Use of English: advanced written skills
Code: 100232 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500245 English Studies | OB | 3 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Elisabet Pladevall Ballester
- Email:
- elisabet.pladevall@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Prerequisites
NO DIRECTED CLASSES WILL BE TAUGHT IN THIS COURSE. PLEASE TALK TO THE GRAU COORDINATOR.
The students' level of English should be C2 (proficiency) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. With a C2 level, the student can understand with little effort everything s/he reads or listens to; S/he can summarise information from different sources, reconstruct facts and arguments and present them in a coherent way; s/he can communicate fluently and with precision, being aware of subtle nuances even in complex situations.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The main objectives of this course are the following:
-Broaden the linguistic and discourse knowledge acquired in the subjects "Ús de la Llengua Anglesa I" "Ús de la Llengua Anglesa II" and implement them to the production of academic texts, in particular, to the writing of a TFG.
-Give students the necessary tools to critically analyze and evaluate academic texts, both by the student and other authors, through peer-revision and discussion groups.
-Teach students how to recognise and apply the structure and argumentative style that characterises a research article.
-Deepen on writing, referencing, quoting and editing techniques of articles of an advanced level.
-Focus on the grammatical and linguistic structures that characterise formal and academic registers in English.
-Improve the use of the English language to reach a level of C2.
Competences
- Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
- Executing in oral and written form a flexible and effective use of the English language with academic, professional and social purposes.
- Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
- Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Learning Outcomes
- Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
- Demonstrate sound knowledge of the topics within the study of Linguistics.
- Demonstrating they know English specialised and non-specialised texts of high difficulty level, and interpreting them in a critical manner.
- Drawing up brief argumentative essays in English about non-specialised topics of average difficulty.
- Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
- Issuing appropriate critical assessments based on the comprehension of relevant information about social, scientific or ethical issues related to linguistics.
- Summarising in written form the main content of an oral discourse about specialised and non-specialised topics of high level difficulty.
- Using the English language with the appropriate expression (correctness, fluency, pronunciation, communicative strategies) in formal (presentations, debates, formal interactions) and informal contexts (conversation), with a C2 level.
Content
UNIT 1: Background and Basics of Advanced Academic Writing
- Introduction to the main theories
- Introduction to practical writing tools
- Main features of academic writing
- Increasing grammar awareness in academic English
UNIT 2: Finding Your Voice in Academic Writing
- Thesis statements
- Topic sentences, subtopic sentences and supporting statements
- Paragraph structure
- Text structure, flow and cohesion
UNIT 3: Reading Critically to Write Critically
- Summarizing, rephrasing and citing:Reporting other's words
- Synthesizing multiple sources and viewpoints
- Critical reading
- Writing a review
UNIT 4: Beginings and Endings
- Abstracts
- Introductions
- Discussions
- Conclusions
UNIT 5: Zooming In and Out; From the Details to the Bigger Picture
- Editing
- Referencing
- Style Guides
- Rhetorical moves
- Genre and Discourse Analysis
Methodology
The methodology is based on:
150h autonomous work
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 25 | 1 | 3, 6, 1, 4, 7, 8 |
| Seminars | 25 | 1 | 6, 5, 1, 8 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Academic writing exercises | 25 | 1 | 6, 5, 1, 4, 7 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Doing exercises | 30 | 1.2 | 7 |
| Studying | 20 | 0.8 | 3, 6, 5, 1, 4, 7, 8 |
Assessment
-VERY IMPORTANT: Plagiarisim will immediately result in a FAIL (0) for the plagiarised exercise or the WHOLE SUBJECT (if plagiarism is repeated). PLAGIARISING consists of copying text from unacknowledged sources –whether this is part of a sentence or a whole text– with the intention of passing it off as the student’s own production. It includes cutting and pasting from internet sources, presented unmodified in the student’s own text. Plagiarising is a SERIOUS OFFENCE. Students must respect authors’ intellectual property, always identifying the sources they use; they must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own texts.
-In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
- Irregularities refer, for instance, to copying in an exam, copying from sources without indiacting authorship, or a misuse of AI such as presenting work as original that has been generated by an AI tool or programme. These evaluation activities will not be re-assessed.
-Students are required to use gender-neutral language in their written and oral productions.
-Handing in/Realising 45% of the tasks excludes the possibility of obtaining a No avaluable in the course.
-All deadlines are to be respected and late submissions will be penalized.
-All assignments must be handed in typed and printed as well as uploaded to the Moodle.
PROCEDURE FOR REVIEWING GRADES AWARDED
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES EXCLUDED FROM REASSESSMENT
The following activities are not eligible for reassessment: Writing exercises.
Students are eligible for reassessment when they have handed in two thirds of their continuous assessment and have obtained between 3.5-4.9 on the course average mark.
The maximum final mark obtained after reassessment is a 5.
Tentative calendar:
Final Exam (45%): January 2024
Writing exercises (45%): All throughout the semester
Tutorials (10%): All throughout the semester
This subject does not incorporate the single-assessment option.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Exam | 45% | 2 | 0.08 | 3, 6, 8 |
| Tutorials | 10% | 11 | 0.44 | 3, 2, 6, 5, 7, 8 |
| Writing exercises | 45% | 12 | 0.48 | 3, 6, 5, 1, 4, 7, 8 |
Bibliography
References:
Gee, James, P. (2004). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203005675
Hyland, Ken. (2011). Academic discourse. In Continuum companion to discourse analysis. Hyland, Ken. and Paltridge, Brian. (eds). 171-184
Lillis, Theresa, & Curry, Mary Jane. (2010). Academic writing in global context. London: Routledge. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=6341682115486604553&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5
Oshima, Alice & Hogue, Ann. (2007). Introduction to academic writing. New York: Pearson/Longman.
Swales, John. M., & Feak, Christine. B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students. University of Michigan Press.
Sword, Helen. (2012). Stylish academic writing. London: Harvard University Press.
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/
https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Software
Not applicable.