DGA008 English for academic purposes

Faculty of Education
autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Daniel Gerrard, M.A. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Radim Herout
Language Centre, Faculty of Education Division – Faculty Branches of University Departments – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jitka Autratová
Supplier department: Language Centre, Faculty of Education Division – Language Centre
Timetable of Seminar Groups
DGA008/01: Thu 10:00–11:50 učebna 59, D. Gerrard
Prerequisites
Students enrolling in the course are expected to have reached the minimum CEFR level of B2.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The Level C1 course is intended for doctoral students at the Faculty of Education (with the exception of students of the Didactics of a Foreign Language study programme). The course develops all four language skills (speaking, writing, listening comprehension and reading comprehension) while putting a special emphasis on genre-based academic writing and speaking. In developing writing skills, attention is paid to the academic writing style, writing an effective abstract/summary, expressing particualr communicative functions(evaluation, argumentation, comparison, contrast, etc.) and ppt presentation preparation. In terms of developing speaking abilities, instruction focuses on academic discussion and presentation of the dissertation research project. The course design incorporates principles of collaborative learning, which are put into action in providing constructive feedback and in tasks involving critical thinking. Finally, students will acquire general academic vocabulary and concepts needed for metadiscussion of the above-mentioned academic skills and principles.
Learning outcomes
C1 student can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Syllabus
  • SESSION 1: Course introduction (syllabus, organisation, requirements). Giving biographical information. Introduction to academic writing: key features of academic writing; types of academic texts (academic genres); audience; purpose; academic and non-academic style. SESSION 2: The writing process: pre-writing strategies; drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, receiving peer-feedback. Clarity and accuracy of expression in academic writing. Language of definitions. SESSION 3: Degree of formality in academic writing. Personal and impersonal style in academic writing. Language of classification. SESSION 4: Degrees of certainty in academic writing: categorical and cautious statement; expressing uncertainty in academic writing. Language of generalisation/hedging. SESSION 5: Achieving logic and flow in academic writing. Unity. Coherence. Cohesion. Types of cohesive devices. Expressing logico-semantic relations: addition, comparison, contrast, cause and effect. SESSION 6: Types of academic articles. Writing an academic article: genre expectations (structure; section headings; sections; consistency; referring to visuals; useful language). Economy of expression in academic writing. SESSION 7: Writing an abstract for an academic article. Constructing an effective title. Useful phrases for an academic article opening and conclusion. SESSION 8: Giving credit to other writers: quoting/paraphrasing/summarising. Useful language. References. Format and citation styles. Giving peer-feedback on academic writing. SESSION 9: The language of presentation and presentations skills. Verbal and non-verbal communication. Preparing a ppt presentation. Delivering a paper/poster presentation. Week 10 - 13: Independent work on the written assignment and providing peer feedback.
Literature
    required literature
  • Study material posted in the course folder in the MU Information System.
    recommended literature
  • 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
  • Certificate in Advanced English. Cambridge University Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-521-71443-3
  • 3. Cambridge IELTS with answers. Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-54462-7.
  • 1. Cullen, Pauline. Vocabulary for IELTS. Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-70975-0
    not specified
  • DE CHAZAL, Edward and Julie MOORE. Oxford EAP : a course in English for academic purposes. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, 239 s. ISBN 9780194001793. info
  • DE CHAZAL, Edward and Sam MCCARTER. Oxford EAP : a course in English for academic purposes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, 152 s. ISBN 9780194001786. info
  • www.macmillandictionary.com
Teaching methods
Pair work, group work, class work, language noticing, text analysis and deconstruction, role plays, discussions, presentations, providing peer feedback, etc.
Assessment methods
Credit requirements: 1 Active participation in course sessions. A minimum of four sessions depending on individual preferences of each student is required. 2 Completed ROPOT quizzes/”Odpovědníky” (useful language, common errors, etc.) in MUNI.CZ – 65% passmark (each quiz). A minimum of six quizzes depending on individual preferences is required. 3 Written exam. 4 Oral exam. 5 Meeting the deadlines. WRITTEN EXAM: Standard credit requirement: Submission of an extended abstract of a PhD thesis/dissertation work theses or a dissertation work proposal (the preferred type should reflect student's stage of study). The text will have between 1000―1500 words. The required writing process: Draft 1 – Peer-feedback (reviewing two drafts) – Draft 2. Alternative credit requirements: 1) Submission of a text the student has published (or that has been accepted to be published) in a peer-reviewed* academic journal (the student needs to be the text's only author). *The peer-review needs to involve receiving and incorporating feedback from at least two external reviewers. OR 2) Submission of a C1/C2 CEFR level specialist or academic (not general) English certificate. The above documents must be submitted to the course instructor by 5 January 2019. ORAL EXAM: Standard credit requirement: A presentation (10 minutes) in front of a specialist audience (e.g. doctoral students attending the RCSZ_AJC1 course and the examiner) followed by a discussion (10 minutes). Dissertation supervisors and consultants are welcome. Alternative credit requirements: 1) A certificate/confirmation that the student has presented a paper (not a poster) in English at an international conference. (Tandem presentations are not accepted.) OR 2) A C1/C2 CEFR level specialist or academic English certificate. The above documents must be submitted to the course instructor by 5 January 2019.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Information on completion of the course: Zkouška podle podmínek pro doktorské studium MU.
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught each semester.
General note: Kurz je určen pro studenty doktorského studia PdF MU.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Kurz je určen pro studenty doktorského studia na PdF MU.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Autumn 2021, Spring 2022, Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (autumn 2020, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2020/DGA008