CJVA101 Academic English with a Focus on Writing

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
CJVA101/01: Wed 11:30–13:00 U36, F. Hanzelka
CJVA101/02: Wed 15:15–16:45 U36, D. Straková
CJVA101/03: Mon 13:30–15:00 U44, D. Straková
CJVA101/04: No timetable has been entered into IS. F. Hanzelka
CJVA101/05: No timetable has been entered into IS. F. Hanzelka
Prerequisites
FAKULTA ( FSS ) && TYP_STUDIA ( BMN )&& PdF:ADAPT_AJ Adaptive Test || ADAPT_B2 Adaptivní test B2 || FF:ADAPT_B2 Adaptivní test B2
Passing PdF:ADAPT_AJ Adaptivní test Aj with the result indicating that you are on the B1 level or higher (https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1441/podzim2016/ADAPT_AJ/index.qwarp)
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/70, only registered: 0/70, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/70
Course objectives
In this course, students analyse characteristics of written and spoken academic texts, develop awareness of academic culture and learn to avoid plagiarism. From taking notes, group discussion to writing references and paraphrasing texts, the students are presented with a wealth of practice opportunities to enhance all academic skills.
Particular attention is paid to writing: by the end of the course, students should be able to produce academic texts at upper-intermediate level of good quality in terms of style and structure. With regard to reading, they should be able to use sophisticated strategies to help them understand abstract academic texts and interpret logical relations between parts of a coherent academic text.
Syllabus
  • • Week 1. the English paragraph: the topic sentence, the T-E-E structure, coherence; identifying the main idea in a paragraph; small talk role play: at a conference
  • • Week 2. sentence connectors and linking words
  • • Week 3. signposting language, linking parts of presentation together; presenting a physical object using signposting language
  • • Week 4. written academic style, formal vs. informal register; transformations of short texts
  • • Week 5. writing summaries for different purposes, paraphrasing, interpreting the stance of the author
  • • Week 6. the news lead; the KWL method, note-taking; complex structure of academic writing: nominalization
  • • Week 7. the academic debate: critical thinking, supporting an argument with evidence, refuting an argument, spotting fallacies, speaking coherently; the passives
  • • Week 8. writing abstracts: identifying rhetorical moves in abstracts
  • • Week 9. reading and comparing abstracts, introductions and conclusions
  • • Week 10. language for presenting charts and graphs; statistics, types of charts and graphs
  • • Week 11. recognizing plagiarism, working with bibliography, referencing, different referencing styles
Literature
  • HEWINGS, Martin and Craig THAINE. Cambridge academic English : an integrated skills course for EAP.. Online. Edited by Michael McCarthy. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 176 stran. ISBN 9780521165242. [citováno 2024-04-23] info
  • HEWINGS, Martin. Cambridge academic English : an integrated skills course for EAP : student's book : upper intermediate. Online. Edited by Michael McCarthy. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 176 stran. ISBN 9780521165204. [citováno 2024-04-23] info
  • 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). Online. Praha: Grada, 2011. 224 pp. ISBN 978-80-247-3577-1. [citováno 2024-04-23] info
  • MCCARTHY, Michael and Felicity O'DELL. Academic vocabulary in use. Online. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 176 stran. ISBN 9780521689397. [citováno 2024-04-23] info
Teaching methods
student-centered interactive activities, debates, discussions, online work, individual work, reading assigned materials, presentations
Assessment methods
1) Active participation at 70% of the lessons during the semester.
2) Continuous homework preparation for classes with approximately four or five smaller written assignments (30 points)
3) (to be handed in in the latter half of the teaching period) A summary and critique of a research article or a book chapter. (30 points)
4) (to take place in the exam period) Giving a 3-4 minute academic presentation of the research article followed by an interactive discussion. (25 points)
5) (to be taken in the last week of the teaching part of the semester or the exam period) A summary of a segment of a lecture (15 points)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
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/CJVA101