Academic Writing: Theory and Practice

Abstract

In this paper I attempt to locate the study of academic writing in the broader field of Literacies as Social Practice. I begin with a brief summary of recent theories of Literacies as Social Practice and then recount some of the ethnographic methods for studying these. I then discuss the application of these concepts to academic writing in Higher education, including university, not just school and support for teachers as well as students. This involves notions of ‘academic language and literacies’ and I cite a paper on this entitled ‘modelling for diversity’ based on a research project in London, including issues of how English language is addressed, and the complexity involved in the diversity currently evident (Leung & Street, 2014). I conclude by drawing out some of the implications of this work for both theory and practice.