Description

Graduate Academic English

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

This module is designed to develop your English and study skills to ensure that you are well equipped for your postgraduate studies. You will improve your ability to use English appropriately for your academic studies and you will also develop your academic study skills. A variety of assessment methods are used, preparing you for the assessment strategies commonly used in UK Higher Education. The module will develop your core linguistic skills of academic writing, critical reading, speaking and listening.

Module aims - intentions of the module

You will learn and practise the skills necessary to cope with the language of academic texts, with a focus on developing your critical reading skills. You will work with different genres of written text and learn how to write different text types.  You will learn how to find suitable sources for your academic work and how to reference these correctly.  You will develop your speaking and listening skills so that you can engage with lecture content and take effective notes, communicate your message coherently in presentations and participate successfully in seminars.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an ability to use and understand the main language structures of English with ease and fluency
• 2. Demonstrate productive and receptive use of the core general academic vocabulary and an active vocabulary in your subject modules
• 3. Demonstrate understanding of a wide range of demanding, longer tests (oral and/or written) and recognise implicit meaning in a variety of text types
• 4. Produce clear, well-structured, oral and/or written text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices
• 5. Express yourself with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with English speakers possible without strain

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Communicate orally and in writing to follow a course of academic study at university level

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Collect appropriate data and information from a range of sources
• 8. Develop and practise relevant academic skills (e.g. presentations/taking part in seminars) using online platforms

Syllabus plan

Syllabus plan

Written Language Skills

• Writing processes (e.g. generating ideas; planning and organisation; revision skills etc.)
• Language of academic texts (grammar and sentence structure, academic style and vocabulary); different genres of writing (e.g. description, argument, academic reports) and reading (eg journal articles, research articles, online material)
• Use of source references in academic writing, including correct use of in-text referencing; compiling lists of references according to the APA conventions.
• Reading comprehension skills and strategies
• Critical reading
• Academic study skills (including notetaking; use of paraphrase, summary, quotation; synthesising sources)
• Research skills. Finding suitable sources and evaluating them for their relevance and academic credibility.

Listening and Speaking Skills:

• Listening to a variety of text types and developing effective note-taking
• Developing skills to orally summarise content, evaluate and critically respond
• Using the above skills to take part effectively in a seminar.
• Developing skills to research a topic and present material effectively with clarity and coherence.

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Assessment

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral– if you miss an assessment for reasons judged legitimate by the Mitigation Committee, the applicable assessment will normally be deferred. See ‘Details of reassessment’ for the form that assessment usually takes. When deferral occurs, there is ordinarily no change to the overall weighting of that assessment.

Referral– if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to take a re-sit exam and re-submission. Only your performance in this exam will count towards your final module grade. A grade of 40% will be awarded if the examination is passed.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Dictionary e.g.:

• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. (New Ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

Grammar practice book such as:

• Paterson, K. (2013). Oxford Grammar for EAP. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

English language; study skills; pre-masters programme