CJVA401 Academic Writing and Other Study Skills

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2016
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Filip Hanzelka (lecturer)
Mgr. Dana Straková (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Dana Plíšková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Filip Hanzelka
Language Centre Faculty of Social Studies Division – Language Centre
Contact Person: Mgr. Filip Hanzelka
Supplier department: Language Centre Faculty of Social Studies Division – Language Centre
Timetable of Seminar Groups
CJVA401/02: Tue 13:30–15:00 U36, F. Hanzelka
CJVA401/04: Wed 17:00–18:30 U36, F. Hanzelka
Prerequisites
FAKULTA(FSS) &&TYP_STUDIA(MN)&& ADAPT_B2 Adaptivní test B2 || FF:ADAPT_B2 Adaptivní test B2
Passing ADAPT_B2 Adaptivní test B2 with the result indicating that you are on the B2 level or higher.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 45 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/45, only registered: 0/45, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/45
Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to
a/ use strategies to make their academic texts coherent and logically structured
b/ summarize texts effectively, accurately interpreting the author's argument and stance
c/ identify and effectively use five rhetorical moves in abstracts
d/ identify various functions in different sections of academic texts
e/ produce more academic texts, utilizing multiple linguistic strategies s.a. nominalisation, passivisation, hedging and using complex noun phrases and gender-neutral language

Apart from academic writing exercises, students will also be given many opportunities to practice their reading, speaking and listening skills through intensive pair and group discussions and analyses in classes and through individual work both in class and at home.
Syllabus
  • W1 topic sentence, paragraph structure
  • W2 sentence connectors, organizing information in sentences; introducing research to different audiences G&V: problem words, classifying phrases, problem-solution phrases, word order in as-clauses
  • W3 note-taking, summarizing; in-text references, reference lists, choosing between paraphrase and quotation
  • W4+5 reasons for referencing, quotation conventions, summarizing multiple sources, using primary and secondary sources, using evidence G&V: using gender-neutral language, complex conjunctions, complex prepositions, items in list, ‘being’
  • W6+7 essay writing: different types of essays, understanding essay instructions G&V: subject-verb agreement, tense choice in reporting verbs, punctuation: colons and semi-colons
  • W8+9: writing up research: abstracts G&V: complex noun phrases, producing compound nouns, as-clauses, ‘of which’
  • W10 writing up research: an introduction G&V: complex noun phrases II, classifying nouns, compound adjectives
  • W11 writing up research: methodology G&V: irregular plural nouns, it-clauses, word families
  • W12 writing up research: results; reading and reporting graphs and charts G&V: Collocations, hedges, problem words: tendency, trend, tend; comparing results
  • W13 writing up research: the discussion section
Literature
  • HEWINGS, Martin and Craig Thaine. Cambridge academic English :an integrated skills course for EAP : student's book : advanced. Course Consultant: Michael McCarthy. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 176 s. ISBN 9780521165211.
  • ŠTĚPÁNEK, Libor, Janice DE HAAFF, Alena HRADILOVÁ and David SCHÜLLER. Academic English – Akademická angličtina: Průvodce anglickým jazykem pro studenty, akademiky a vědce (Academic English: a guide for students, academics and scientists). Praha: Grada, 2011, 224 pp. ISBN 978-80-247-3577-1. info
  • MCCARTHY, Michael and Felicity O'DELL. Academic vocabulary in use. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, 176 stran. ISBN 9780521689397. info
Teaching methods
pair and class discussions and analyses
individual (writing) homework exercises
peer review
using corpora
Assessment methods
Regular attendance (3 absences allowed)
Continuous assessment (five tasks in the IS Odevzdavarna, e.g. reworking one's position paper or another academic text): 30 points
Argumentative essay (1200-1500 words) using one written source and one lecture (35 points) followed by a presentation and discussion (35 points)
Language of instruction
English
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
The course is taught each semester.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2017, Autumn 2017, Spring 2018, Autumn 2018, Spring 2019, Autumn 2019, Spring 2020, Autumn 2020, Spring 2021, Autumn 2021, Spring 2022, Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2016, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2016/CJVA401