JAF03 English for Physicists III

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2018
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Agnieszka Suchomelová-Polomska, M.A. (lecturer)
Mgr. Eva Čoupková, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Štěpánka Dillingerová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Daniela Dlabolová (assistant)
Bc. Mgr. Petra Chládková (assistant)
Mgr. Kateřina Martiníková, Ph.D. (assistant)
PhDr. Hana Němcová (assistant)
Mgr. Monika Ševečková, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Daniela Veškrnová (assistant)
Mgr. Jitka Žváčková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Agnieszka Suchomelová-Polomska, M.A.
Language Centre, Faculty of Science Division – Language Centre
Contact Person: Lenka Pavlíková
Supplier department: Language Centre, Faculty of Science Division – Language Centre
Timetable of Seminar Groups
JAF03/01: Mon 17. 9. to Fri 14. 12. Mon 13:00–14:50 C15/227, A. Suchomelová-Polomska
Prerequisites
The knowledge of English at B1+ level of CEFR, English for Specific Purposes.
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 aim of JAF03 course is:
-to raise students‘ awareness of modern trends and practices among members of specific discourse communities (introducing language in the context of typical genres, practising those genres)
-to practise and extend academic vocabulary and basic specialized vocabulary in physical context (e.g.: academic CV and cover letter for field-related jobs, job interview, poster presentation, ethics in science, nuclear physics and radioactivity, generating electricity, waves and vibrations, sound and hearing phenomena)
-to practise language skills and functions typical for natural sciences (e.g. process description, cause-effect, argumentation: persuasive/balanced, analysing: comparing/contrasting, evaluating, etc.) which the students will be able to apply to a narrower/more specific context of their specializations (transferrable skills)
-to practise academic skills, e.g.: formal writing/note-taking from a lecture, identifying and formulating main ideas, identifying specific information, interpretation of information, text summary, taking part in discussions, speaking in public about physics-related topics, politeness markers in negative answers/giving negative feedback
-to practise B2 grammar in academic or specialized context
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
better understand an authentic global problem from the angle of their specialization and at the same time
communicate it with other specialists in their team
better understand interdisciplinary relationships
formulate their key skills and motivation for the work in a research team (CV, letter of application for an internship, mock interview)
think critically
use English as a tool of communication: informal communication, functional academic language, specific language of their field of study
communicate their results effectively by making their presentations understandable
Syllabus
  • Applying for a job: writing CV, cover letter, mock job interviews (politeness markers, giving advice, indirect questions, unreal past, action verbs)
  • Radioactivity: balanced argumentation (text analysis, comparing-contrasting, taking a stance, determiners, linking phrases)
  • Fusion: persuasive argumentation (text analysis, evaluating, stating one's stance,hedging)
  • Sound and hearing: speculating (describing degrees of certainty, drawing conclusions, modal verbs of deduction, hedging) Ethical questions (cause and effect, developing an argument, conditionals, inversion)
  • Hydropower plant: how things work (visuals as source of information, diagrams/pictures in process description, giving explanations, transition phrases)
  • Waves and vibrations (explaining a phenomenon, functions synthesis, written vs spoken academic English, word formation)
  • Poster presentation: introducing and describing one's area of research, presenting it in a concise but explicit manner, effective ways of using visuals and effective text organization, interacting with the audience (indirect questions, signposting language)
Literature
  • DE CHAZAL, Edward and Sam MCCARTER. Oxford EAP : a course in English for academic purposes. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, 152 stran. ISBN 9780194001809. info
  • ARMER, Tamzen. Cambridge English for scientists. Edited by Jeremy Day. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, 128 s. ISBN 9780521154093. info
  • PATERSON, Ken and Roberta WEDGE. Oxford grammar for EAP : English grammar and practice for academic purposes : with answers. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, 223 stran. ISBN 9780194329996. info
  • WALLWORK, Adrian. English for research : usage, style, and grammar. New York [N.Y.]: Springer, 2013, xvi, 252. ISBN 9781461415923. info
  • WALLWORK, Adrian. English for writing research papers. New York: Springer, 2011, xxii, 325. ISBN 9781441979216. info
  • MCCARTHY, Michael and Felicity O'DELL. Academic vocabulary in use. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, 176 stran. ISBN 9780521689397. info
  • Academic writing course :study skills in English. Edited by R.R Jordan. 1st ed. Essex: Longman, 1999, 160 s. ISBN 0-582-40019-8. info
  • MURPHY, Raymond. English grammar in use : a self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students of English : with answers. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, x, 379. ISBN 0521532892. info
  • CRAVEN, Miles and Brigit VINEY. English grammar in use CD-ROM. Version 1.0 hundreds of additional exercises to accompany the third edition of the book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, 1 CD-ROM +. ISBN 0521537606. info
  • Science. Keith Kelly. Macmillan 2008. ISBN 978-0-2305-3506-0
  • ZEMANOVÁ, Alena. Angličtina pre fyzikov. 1. vyd. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského Bratislava, 2007, 98 s. ISBN 9788022322720. info
  • Physics:Reader. Ivana Tulajová Přírodovědecká fakulta Masarykova univerzita Brno 2000
  • http://www.nature.com
  • http://www.sciencenews.org
  • http://www.sciencedaily.org
  • http://www.newscientist.com
Teaching methods
The course is aimed at practising academic English in specialized context, and practising model activities and language techniques for English for Specific Purposes exam (JA002) preparation.
Reading and listening comprehension, writing skills, team work, discussions and other spoken delivery, presentations.
Assessment methods
The course is completed upon successful accomplishment of coursework assignments: writing CV, writing cover letter and taking part in a mock interview, and receiving at least 60% score for the final credit test.
At least 80% of attendance is required.
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2010 - only for the accreditation, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, autumn 2017, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2018, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/autumn2018/JAF03