VV064 Syllabus – Academic and Professional Skills in English for IT Mgr. Antonín Zita, M.A., Ph.D. Spring 2020, Tuesday 14:00 – 15:40, C511 Course Description: Life, whether inside or outside academia, requires multiple sets of skills. As a consequence, the course takes a holistic approach to academic and professional skills, therefore giving the students an opportunity to widen their abilities that will be useful in their future careers. The course covers the following areas: the difference between formal and informal language and their proper use, summarizing information effectively, paraphrasing and avoiding plagiarism, writing formal letters, and presentation style and delivery. Evaluation: The course evaluation is based on the following: - class participation (20%) - formal/informal exam (in Week 7) (20%) - presentation (30%) - homework assignments (30%) Class participation Active participation in class assignments and discussions is expected. Formal/informal exam There will be an in-class exam in Week 6. The exam focuses on formal/informal and personal/impersonal vocabulary as well as grammar and overall style. The vocabulary from the exam is from Vocabulary Exercises for Academia (see the Useful Links section of the syllabus). Presentation Students will give a presentation during the last week of the course or during the examination period (TO BE DISCUSSED, will depend on the overall number of students in the course). The presentations should last between 10 and 15 minutes and the topic will be chosen after a discussion with the instructor. Homework assignments For majority of classes students need to submit written assignments. These are separated into two types – minor assignments and major assignments. Minor assignments are evaluated based on submitted/not submitted basis. Major assignments are graded according to the quality of the submission. Assignments are always given for the following week (so the assignment in Week 1 is due before Week 2). Unless otherwise noted, the deadlines for all homework assignments are Sunday midnight before next class. A timely submission of short homework exercises is also vital for completion of the course. You receive a deduction of 10 percent for every day past the deadline for all major assignments. Those who do not submit all their assignments by the end of the teaching period will receive an ‘X’ (failed to complete) as their course grade. In such case, resits are NOT possible. Final grade: The percentage of each of the four categories corresponds to the maximum number of points awarded for the given category. When all these points are added together, students are awarded their grades according to the following breakdown: A 92-100 B 84-91 C 76-83 D 68-75 E 60-67 Course policies: Students are allowed not to attend two classes. In case of more absences – whether excused or not – please get in touch with the instructor ASAP. Syllabus: Week 1 – Feb 18 Introduction to the course, formal/informal language and vocabulary, using the appropriate register Assignment (minor): Using academic language Week 2 – Feb 25 Formal/informal language and vocabulary (continued), reporting verbs Assignment (minor): 4/C, 5 Week 3 – March 3 Additional formal/informal practice, reporting verbs (continued) Assignment (minor): complete 2/D Week 4 – March 10 Paraphrasing and plagiarism; introduction to letter writing Assignment (minor): write a cover letter (i.e. a motivational letter for applying to a job position) to a fictional workplace of your choice. Try to include all formal aspects of writing such letter you deem necessary. Aim at around 200 words. Week 5 – March 17 Writing business letters; basic organization and structure in writing Assignment (minor): submit examples of discourteous/rude letters, email or other forms of communication. Suggest revision. Make sure to source these properly. Week 6 – March 24 Formal/informal exam Writing cover letters Assignment (major): Conduct an online research and find an employer or a research group/center related to your studies. Imagine you are writing a cover letter for an available position at your desired location. Deadline April 5, midnight. Week 7 – March 31 Understanding summaries Assignment (minor): The Case of the Piltdown Man Week 8 – April 7 Further discussion of summaries; Introduction to presentations, how not to give a presentation Assignment (major): Hans Rosling video (see handout). Deadline April 19, midnight. Week 9 – April 14 Some problems with presentations, polishing presentations Assignment (minor): Presentation outline: students will submit the outlines of their presentations. These outlines should clearly indicate the proposed topic, your overall point (what you are trying to say), as well as the structure of the presentation. In general, you should include a few secondary sources, the style and the target audience of your presentation (more formal/more informal; general public/students/experts). Finally, make sure that your outline and description clearly describe the topic, organization, and presentation goals and desired outcomes. Deadline April 19, midnight. Week 10 – April 21 Further presentation discussion and practice Assignment (major) – writing a summary (see handout). Deadline May 3, midnight. Week 11 – April 28 No class – students meet with the instructor in his office to discuss their presentations Week 12 – May 5 Abstracts vs summaries, reflection Summary assignment (major) – write a summary and your reflection on an article of your choice. Do not forget to link the article! Week 13 – May 12 Giving feedback, Course wrap-up Summary assignment (major) – give feedback to peer summaries assigned by the instructor