VV064
VV064 Syllabus – Academic and Professional Skills in English for IT
Mgr. Antonín Zita, M.A., Ph.D.
Spring 2022, Wednesday 16:00 – 17:45, C525
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 (25%)
- formal/informal exam (in Week 7) (20%)
- presentation (25%)
- 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 7. 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
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assignment in Week 1 is due before Week 2). Unless otherwise noted, the deadlines for all
homework assignments are Tuesday 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. Students are also allowed to miss one
deadline without penalty – however, this needs to be announced before the deadline to obtain
the permission for late submission from the instructor, and the assignment should be
submitted within a few days.
Syllabus:
Week 1 – February 16
Introduction to the course, formal/informal language and vocabulary, using the appropriate
register
Assignment (minor): Using academic language
Week 2 – February 23
Formal/informal language and vocabulary (continued), nominalizations
Assignment (minor): 2, 4/E
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Week 3 – March 2
Additional formal/informal practice, reporting verbs (continued)
Assignment (minor): complete 2/D
Week 4 – March 9
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 16
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 23
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 30
Formal/Informal Exam
Understanding summaries
No assignment
Week 8 – April 6
Further discussion of summaries; Introduction to presentations, how not to give a presentation
Assignment (minor): The Case of the Piltdown Man
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Week 9 – April 13
Some problems with presentations, polishing presentations
Assignment (major): Hans Rosling video (see handout).
Week 10 – April 20
Further presentation discussion and practice
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.
Week 11 – April 27
No class – students meet with the instructor in his office to discuss their final presentations
(not the presentations for the following major assignment)
No assignment
Week 12 – May 4
Abstracts vs summaries, presentations
Assignment (major) – writing a summary (see handout).
Week 13 – May 11
Giving feedback, Course wrap-up
Presentation assignment (major) – create and upload a short presentation. Deadline
May 18, midnight.
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CONGRATULATIONS – If you are reading this text, you have read the entire syllabus.
The first student to send me an email about finishing the syllabus – and reading this note
– is awarded a small prize! (inspired by
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/18/us/professor-syllabus-money.html)