Academic Advice in Social Sciences
Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students in Social Sciences can make an appointment or come to a class with the Effective Learning Adviser for the College (or his Graduate Teaching Assistants) to talk about anything related to their academic work. Common topics include:
- academic writing (essays, dissertations, research proposals)
- argumentation
- engagement with literature, referencing and using/critiquing sources
- time and project management
- effective, evidence-based study and revision methods
Dr Aleix Tura Vecino
Effective Learning Adviser (College of Social Sciences)
Class Timetables
Live Classes (Semester 1)
Essay Writing (for Arts & Humanities and SocSci Students)
Our Essay Writing course is designed to give you a step-by-step guide on how to write a successful essay in the Social Sciences or the Arts & Humanities. This course will run once in Semester 1 and again in Semester 2.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides and any recordings) https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=10314
| Date | Time | Class | Class Description | Location |
| Thursday 2nd October | 12:00-13:00 | ILOs & Essay Questions | This class covers the importance of Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and how to deconstruct and interpret essay questions. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 9th October | 12:00-13:00 | Planning Your Essay | This class explores how to create an effective plan to write your essay assignments successfully. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 16th October | 12:00-13:00 | Researching Your Essay for the Social Sciences |
This class focuses on how to identify and review academic literature for your essay specifically in the Social Sciences. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 23rd October | 12:00-13:00 | Researching Your Essay for the Arts & Humanities |
This class focuses on how to identify and review academic literature for your essay specifically in the Arts & Humanities. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 30th October | 12:00-13:00 | Building Your Essay's Argument | This class discusses what we understand by an argument, what are its main distinctive features. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 6th November | 12:00-13:00 | Structuring Your Essay | This class explores different ways to structure your essay to make sure it is organised around a central and coherent argument. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 13th November | 12:00-13:00 | Editing Your Essay | This class focuses on the editorial process: how to go from a first draft to the final submission. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Thursday 20th November | 12:00-13:00 | Referencing | This class discusses why we reference in academia and how to reference your essay adequately. | Kelvin, 222 Lecture Theatre |
| Monday 24th November | 12:00-13:00 | Researching your Essay | This class focuses on how to identify and review academic literature for your essay. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Tuesday 25th November | 12:00-13:00 | Planning your Essay | This class explores how to create an effective plan to write your essay assignments successfully. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Wednesday 26th November | 12:00-13:00 | Building Your Essay's Argument |
This class discusses what we understand by an argument, what are its main distinctive features. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Thursday 27th November | 12:00-13:00 | Structuring your Essay | This class explores different ways to structure your essay to make sure it is organised around a central and coherent argument. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Friday 28th November | 12:00-13:00 | Editing & Referencing Your Essay | This class focuses on the referencing and editorial process: how to go from a first draft to the final submission. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
Advanced Criticality (for Arts & Humanities and SocSci Students)
This course covers what do we mean by being critical in your academic work, a key skill in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences. The course introduces you to the key strategies to becoming a critical reader and writer. This course will run twice in Semester 1.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides and any recordings) - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=24318
| Date | Time | Class | Class Description | Room No. (in-person class)/ Zoom Link (online class) |
| Tuesday 30th September | 13:00-14:00 | Critical Reading | What does it mean to be critical and how can we foster critical reading when we are researching our assignments or engaging with course materials? | 42 Bute Gardens: 916 LT |
| Tuesday 7th October | 13:00-14:00 | Writing Critically about Literature | How can we adopt a critical attitude not only when we read but also when we write about academic literature in our assignments? | 42 Bute Gardens: 916 LT |
| Tuesday 14th October | 13:00-14:00 | Using Theory | This class focuses on the purpose of theory in the Arts & Humanities and the Social Sciences, and how to use it in your writing to enhance criticality. | 42 Bute Gardens: 916 LT |
| Tuesday 21st October | 13:00-14:00 | Criticality in Argumentation | What are the key elements of a critical argument and how can you make sure you include them in your writing? | 42 Bute Gardens: 916 LT |
| Tuesday 28th October | 13:00-14:00 | Reflection | How can you use reflection as a critical tool both in your studying and in your writing? | 42 Bute Gardens: 916 LT |
| Tuesday 11th November | 13:00-14:00 | Critical Reading (repeat) | This class discusses defining the scope of your research question, critically reviewing your reading, and synthesising your research. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Tuesday 18th November | 13:00-14:00 | Writing Critically about Literature (repeat) | This class explains the purpose of evidence and how to employ it in your assignments. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Tuesday 25th November | 13:00-14:00 | Using Theory (repeat) | This class focuses on the purpose of theory in the Arts & Humanities and the Social Sciences, and how to use it in your writing. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Tuesday 2nd December | 13:00-14:00 | Criticality in Argumentation (repeat) | This class discusses what is argumentation, its purpose in academia, and what are some of its defining elements. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
