Module Code and
Title: EAP102 English for Academic
Purposes II
Programme(s): BSc Environmental Management
Credit Value: 12
Module Tutor(s): Ivan
Stacy (Coordinator)
Yesodha Chauhan
Vanlallawmkimi
Poonam Chhetri
General objective(s) of the module:
EAP102 is the second part of a year-long course which aims to
develop abilities in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in an academic
context. The second part focus on helping students ensure their communication
is effective, particularly in terms of academic writing. The course aims
to provide students with the opportunity to engage with a range of topics,
tasks and texts of an academic nature. During the course, students will develop
their skills in understanding lectures, reading academic texts effectively,
taking notes from lectures and written texts, writing academic essays,
participating in seminars and discussions, giving presentations, and the
language aspects of Academic English appropriate to the above. The course
presents opportunities to work on multiple skills within a content-based
approach and seeks to develop these skills iteratively in a systematic fashion.
Each unit has a specific theme, which can be covered in approximately a week.
The unit themes/contexts themselves are intended to be modular, so long as they
can cumulate to the overall learning outcomes of the module, and the total
number of units is maintained. Therefore, it is expected that for different
disciplines to which this course is offered, different themes may be used for
the various units, as long as they align with levels B1-B2 of the Common
European Framework Reference for languages. The subject matter listed here is
derived from The Cambridge Academic English series. Equivalent series include
Cambridge Academic Encounters, Oxford EAP, Pearson Academic Connections,
Pearson LEAP, any others which provide integrated skills development, or
equivalent units/themes developed by individual departments.
Learning outcomes – Upon successful
completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Recall the main themes of standard speech
spoken at a normal rate and complex lines of argument provided the topic
is reasonably familiar, with comprehension difficulty arising only from
extreme background noise, inadequate discourse structure and/or excess
idiomatic usage.
- Accurately summarize the essentials of
most lectures, talks, and reports, including the main ideas of complex
speech on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in a standard
language, including technical discussions.
- Critically evaluate articles and reports
concerned with contemporary issues in which the writers adopt particular
stances or viewpoints.
- Explain the main themes of complex texts
read with a large degree of independence, using a broad active reading vocabulary
in all but low frequency words and idioms, adapting style and speed of
reading to different texts and purposes, and using appropriate reference
sources selectively.
- Suspect, recognize and verify the
detection of plagiarized text.
- Deliver a formal oral presentation, with
clear, systematically developed, detailed descriptions on a wide range of
subjects related to their field of interest, expanding and supporting
ideas with subsidiary points and relevant examples, and rounding off with
an appropriate conclusion.
- Demonstrate basic proficiency in
pronunciation with a reasonably clear, natural, pronunciation and
intonation that can, with some effort, keep up with and contribute to
group discussions even when speech is fast and colloquial.
- Define common academic vocabulary words
as well as subject-specific words and terms frequently encountered in
second-semester subject modules.
- Write original researched text using and
acknowledging sources appropriately and without plagiarism, incorporating
summarization, paraphrasing, quotation, and synthesis as appropriate.
Learning and teaching approaches used:
The module will be
conducted over 15 teaching weeks as follows:
·
6
hrs/wk in-class lecture, discussions, and practice in 3 x 2hr blocks. In-class
time in each block is used in a workshop style with a review of prior topics
and introduction to a new topic, at least one hour on practice, and debrief /
reflection / assessment time at the end. Each major unit includes some
assessment involving approximately 30 min of in-class time per week on average.
Students are expected to use a significant portion of the total in-class time
on practice with selected exercises.
·
2
hrs/wk outside of class, on average, for independent study and practice.
Assessment:
Continuous Assessment
(CA): 100%
|
CA
Assessment
|
Weight
|
Assessment
Detail
|
|
Weekly exercises (10 x 2%)
|
20%
|
Workbook exercises involving approx. 30-45 min of
in-class effort.
|
|
Presentation
|
10%
|
Individual 10 min presentation on a current affairs topic
with 2-5 min Q&A.
|
|
Written paper including all the phases
|
15%
|
Outline including annotated bibliography, draft, and final
copy of a researched paper of 1500 words incorporating at least 3 reference
sources.
|
|
Learning journal
|
15%
|
Semester-long journal with min. 10 entries of min. 250
words each, relating discipline-specific topics to EAP lessons.
|
|
Class tests (3 x 10%)
|
30%
|
Written tests of 60 min duration.
|
|
Vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation test
|
10%
|
Written test of 45 min duration + viva (5 min).
|
Pre-requisite knowledge: EAP101 English for Academic Purposes I
Subject matter:
I.
