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Academic English

Module description

Academic English introduces you to the techniques needed to produce excellent textual analyses at a university level.  Using model essays and articles, seminar discussions, your own essay writing, and guided readings, you will learn how to close read literary texts and how to write well structured, clearly argued persuasive analytical essays. You will perform meta-criticism of successful and unsuccessful criticism, form your own ideas of what successful literary analysis consists of, and produce a portfolio of writing that culminates in an effective persuasive analysis of a text.

This module will run in term 1 for Single Honours students, i.e. those who are taking English only, and in term 2 for Combined Honours students, i.e. those who are taking English alongside another discipline.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Academic English introduces you to the techniques needed to produce excellent textual analyses at a university level.  Using model essays and articles, seminar discussions, and guided readings, you will learn how to close read literary texts and how to write well structured, clearly argued persuasive analytical essays. You will perform meta-criticism of successful and unsuccessful criticism, form your own ideas of what successful literary analysis consists of, and produce writing throughout the term that culminates in an effective persuasive analysis of a literary text. Since good writing is a skill employers prize highly, and one they believe cannot be learned on the job, this module increases chances of a successful employment history by providing you with one of the skills employers most desire.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate an awareness of the conventions and practices of studying English at undergraduate level
• 2. Demonstrate enhanced skills in close reading, research, writing and in the presentation of material in accordance with the conventions of the discipline by planning, researching, constructing and concluding an independent essay
• 3. Show an awareness of literary form, style and convention and of the relevance of historical and cultural contexts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Demonstrate a basic understanding of formal and/or thematic, and/or generic analysis of literature
• 5. Demonstrate a basic ability to analyse literature on the granular level that is the basis of any successful undergraduate literary analytical essay
• 6. Demonstrate an ability to apply key research and writing skills appropriately in relation to different projects

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 7. Through essay-writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographical skills, a capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
• 8. Through research for seminars and essays, demonstrate a proficiency in information retrieval and analysis
• 9. Through seminar discussion and essay writing, demonstrate a capacity for critical thinking, including the questioning of your own and others’ assumptions, and a willingness to engage with different philosophical viewpoints

Syllabus plan

You will learn the art and techniques of close-reading passages, applying that skill to larger literary and film texts. You will also learn the art and techniques of producing excellent persuasive essays. 

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• correct citation formulation
• successful introductions and conclusions
• practical criticism
• choosing and building evidence, assessing and deploying secondary criticism
• the basics of written grammar and punctuation

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

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

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the 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 submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

The core reading will be set by individual tutors, but seminar leaders must discuss:

• at least one model student essay (from previous years’ students)
• at least one professional critical essay
• not more than one novel-length work

Secondary Reading (a selection)

• Abrams, M.H., with Geoffrey Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Ninth ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2008.
• Babington, Doug, and Don Le Pan. The Broadview Guide to Writing, 5th ed. Buffalo: Broadview, 2010.
• Copus, Julia. Brilliant Writing Tips for Students. London: Palgrave, 2009.
• Felski, Rita. Uses of Literature. Oxford: Blackwell, 2008.
• Stebbins, Leslie. Student Guide to Research in the Digital Age: How to Locate and Evaluate Information Sources. Libraries Unlimited, 2005.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11520
  
• A digital collection of previous first-year student essays

Key words search

Academic writing. writing skill, research skills, essay writing