2020/2021
English for General Academic Purposes. Advanced Course - 2
Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Optional course
Delivered by:
School of Foreign Languages
When:
3, 4 module
Instructors:
Григорова Наталья Сергеевна,
Скудина Елена Владимировна,
Букина Анна Викторовна,
Скудина Елена Владимировна,
Мартюшова Наталья Олеговна,
Колмакова Анжелика Владимировна,
Мартюшова Наталья Олеговна,
Дымова Елена Евгеньевна,
Колмакова Анжелика Владимировна,
Григорова Наталья Сергеевна,
Valentina Byvalina,
Anna Doshlygina,
Anastasia Germanovich,
Yulia Grevtseva,
Elena Petrovna Khoch,
Anna Ivanovna Khotinskaya,
Irina Igorevna Kovalyova,
Elena Kryukova,
Victoria Kuznetsova,
Evgeniya Lubennikova,
Natalia Mishustina,
Anna Mnatsakanyan,
Ekaterina Molchanova,
Lidiya Pankina,
Vera Alexandrovna Rudakovskaya,
Ekaterina Alexandrovna Sobolyanova,
Anastasia Vlasenko,
Anna Zhuravleva,
Утенкова Дарья Владимировна,
Трибис Ксения Валентиновна,
Утенкова Дарья Владимировна
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
88
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The discipline refers to the variable educational tracks offered to students of the curricula for bachelor's and master's degree at choice while mastering the optional course of English in accordance with the Concept of developing English-speaking communicative competence of students of Higher School of Economics — National Research University https://www.hse.ru/docs/381549301.html The program is for the 1st year students. English for Academic Purposes is designed to develop foreign-language communicative and integrated and critical thinking skills that are based on "Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at National Research University Higher School of Economics and "Concept of development of English-language communicative competence HSE students". Every student has slightly different needs, depending on their chosen discipline, cultural background and other factors. However, there are main skills, tasks, and academic language that are common to most disciplines and are relevant to the needs of most students preparing to study English at university level. The course is focused on core tasks relevant to all students, such as working out the main points of an academic text or lecture (such perspectives as knowledge, motivation, nature, power and growth). There are no blocking controls.
Learning Objectives
- to improve student’s ability to read and understand journal articles, texts, lectures from different perspectives
- to increase student’s comprehension of spoken English
- to strengthen student’s speaking and writing skills in a range of different disciplines
- to systematically and progressively develop students’ academic skills, language, and critical thinking
- to learn topic-based academic vocabulary
- to develop the students’ general capacity to a level that enables them to use English in their professional and academic environment granted that they are provided with the specific notions and vocabulary in the course of their studies
- to develop the students’ listening skills to enable them to understand and apply specific information from the input
- to develop the students’ general capacity to a level that enables them to use English in their professional and academic environment granted that they are provided with the specific notions and vocabulary in the course of their studies
Expected Learning Outcomes
- To form understanding of text structure
- To develop skills of using basic reading techniques skimming and scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details)
- To develop understanding of lectures and learning context
- To develop understanding of articles, reports, straightforward and specialised texts concerned with contemporary problems at the threshold/vantage/effective operational proficiency level
- Presentation (informative/descriptive/argumentative/persuasive speech)
- To develop skills of using basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details)
- Writing a summary of a text
- To form skills of note-taking
- Writing an academic e-mail
- Monologue (informative/descriptive/argumentative/persuasive speech)
- To improve understanding of dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
- Writing an essay (opinion, discussion)
- Dialogue on general, academic and professional topics. (active listening, questioning, responding to questions, emphasizing, discussion strategies)
Course Contents
- Topic 1. IntelligenceTypes of intelligence, cognitive processes. Connecting ideas in writing and speaking. Hedging language. Referencing. Listening: understanding main ideas in a presentation; identifying word class to assist note-taking. Speaking: interpreting and discussing written feedback. Reading: identifying the argument and structure of a text; identifying cohesive and hedging language. Writing: analysing and writing an essay conclusion; linking ideas coherently. writes an essay (opinion).Vocabulary: identifies and uses hedging language. Grammar: identifies and uses reference words.
- Topic 2. Change. Describing processes.Describing visual information, describing processes. Listening: taking notes on a description of a process; recognizing referencing language. Speaking: giving a short poster presentation. Writing: analysing and writing descriptions of processes; writes an essay (advantages/disadvantages). Reading: predicting the content of a text from visual information; understanding a description of a process in a text; identifying and using signposting language for describing a process. Grammar: transitive and intransitive verbs; active and passive forms.
- Topic 3. Culture and interpretationCountry and society. Understanding and using comparison and contrast in reading and writing. Understanding and expressing fact and opinion in listening and speaking. Listening: reading to prepare for a lecture; listening to confirm predictions about content and structure. Speaking: giving a short informal presentation; taking part in a seminar discussion. Reading: identifying comparison and contrast language; recognizing the difference between fact and opinion. Writing: comparison and contrast language; self-editing and correcting. Vocabulary: general and technical meanings.
- Topic 4. PersuasionOpinion and what influences it. Developing an argument in writing and speaking. Recognizing argumentation in a text. Synonyms. Conditional structures. Listening: understanding the main points of an argument; identifying and using emphasizing strategies. Speaking: presenting a main and supporting argument plus evidence and explanation; responding to other people’s arguments. Reading: identifying the main and supporting arguments. Writing: writing an argument (opinion) essay. Vocabulary: synonyms in phrases; the formality of synonyms; rewriting phrases using synonyms. Grammar: conditional structures.
- Topic 5. Connection and technologyCause and effect. Understanding and describing cause-effect relationship. Cohesive noun phrases. Technological progress. Identifying problems and finding solutions. Listening: recognizing connections including cause and effect relationship. Speaking: explaining connection between phenomena; researching a short presentation. Reading: understanding cause and effect phenomena in different fields; identifying language to express cause and effect relationships. Writing: planning and structuring cause and effect or/and problem-solution essay. Vocabulary: cohesive noun phrases.
Interim Assessment
- Interim assessment (4 module)0.3 * Final assessment + 0.25 * Independent work assessment + 0.2 * Oral assessment + 0.25 * Written assessment
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Oxford EAP. A course in English for academic purposes. Upper-Intermediate/B2 . Student's book (+ ..., Chazal, E., 2012
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Oxford grammar for EAP : english grammar and practice for academic purposes with answers, Paterson, K., 2013