| Tuesday 9th December | 13:00-14:00 | Reflection (repeat) | This class explores the different levels of argumentation in written assignments and how to build a coherent and cohesive argumentative piece of writing. | Online (Zoom link on course Moodle) |
Dissertation Classes: Arts & Humanities/SocSci - Part I (In-Person)
This course walks you through the process of writing a dissertation for the Arts & Humanities or the Social Sciences. It consists of a combination of lectures and workshops where you will have a chance to practice the skills you learn. This series is timed to support undergraduate dissertation writing, but postgraduate students are welcome and will find classes useful.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides and any recordings) - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=12843
| Date | Time | Class | Class Description | Location |
| Tuesday 11th November | 12:00-13:00 | Succeeding in Your Dissertation | This class introduces you to the Dissertation as a project and outlines some key strategies to succeed in its completion. | McIntyre, 201 Flat Hall |
| Tuesday 18th November | 12:00-13:00 | Organising Your Research | This class explains what it means to create a research space for your Dissertation and discusses how to organise your research. | McIntyre, 201 Flat Hall |
| Tuesday 25th November | 12:00-13:00 | Managing Your Research Project | This class introduces you to some strategies to manage your time and research to make sure you make progress at an adequate pace with your dissertation. | McIntyre, 201 Flat Hall |
| Friday 28th November | 11:00-12:00 | Workshop: Managing Your Research Project (sign-up in advance) | This workshop will allow you to test some strategies and tools to manage your dissertation research and the timeline of your project. | Click here to sign up (Moodle login required) |
Dissertation Writing for International Students (In-person)
This particular course will be led by the team of Effective Learning Advisers for International Students.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides and any recordings) - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=15181
| Date | Time | Class | Class Description | Location |
| Tuesday 24th June | 11:00-12:00 | Reading for your Dissertation | This class explores strategies for selecting and completing reading for your dissertation. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
| Wednesday 25th June | 11:00-12:00 | Being Critical of Literature | This class discusses how to write about academic literature in a critical and analytical way in your literature review. | Davidson Building, 208: Mian Lecture Theatre |
| Tuesday 1st July | 11:00-12:00 | Writing about Methodology | This class discusses how efffectively to plan and write the methods/methodology section in your dissertation. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
| Wednesday 2nd July | 11:00-12:00 | Writing about Data and Findings | This class discusses writing about data and findings in your dissertation and osme elements of presenting data in graphs and figures. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
| Tuesday 8th July | 11:00-12:00 | Writing a Discussion Chapter | This class explores the aims and writing of the discussion section/analytical sections in your dissertation. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
| Wednesday 9th July | 11:00-12:00 | Writing an Introduction Chapter | This class discusses dissertation introductions, including the aims, what to include, and what academic markers will expect. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
| Tuesday 15th July | 11:00-12:00 | Writing a Conclusion Chapter | This class explores dissertation conclusions, including the aims, what to include, and what academic markers will expect. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
| Wednesday 16th July | 11:00-12:00 | Writing a Dissertation Abstract | This class discusses dissertation abstracts, including the aims, what to include, and what academic markers will expect. | Davidson Building, 208: Main Lecture Theatre |
Introduction to Statistics (for any UofG Student)
This series is for any student who will be working with data as part of their assignments, project, or dissertation. It will cover some fundamental concepts in statistics as well as how to use R Studio, a widely used statistical environment, to perform and present analyses. This particular course will be led by the Statistics Adviser.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides) - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=19841
| Date & Time | Title | Description | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wed 1st Oct |
Introduction to R - Part 1 | This first session introduces some of the basic functionality of R Studio. Bring your laptop with you to follow along! | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 8th Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Introduction to R - Part 2 | In the second session of this series, we will become more comfortable with R Studio and use it to create impactful graphs and predictive models. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Thu 9th Oct 11:00-12:00 | Introduction to R (online version) | Combined version of the first two sessions which will provide an introduction to R Studio. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
| Wed 15th Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Descriptive Statistics | The third session in this series looks at what information we can draw immediately from our data, while still painting a more complete picture than a simple average. We will cover measures of central tendencies, dispersion, and position. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
|
Thu 16th Oct 11:00-12:00 |
Descriptive Statistics (online repeat) | Online repeat of the above session. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
| Wed 22nd Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Probabilty | To certainly give students a better chance of answering the question "how likely was that?", our fourth session covers the basic rules of probability, as well as both discrete and continuous probability distributions. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Thu 23rd Oct 11:00-12:00 | Probabilty (online repeat) | Online repeat of the above session. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
