.png "The rainbow of definitions: A spectrum of possibilities")
The rainbow of definitions: A spectrum of possibilities
As children, we used the mnemonic "Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain" to memorize the sequence of colors in a rainbow. This clever trick led us to believe that there are only seven colors. However, the truth is more nuanced. The number of colors in a rainbow is not fixed; it depends on how we define colors and varies across cultures and traditions from as few as three to infinity. The question is, where do we draw the line and which shades do we include or exclude? It all comes down to how we craft our definitions.
Writing techniques: AI vs. HI or AI with HI?
Now that the initial enthusiasm (as well as shock, denial, and bargaining 🙂) about the advent of AI has faded, we are all trying to evaluate its pros and cons and decide what AI is good for and what had better be left to HI.
AWC is big in Japan
Imagine a conference entitled “What is a writing center?” We could not miss the chance, could we? AWC’s director Svetlana Suchkova made a presentation at the 14th Symposium on Writing Centers in Asia, hosted by Hiroshima University in February 2025.
What’s in a word?
Authors writing in a foreign language are often dissatisfied with their vocabulary range. However, consider this: what does it really mean to know a word? Is it enough to know its meaning or translation?
Academic precision as a path to visibility
We are all aware that in order to communicate our research results to the global academia we have to adopt the academic register. But what does it really mean and why is it essential for increasing our credibility and visibility?
Chinese New Year in the Academic Writing Center
On January 29, as people across China, from Nanjing to Harbin, celebrated the Lunar New Year, the Academic Writing Center joined in the festivities in its own way. To honor the arrival of the Year of the Green Wooden Snake, the Center hosted a workshop "The Rise of the Asia Era: Key Features of Communication with Chinese Partners."
AWC Bus
As we approach the New Year, it’s natural to start thinking about our plans and goals. We often view January as a fresh start, a perfect opportunity to begin anew. However, before we can fully embrace “I must start doing this in January”, we must navigate through the hustle and bustle of December, where we often find ourselves saying, “I must finish this in December”.
Your ticket to the world of academic writing
19 декабря мы отправились в новогоднее путешествие, не покидая стен университета. Английский язык, академическое письмо, настольные игры и праздничное настроение стали нашими спутниками на протяжении всего маршрута.
Identity beyond accent: Harnessing cultural differences
This semester, Tatiana Skopintseva’s series of workshops on cross-cultural communication provided AWC visitors with an opportunity to discuss identity, cultural diversity, and effective communication strategies.
“I was very impressed that academic writing in English is so different from the Russian one.”
That is feedback from one of the participants’ of the course "Basics of Writing an Empirical Research Article in English." And what about you? Are you aware of the differences between the English and Russian academic writing traditions?