INTRODUCTION
Few
Argentinean students will have done enough extended academic writing
in English
to
undertake a Master’s dissertation or a Ph.D. thesis, however good
their English
may
be in other respects. It is possible, of course, for students to
analyze good
dissertations
and theses written by native speakers in order to see in general terms
how
academic discourse is typically organized, and this is a valuable
activity for
would-be
writers. But a focus on writing products alone is unlikely to tell the
student
much
about the writing process. Knowledge of the conventions of academic
writing will
be
to little avail unless the student can analyze and evaluate the
research literature,
and
organize
ideas around
original arguments.
1.
OBJECTIVES
This
course is designed for students who need to develop their English
language skills for
an
academic context. Therefore,
the aim of the course is to build up students’ ability to:
·
understand
lectures and talks given at reasonable speed.
·
read
quickly and critically assess texts related to their subject area.
·
take
notes, write summaries, compositions and papers, demonstrating the
competence to synthesise and analyse specific subject matter.
·
express
orally their own ideas and converse at a reasonable speed on any
subject related to the courses followed at the University.
In
order to achieve these goals, students will be required to develop a
working knowledge
of
the main structures of the English language and vocabulary related to
their study
programme.
2.
DIVISION OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO LEVEL
All
students are expected to have some knowledge of English before
beginning the course.
However,
students invariably display differing levels of English, so groups at
each class
hour
will be made up of students with a relatively similar level to provide
for a more
homogenous
learning environment. Therefore,
all students must take a placement test on
the
first day of class.
Students
who demonstrate an exceptionally high level of English may be eligible
for an
independent
study project instead of attending weekly classes.
This consists of preparing,
writing
and presenting a research paper combined with a schedule of obligatory
progress
meetings
and tutorials with their teacher.
The objective of this independent study is to
allow
students to go through the necessary steps to prepare a research paper
for
presentation
at a conference or for possible publication.
An additional sheet detailing
conditions
will be provided for those who are eligible.
3.
CLASS ORGANISATION AND COURSE CONTENT
The
emphasis will be on the active participation of students in the
realisation of course
objectives.
Students will be required to practice grammar points, evaluate
texts, summarise
audio-visual
material, participate in discussions, work in groups, write
compositions and
papers,
give presentations, and perform other related activities. There will be regular
homework
assignments designed to enforce and extend classroom learning as well
as a
3000-word
study project to be completed before the final week of the course and
a
twenty-minute
public presentation to be given in the final week.
Classes
are organised into three sessions per week, and are designed to
accommodate
different
student needs throughout the learning process.
Accordingly, at different
points
in each lesson there may be a focus on learning language skills
(grammar,
reading
and listening comprehension activities, writing short compositions) or
on the
practical
application of them.
4.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
The
distribution and weighting of the final grade will be as follows:
Ø
40%
- Class sessions and assignments
Class
attendance and participation are essential in the learning process and
will
form part of student assessment.
Students must make the effort to
attend
class and do assignments regularly throughout the year.
Ø
60%
-Project, divided into two parts:
I.
Written project (40%)
II.
End-of-course presentation (20%)
NOTE
that students must obtain a minimum passing grade in all both
sections
in order to pass the course.
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