| Wed 29th Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Hypothesis Testing | This fifth session will cover hypothesis testing, which is used to draw conclusions about a whole population from a sample of data, e.g. how can news outlets call an election with only a fraction of the votes tallied? We will discuss how to choose the null and alternative hypothesis, and which distributions to use. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Thu 30th Oct 11:00-12:00 | Hypothesis Testing (online repeat) | Online repeat of the above session. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
| Wed 5th Nov 13:00 - 14:00 |
Simple and Multiple Linear Regression | This sixth session will discuss the relationship, or more precisely the correlation, between variables, and how to describe these relationships using simple and multiple linear regression. We will use R to generate a best fit line to pairwise ordered data, and then also generate a more complex linear model. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Thu 6th Nov 11:00-12:00 | Simple and Multiple Linear Regression (online repeat) | Online repeat of the above session. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
| Wed 12th Nov 13:00 - 14:00 |
Logistic and Multinomial Regression | Does the amount of time a student spends studying increase the probability of passing their course, and if so, what’s my probability of passing if I spend x hours studying? This session will show how this can be answered using logistic regression, and how this can be implemented in R. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Thu 13th Nov 11:00-12:00 | Logistic and Multinomial Regression (online repeat) | Online repeat of the above session. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
| Wed 19th Nov 13:00 - 14:00 |
Flexible Regression | Sometimes a linear model won’t be appropriate to model the data we have and we have to instead use a flexible yet smooth curve. The last of our sessions will show how to create a flexible regression model using the R package “mgcv”. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Thu 20th Nov 11:00-12:00 | Flexible Regression (online repeat) | Online repeat of the above session. |
Meeting ID: 881 2509 4862 |
Pre-recorded Classes and Online Materials
These classes offer a mix of online materials and resources you can work through at your own pace. Some are classes held in the previous semester. All contain useful resources, including some recordings of past live classes. Check back regularly for updates.
Dissertation Classes: Arts & Humanities and SocSci PGT (Online)
This course walks you through the process of writing a dissertation for the Arts & Humanities or the Social Sciences. This is aimed at PGT, but all students are welcome. This course meets in person in June, then repeats online in July.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides and any recordings) -https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=10313
| Monday 7th July | 13:00-14:00 | Succeeding in Your Dissertation | This class introduces advanced academic research and writing approaches and tools to get you started on a successful dissertation project. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Tuesday 8th July | 13:00-14:00 | Organising Your Research | This class discusses how to work with sources for your research. It outlines different strategies to scope, critically review and map the literature or data relating to your research question. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Wednesday 9th July | 13:00-14:00 | Writing Your Literature Review | This class focuses on the literature review: what is it and what purpose serves in your dissertation. It also discusses how your literature review should link to your methodology. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Thursday 10th July | 13:00-14:00 | Using Theory and Writing About Methodology | This class discusses what is a methodology, the difference between methodology and methods, how to justify your methodological approach and using theory as a methodological tool. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Friday 11th July | 13:00-14:00 | Developing Your Dissertation's Argument | This class explains how to construct a convincing argument that successfully answers your research question. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Monday 14th July | 13:00-14:00 | Your Dissertation's Structure | This class explores how to link the different chapters of your dissertation together to ensure your thesis is coherent and cohesive. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Tuesday 15th July | 13:00-14:00 | Editing Your Dissertation | This class discusses how to effectively edit and proofread your dissertation, with tips on how to prepare the dissertation document for submission. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
| Wednesday 16th July | 13:00-14:00 | Referencing and Academic Integrity | This class introduces the principles of academic integrity and discusses how to properly reference your dissertation so that it adheres to these principles. | Online (click here to join the Zoom) |
Appointments
Undergraduate and PGT students can make an appointment with one of the advising team (GUID required). The booking diary shows appointments available in the next 21 days only.
Dr Aleix Tura Vecino
Aleix Tura Vecino is the Effective Learning Adviser for the College of Social Sciences. He works with students from all five Schools in the College in classes, workshops, individual appointments and creating online resources to develop academic literacies, including critical reading and writing, independent and active learning, and good academic practice, among others. He is also a member of the organising committee for Let's Talk About [X], the University of Glasgow's annual undergraduate research conference.
Aleix has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Stirling (2020) and, prior to working in SLD, taught in the English Departments of the Universities of Stirling and Glasgow (2018-2022). Aleix's research looks at short fiction and discourses of identity, exploring the ways in which we construct who we and others are through stories. He has published book chapters and critical articles on this topic in various academic journals.
Teaching Requests
Aleix currently lectures on undergraduate and postgraduate degrees across the College of Social Sciences.
To find out what teaching he can offer on your course, get in touch via email.
Aleix.turavecino@glasgow.ac.uk
Room 308
McMillan Reading Room
University Avenue
University of Glasgow
G12 8QQ