During our first week in this Academic Writing course, the assigned reading of Unit One in Swales and Feak's Academic Writing for Graduate Students framed writing as a sort of performance for a specified audience, for whom the writer develops an “author persona” (2).

As we, as students, navigate the realm of academic communication, we must position ourselves appropriately when we write, both for the academy and for the general public as well. In either case, Swales and Feak consider this positioning as “the means by which you create in writing a credible image as a competent member of your chosen discipline” (1).

Works Cited:

Swales, John M., and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students, 3rd Edition, The University of Michigan Press, 2012.

Athabasca University. Academic Writing-Grad Studies. Course materials, MA-IS 606, Athabasca University, 2025. Brightspace.

Welcome to Episode 1!

Follow along my journey to a Master or Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies through Athabasca University. I am starting with a course on how to write for the Academy as a Graduate Student. One of my first assignments was to start a blog! My blog on 'The Landing' inspired this podcast.

In our quest to position ourselves as knowledgeable academic writers (in our own areas of study), we must consider perspectives other than our own. By accessing the knowledge and experience of those in mentorship positions, we gain a deeper understanding of topics ranging from academic integrity to research methods, to our readers and their perspectives. 

Work Cited: Atenas, Javiera, et al. “A conceptual approach to transform and enhance academic mentorship: Through open educational practices.” Open Praxis, vol. 15, no. 4, 2023, pp. 271–287, https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.15.4.595.