A Philosophical Approach to Perceptions of Academic Writing Practices in Higher Education: Through a Glass Darkly

This book takes a philosophical approach to the question ‘what is academic writing?’ and specifically explores the question of how academic writing and writing development can be better understood and developed by lecturers in higher education.

It examines how a number of interconnected and interdisciplinary political, linguistic, discursive, ontological and epistemological frameworks can be used to inform a ‘post-qualitative’ approach for research into higher education academic writing practices, employing a Bourdusian/ Deluzean inspired approach. Using lecturers’ own perceptions and experiences of academic writing, and treating them as part of a ‘professional academic writing in higher education habitus’, the book illustrates and analyses a number of ideas and concepts through a broadly post-qualitative paradigm. It also offers a number of innovative academic writing and writing development practices.

Offering an in-depth discussion into how lecturers might better negotiate academic writing practices and use their own academic writing experiences to develop students’ writing, this book will be highly relevant to academics, scholars and post-graduate students working in higher education.

Amanda French is a Reader in teaching and learning at the School of Education and Social Work, Birmingham City University, UK.