A GENRE ANALYSIS OF THE ACADEMIC WRITING OF FIRST-YEAR HISTORY UNDERGRADUATES IN NUS

Abstract

In order to successfully participate in the transmission of culture and the exchange of knowledge within a discourse community, awareness of the generic structures and conventions employed by the community is essential. This academic exercise examines the academic writing of first-year History undergraduates in NUS to ascertain if these students are able to successfully produce Expository writing, a genre highly valued by the academic discourse community. An analysis of the schematic structure and ideational, interpersonal and textual patterns of the History essays revealed a higher incidence of Narrative rather than Expository generic patterns. This outcome is attributed to the 'narrative' nature of the subject discipline of History and the undue emphasis placed on the writing of Narratives at the expense of Epositions in schools. The implications of this imbalance in student exposure to generic types are highlighted. The study concludes with recommendations for further research.