Transformation of Western Academic Conventions in Russia:

1. Transformation of Western Academic Conventions in Russia: a Case Study of Higher School of Economics, Faculty of Law Vera V. Meniailo, Natalia A. Tuliakova

2. Structure • Introduction: challenges • Russian vs. Western academic writing conventions • Difficulties & mistakes in academic legal writing • Conclusion: solutions

3. Introduction • NO systematic development of academic literacy of 2 systems • students ‘dual academic personality’ • i.e. • confusing & mixing Russian & Western academic conventions

4. Challenges • Academic Russian not studied enough • Generation academic gap • No unified standards • Isolation from Western academic discourse

5. English essay (250-1000w) project (~5000w) article Genres familiar to students Russian essay extended essay/project bachelor's dissertation thesis article case study monograph

6. Russian vs. Western academic papers • Introduction — Conclusion • Paragraphing • Argumentation • Author's identity

7. Difficulties & mistakes in academic legal writing (HSE) • Legalese • HSE research project topics • Project structure • Other expected revealed through questionnaire & practice

8. Legalese & ELP • Among the ESP courses, ELP has been called an argot, a dialect, a register, a style, and even a separate language by native English-speakers due to its striking features • Complex collection of linguistic habits that have developed over centuries and have been learned to be used by lawyers _______________________ Zhang Li Xin, Li Lin. ELP Teaching for the English Majors: the Feasibility, Problems and Solutions

9. HSE research project topics • Fault in Russian Contract Law • Limited Rights for Land in Russian Legislation • Tax havens: Legal Regulation in theRussian Federation and International Practices • Legal Regulation of Transmission and Distribution of Natural Gas in the European Union and the Russian Federation: Comparative Legal Analysis

10. Project structure • Introduction — Conclusion • Literature review (Russian sources) • Methodology (making meaningful) • Translating terms, Russian realias • Style & paragraphing

11. Revealed problems Inadequate use • Tutorials • HSE electronic resources • Proofreading • Successive order of writing • Translating from Russian • 2 tutors

12. Proposed solutions • co-tutorials • earlier start of academic English writing + analogous course in Russian • conference

13. References • Braine, G. 2002. Academic literacy and the nonnative speaker graduate student Journal of English for Academic Purposes 1: 59–68. • Day, J. 2011. International Legal English. 2nd edition. Teacher’s Book. • Gotti, M. 2012. Cross-Cultural Aspects of Academic Discourse Brno Studies in English 2(38) • Hutchings, C. 2006. Reaching Students: Lessons from a Writing Centre Higher Education Research & Development 25(3): 247-261. • McCormack, J. and Slaght, J. 2009. Extended Writing and Research Skills. • McKay, J. & Devlin, M. 2014. ‘Uni has a different language … to the real world’: demystifying academic culture and discourse for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds Higher Education Research & Development 5(33): 949-961. • Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. 2006. Writing Academic English. Level Four. 4th edition. • Scherbakova, I. O.2014. Akademicheskaya kul’tura I yeyo mesto v akademicheskom razvitii lichnosti v sovremennom obrazovatel’nom prostranstve. In Homo Loquens: Aktual’nye voprosy lingvistiki I metodiki prepodavaniya inostrannykh yazykov, 461-471. • Sowton, Ch. 2012. 50 Steps to Improving your Academic Writing. Study Book. • Tiersma, P. 1999. The Legal English. • Williams, Ch. 2004. Legal English and Plain Language: an introduction ESP Across Cultures 1(2004): 111-124.