Waiyee Loh
Associate Professor of World Literature

Week 1. Introduction

Overview of the academic essay-writing process

Lecture slides: W1. Introduction.pptx

​

Week 2. Text

Reading: Extracts from Aw, Five Star Billionaire

Lecture slides: W2. Text.pptx

W2. Map of South and East China Seas.jpg

PDF of Five Star Billionaire extracts:  Tash Aw. Five Star Billionaire extracts.pdf

​

Week 3. Context and Criticism

Reading: Lim, “National and Diasporic Identity in Shirley Geok-lin Lim’s Among the White Moon Faces and Tash Aw’s Five Star Billionaire”

Lecture slides: W3. Context and criticism (for students).pptx

PDF of article: Lim. National and Diasporic Identity in Lim and Aw.pdf

​​

Interview with Tash Aw: Interview with Tash Aw. The Post-Colonial Novel.pdf

 

Week 4. Brainstorming

Designing a research question

Lecture slides: 

Template: 

Research question due

​

Week 5. Drafting

Beginning to answer your research question

Identifying areas for research

Lecture slides: 

​

Week 6. Doing research

Looking for appropriate sources

Lecture slides: 

Library research skills workshop: 

​

​

Template: 

Bibliography due

​

​

Week 7. Doing research

Taking notes

Lecture slides: 

Template: 

Annotated bibliography due

​

Week 8. Writing the first draft

The structure of the essay

Lecture slides: 

Template: 

Essay formatting instructions: Essay formatting instructions.pdf

First draft due

​

Week 9. Revising the first draft

Students peer-review each other's work

Identifying areas for further research

Lecture slides: 

Template: 

Peer-review worksheet due

​

​

Week 10. Writing the second draft

Doing further research

Lecture slides: 

Template: 

Second draft due

​

​

Week 11. Revising the second draft

My feedback on the second draft

Lecture slides: 

​

​

Week 12. Writing the third draft

Student consultations

Lecture slides: 

Third draft due

​

Week 13. Editing

In-text citations and the list of works cited

Lecture slides: 

Proof-reading the third draft: students peer-review each other's work

Template:

​

Week 14. Conclusion

Lecture slides: 

Submit final essay (fourth version)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​