the number of headings given below:
Here are two possible versions of an outline:
Version 1 Version 2
1. Introduction 1. Introduction
2. Description of HCT 2. Description of HCT
3. Description of CA
4. Pros of HCT and CA studies/egs
3. Description of CA
5. Cons of HCT and CA
studies/egs
6. Conclusion 4. Conclusion
These headings will help you synthesize ideas later during the note-
taking stage of the writing process.
5: Think about what This kind of information is likely to be found in:

kind of texts
would have the
information you
need to support
your stance in an
academic way.
Task 8
Develop a note-taking style
Below is an example of a student’s notes on the following essay topic:

Answers – Unit 2 155

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Legg, M., Pat, K., Roberts, S., Welland, R., Chan, L., Chan, L., & Tsang, W. L. (2014).

Academic English: skills for success. Hong Kong University Press.

University Discussion Assessment Criteria

Criterion 1: Stance Criterion 2:

Example: It is clear and concise. This means Example:

Example: There is critical thought. This Example:

I interacted well by:

Ideas for future improvement

Introduction to features of academic writing and speaking 29

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Note-taking and paraphrasing 31

32 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

Our Millennium Development Goal:

Initiate a training programme which

Plans which develop both the economy and human well-being

an example for gender equality goal)

Note-taking and paraphrasing 33

Compare and contrast Human Capital Theory and the Capabilities

Evaluate asks you to

34 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

There is no one correct way of doing this. However, you need to

5: Think about what This kind of information is likely to be found in:

Note-taking and paraphrasing 35

The process of note-taking

This process is illustrated in the figure below:

Develop Draft Read Read

36 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

Early Version of Katie’s Notes

Note-taking and paraphrasing 37

Aid in a Globalizing World: economic or human development?

38 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

Note-taking and paraphrasing 39

2. Why are some of the

3. How are direct quotes

4. Why is there more

5. What reference details

Synthesizing 6. Are the notes grouped

7. What role do the

8. How are the

40 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

10. How is the complexity

11. Why is this important?

12. What language is

13. What language/

14. Which sections of

16. Why does the writer

Note-taking and paraphrasing 41

Subcategory # I will . . . assessment in Task 8

42 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

8. the ability to live with concern for other species

Note-taking and paraphrasing 43

their resources which would yield a positive rate of return.

When you have finished taking notes,

Katie believes that allocating aid towards human development is

Katie believes economic development is likely to be one of several

Katie offers an example to help explain the Capabilities Approach.

Katie has written a “forward-looking” conclusion.

44 Unit 2: GLOBAL ISSUES

2. Theories underpinning allocation of development aid