Academic orientation
a. Assessing one’s academic skills
b. Thinking about academic culture
c. Thinking critically
d. Avoiding plagiarism
e. Recognising variation across academic subjects
f.
Focusing on academic vocabulary
II.
Topic/context: Choices and implications
a. Reading: Researching texts for essays; Skimming and scanning;
Identifying the sequence of ideas; Understanding implicit meanings; Inferring
the meaning of words; Vocabulary building: adjectives
b. Listening and speaking: Introducing your presentation; Clarifying key terms
c. Writing: Understanding
how essay types are organised; Drafting the introduction to an essay; Language
for writing: common knowledge
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Avoiding repetition: that (of) and those (of); Word
families: linking parts of texts ; Verb-noun collocations
III.
Topic/context: Risks and hazards
a. Reading: Selecting and prioritising what you read; Thinking about
what you already know; Inferring the meaning of words; Vocabulary building 1:
collocations; Vocabulary building 2: cause-effect markers; Retelling what you
have read
b. Listening and speaking: Preparing slides for presentations; Choosing the right type of chart
for a slide; Presenting charts; Pronunciation 1: numbers; Pronunciation 2:
inserts
c. Writing: Using
claims to plan essays; Supporting claims with evidence
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Complex noun phrases; Countable and uncountable nouns; Adjectives
meaning large or important; Prefixes
IV.
Lecture Skills A
a. Preparing for lectures: Lecturing styles; Revising basic information
b. Listening: Understanding
lecture aims; Understanding outlines; Identifying main and secondary points;
Taking notes: annotating slides 1
c. Language focus: Repetition and rephrasing
d. Follow-up: Taking
notes: annotating slides 2; Reviewing your notes
V.
Topic/context: Language and communication
a. Reading: Predicting the content of a text; Reading for detail;
Scanning for information; Understanding implicit meanings; Vocabulary building:
adjectives; Thinking about ways of taking notes
b. Listening and speaking: Making suggestions in group work; Pronunciation : stress in
adjectives ending in -ic and -ical
c. Writing: Referring
to other people's work; Using in-text references (particular focus on APA
style); Language for writing: reporting verbs
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Impersonal it-clauses: saying that something is important,
interesting, etc.; Word families; Nouns with related adjectives ending in -ic
and -ical; Reporting verbs
VI.
Topic/context: Difference and diversity
a. Reading: Thinking about what you already know; Reading in detail;
Taking notes; Vocabulary building 1: word families; Vocabulary building 2:
adjective-noun collocations; Collecting information for an essay; Taking notes
for essay writing
b. Listening and speaking: Working with colleagues: generating ideas and reporting;
Pronunciation: dividing speech into units
c. Writing: Language
for writing 1: the grammar of reporting verbs; Language for writing 2:
comparing and contrasting; Reporting from a reading
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Linking parts of a text: conjunctions and sentence connectors;
Single-word verbs and multi-word verbs; Word families
VII.
Lecture Skills B
a. Preparing for lectures: Using preparation strategies; Making predictions before a lecture
starts
b. Listening: Making
predictions during a lecture; Identifying topic change; Following an argument;
Taking notes: using symbols and abbreviation in notes
c. Language focus: Organising questions and
topic changes
d. Follow-up: Expanding your vocabulary
VIII.
Topic/context: The world we live in
a. Reading: Recognising plagiarism; Getting started; Identifying the
main ideas in a text; Summarising what you have read; Vocabulary building:
single-word verbs and multi-word verbs; Vocabulary in context: hedging adverbs
b. Listening and speaking: Reaching a consensus in group work; Pronunciation: contrasts
c. Writing: Using
paraphrases; Including quotations in writing
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Articles: zero article and the; Complex prepositions; Person,
people, peoples
IX.
