This module will familiarise you with the generic academic literacy and communication skills and conventions sufficient to cope with independent study at undergraduate level. You will be able to convey information in an appropriate academic style, on familiar academic topics, and structured appropriately to the genre. You will learn a range of skills and strategies to engage in spoken academic interaction, to deliver academic presentations, to follow the argument of lectures and written texts and make meaningful notes, to become more effective readers and to cope with written assignments at undergraduate level.
Outline Syllabus
Grammar - review of grammatical features of academic language; the construction of complex sentences through an understanding of e.g. a range of rhetorical patterns, relative clauses and discourse markers.
Skills to support the independent learning of key vocabulary and an understanding of the lexico-grammatical nature of language.
Academic listening skills for predicting, note-taking, interacting and listening to lectures and presentations.
Academic speaking skills for expressing ideas, interacting with others and presenting information; awareness of the stylistic features of English required to support ability in these skills.
A range of strategies for fast and effective reading such as prediction, surveying, skimming, scanning, speed-reading, word-attack skills and discriminating main from supporting points; ability to evaluate and use sources and take notes.
Academic writing skills for paraphrasing, summarising, referencing using sources, developing an argument and organising academic writing.