Associate Degree / Higher Diploma Programme First Semester 2012-2013 English for Academic and Professional Purposes (Part II) Course Information Course Code: CC-88-363-00
1. Aim To advance students English language skills to enable them to communicate effectively in academic and professional situations. 2. Course Objective To equip students to carry out a collaboratively researched project and to produce a properly formatted and referenced piece of academic writing of at least 2,000 words. 3. Linguistic Objectives Listening to further develop pre-listening strategies for focusing listening and predicting content. to practise listening for global understanding, identifying main points and developing summaries. to develop advanced note-taking skills in order to evaluate, classify, expand on and utilize information gained through listening. to listen effectively to conversations in pair and group settings to enable students to interact and respond appropriately. Speaking to further improve and extend students oral skills and to develop their confidence using spoken English in a range of academic settings. to improve the degree of clarity and accuracy with which students communicate facts and concepts. to develop the effectiveness of students contributions to seminars and formal discussions, whether as speaker or member of the audience. to develop the use of interactional strategies to effectively convey information/meaning. Reading to advance students'ability to recognize different types of texts/importance of purpose and audience. to hone students critical reading skills in using text structure to extract information quickly (skimming and scanning). to improve students ability to comprehend a diagrammatic/graphic text. Writing to familiarize students with the finer features of academic discourse and to raise their awareness of different academic genres across a variety of relevant disciplines. to provide students with additional strategies for developing their academic report writing skills in order to be successful on the course and in other academic and/or employment settings. to assist the students further in writing in ways accepted by the wider academic community in terms of academic convention, content, organization, style and presentation. 2
4. Course Description English for Academic and Professional Purposes (Part II) is a one-semester compulsory academic preparation and advanced study skills course which covers 3 credits. Participants are encouraged to become engaged in academic discussion and to think critically, in the process, producing the types of language required in academic and professional settings. The weekly lectures are divided into two 1.5 hour sessions, conducted in the form of communicative, learnercentred tutorials or workshops. The activities involve pair and group discussions, student presentations, analytical listening to AV materials, and critical reading. All classroom materials will be provided. Outside the classroom, students are expected to devote considerable time to consolidating their language skills and to research required information via libraries and the Internet. 5. Assessment Assessment is comprised of: i) Continuous Assessment (60%) ii) Examination (40%) Breakdown of Continuous Assessment Assignment 1 Annotated Bibliography 20% Assignment 2 Research Report 30% Assignment 3 Group Oral Presentation 20% *Class Participation 30% *The Class Participation mark is based on (i) attendance; and (ii) attitude and participation in lectures. The mark for this area of assessment will be derived in the following way: (i) Five marks will be deducted for each absence without medical certificate or other written supporting documentation. Two marks will also be deducted for each incidence of lateness. (ii) Marks for attitude and participation in lectures will be based on a student s track record in actively taking part in the learning process. Students are expected to show maturity in their approach to learning, to demonstrate a willingness to become engaged in classroom materials, and to use English in discussion activities. 6. Penalties for Late Submission 24 hours late: down by marks equivalent to one letter grade 2 to 7 days late: highest mark = 40% more than 7 days late: failed assignment In all cases feedback will be provided. 3
7. *Schedule Week Dates Content Assignments/Requirements 1 24-29 Sept. -Introduction to the course -Research Report format -Selecting a topic for investigation 2 1-6 Oct. -Producing an annotated bibliography -MLA style for punctuating citations -MLA style for in-text citations and the Works Cited 3 8-13 Oct. -Argumentation and discussion -Describing trends 4 15-20 Oct. -Describing graphs and tables -Describing future possibilities in graphs, charts and tables 5 22-27 Oct. -Definitions -Exemplification -Use of colons and semi-colons 6 29 Oct.-3 Nov. Revision Period 7 5-10 Nov. -Qualifying generalizations -Identifying discourse features of text types 8 12-17 Nov. -Comparison and contrast -Proofreading 9 19-24 Nov. -Preposition phrases -Creating effective notes 10 26 Nov.-1 Dec. -Examination preparation Form research project groups and formulate potential topics. Submit topic for approval. Work in research project groups on questionnaires. Submit questionnaire for approval. Submit final draft of questionnaire for copying. Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography Submission Date: 9 Nov. 11 3-8 Dec. -Effective presentations Assignment 2: Research Report Submission Date: 7 Dec. 12 10-15 Dec. -Group Oral Presentations Assignment 3: Group Oral Presentation 13 17-22 Dec. -Group Oral Presentations Assignment 3: Group Oral Presentation 14 24 Dec. -Group Oral Presentations Assignment 3: Group Oral Presentation * Due to public holidays and changes in teaching schedule, variations may occur in the dates that materials are presented. 4
8. *Assignment Descriptions Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography (20%) In your Research Project group, prepare a properly formatted list of the references you intend to use in your Research Report. Each bibliographic entry should be accompanied by an annotation or a brief summary of the text you have chosen. Each group member should contribute 2 entries to the Annotated Bibliography. You are expected to select secondary research which is relevant, reputable and authoritative. All sources must be in the English language. Your work should be submitted as a group, in one document. However, group members will be assessed individually according to detailed assessment criteria. You will be assessed according to: the quality of your annotation in terms of your ability to summarise and paraphrase the chosen text; the relevance and quality of the chosen text, and thus its usefulness ; and your adherence to the MLA style of referencing in producing bibliographic entries. For further details, refer to the Producing an Annotated Bibliography handout from Week 2 of the course. Assignment 2: Research Report (30%) The Research Report is a group assignment. Put simply, you will be surveying 50 respondents (by way of a questionnaire) on their perceptions or attitudes to a certain issue. You will then gather the data and represent it in the form of charts and/or tables. Following this, you will need to describe your data and discuss its significance. It is expected that you will read widely and make meaningful connections between your own research and what you have read. It is important that you select readings which are relevant and which may bring insight to your topic. Readings related directly to the Hong Kong setting would be particularly useful. The Report must be properly referenced and should not exceed 3,000 words. All group members will receive the same mark for this assignment. Refer to the Research Report Format handout from Week 1 of the course for a detailed breakdown of the required content. *Greater detail on assignment requirements will be provided during lectures. Assignment 3: Group Oral Presentation of Research Report (20%) In your research project group, present the issues covered in the Research Report and provide an analysis of the data you have collected. All group members will present information. You will have 20-25 minutes in which to present the following to the class: 1. the issues you have covered in the Report, including background on the topic, and why it may be important to address the issue. You could also briefly discuss any difficulties that arose while gathering data. 2. an analysis of the data you have collected (tables, graphs, quotes from the questionnaire, reference to secondary research, etc.), in addition to providing any worthwhile recommendations related to your topic. This will constitute a large proportion of the presentation. As you present your data, it is imperative that you refer to some/all of your references (works cited) to add further depth to your analysis. Group members will be assessed individually: 10% of the assessment for this assignment will be based on content, and all group members will receive an identical mark for this; the other 10% will be based purely on delivery. 5
NB Assignments 1 and 2 should be presented in typed form, double-spaced in Times New Roman font in size 12, and should be presented with a standardized cover page (see below). (SAMPLE) HKU SPACE Community College Associate Degree / Higher Diploma Program First Semester 2012 2013 English for Academic and Professional Purposes (Part II) Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography (Project topic / question) To: (Lecturer s name) From: (Your group members names) Class: Submission Date: 9 November, 2012 6