Academic English

general courses

The task of the course is to develop student`s awareness of the specificity of academic use of the English language.

The aim of the course is to help students achieve fluency in discussing various topics in the academic context; to familiarize students with academic vocabulary and grammatical constructions characteristic for academic writing; to improve speaking, writing, listening and reading skill needed for studying in English

Course content

Academic English – How can I sound more professional?

Characteristics, usage and common mistakes;

Academic vocabulary in written and spoken English;

Giving presentations and analyzing data;

Listening comprehension and note-taking with the use of authentic lectures and presentations;

Grammatical constructions used in academic texts; common problems and mistakes;

Elements of academic writing – characteristics of different styles, quoting and paraphrasing, punctuation rules, analysis of different academic texts and written forms;

Public speaking, debating and developing argumentation skills

Reading list

A. obligatory reading (to get a credit):

A.1. used in class

Kovacs, K. (2011) Speaking for IELTS. London: HarperCollins Publishers

McCarthy, M. and F. O'Dell. (2008) Academic Vocabulary in Use with Answers. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

McCarthy, M. and F. O'Dell. (2014) Test Your English Vocabulary in Use Advanced with Answers. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Williams, A. (2011) Writing for IELTS. London: HarperCollins Publishers

.

B. supplementary reading

More, J. (2016) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Paterson, K. and R. Wedge. (2015) Oxford Grammar for EAP. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Knowledge

Student knows:

1. rules of organizing an academic text in English

2.rules of holding a conversation on various topics in the academic environment

3.grammar, lexical and stylistic rules in academic English

4. features of discursive texts

5. rules of searching for missing information

6. rules of obeying intellectual property and formatting technique and electronic editing of the text MS Word)

Skills

Student can:

7. use academic vocabulary both in writing and speaking

8. fluently communicate in English in writing and speaking

9. correctly use the rules of organization and stylistic of the discursive text

10. participate in a discussion on an academic issue

11. do a presentation on a given topic

12. produce oral and writing statements understanding a structure and text progression

13. understand academic texts

Social competences

Student:

14. is confident in speaking and writing in English in the academic environment

15. is organized and conscientious in carrying out individual and group work

16.is confident in understanding listening and reading academic texts

17. acts ethically by marking in own texts borrowed materials from different authors

Lessons in a didactic room : practical project, individual and group work, discussion, practical exercises, text analysis,, case analysis, doing exercises,

Forms of evaluation of effects

Preparing and presenting the presentation

Writing a short academic text

Active participation in the course