Topic/context: Behaving the way we do
a. Reading: Organising information for an essay; Skimming and scanning
texts; Taking notes and explaining what you have read; Vocabulary building:
collocations
b. Listening and speaking: Referring backwards
and forwards in presentations
c. Writing: Writing
conclusions in essays; Language for writing: hedging; Giving references
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Avoiding repetitions: expressions with so; Wh- noun
clauses; Using viewpoint adverbs to restrict what is said; Verb/adjective +
preposition combinations
X.
Lecture Skills C
a. Preparing for lectures: Thinking about the
purposes of lectures
b. Listening: Understanding
evaluations; Understanding lists
c. Language focus: Noticing
differences in the language of lectures and academic writing; Noticing
prominent words
d. Follow-up: Taking
notes: annotating; Reconstructing your notes
XI.
Topic/context: Bringing about change
a. Reading: Reading critically; Finding information and taking notes;
Vocabulary in context 1: inferring the meaning of words; Vocabulary in context
2: hedges; Retelling what you have read
b. Listening and speaking: Concluding your presentation; Pronunciation: linking words in speech
units
c. Writing: Using an academic style
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Adding information about nouns: relative clauses; It-clauses:
expressing personal opinions impersonally; Abstract nouns + of + -ing/to-infinitive
XII.
Topic/context: Work and equality
a. Reading: Understanding figures and tables; Scanning for information;
Taking notes; Understanding the significance of references; Vocabulary in
context: avoiding repetition
b. Listening and speaking: Taking part in tutorials and joining in discussions; Pronunciation:
stress in compound nouns 1
c. Writing: Looking at
the structure and content of reports; Language for writing 1: describing events
in a time sequence; Language for writing 2: cause and effect
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Passive voice; Past perfect; -ing nouns
XIII.
Lecture Skills D
a. Preparing for lectures: Building basic
information
b. Listening: Understanding
the relationship between parts of the lecture; Understanding descriptions of
processes
c. Language focus: Understanding vague language
d. Follow-up: Listening
for a lecture summary; Comparing notes
XIV.
Topic/context: Controversies
a. Reading: Understanding the writer's opinion; Identifying main ideas
and supporting information; Recognising general nouns; Understanding hedges;
Vocabulary building 1: formal and informal verbs; Vocabulary building 2: opposites
b. Listening and speaking: Tutorials: asking for and giving more information; Pronunciation:
intonation in wh-clefts
c. Writing: Describing
information in figures and tables; Language for writing 1: referring to figures
and tables; Language for writing 2: referring backwards and forwards; Writing
practice
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Verbs followed by a noun phrase or that-clause; Non-finite
relative clauses; Adverbials used to comment
XV.
Topic/context: Health
a. Reading: Reading for evidence; Thinking about what you already know;
Preparing for essay writing; Vocabulary in context: inferring the meaning of
words; Understanding connections in texts: this/these; Developing
hedging skills
b. Listening and speaking: Summarising what has been said; Evaluating visual aids;
Pronunciation: stress in compound nouns 2
c. Writing: Contrasting
information; Taking a stance : expressing disagreement; Writing practice
d. Grammar and vocabulary practice: Referring to quantities; Evaluative adjectives and adverbs; Phrases
connecting sentences: this/these; Non-finite relative clauses
XVI.
Lecture Skills E
a. Preparing for lectures: Overcoming problems
in listening to lectures
b. Listening: Understanding
specialised terms; Understanding reasons
c. Language focus: Understanding
signals of incomplete information; Understanding forward and backward reference
d. Follow-up: Listening
and annotating slides; Writing up your notes; Overcoming problems
The aspects of
academic writing covered in the above chronology include:
·
Understanding how essay types are organized
·
Drafting the introduction to an essay
·
Using claims to plan essays
·
Supporting claims with evidence
·
Referring to other people’s work
·
Using in-text references (particular focus on
APA style)
·
Reporting from a reading
·
Using paraphrases
·
Including quotations in writing
·
Writing conclusions in essays
·
Giving references
·
Using an academic style
·
Describing information in figures and tables
·
Contrasting information
·
Taking a stance: expressing disagreement
Essential Readings:
- Hewings, M. and McCarthy, M. (2014).
Cambridge Academic English – An integrated skills course for EAP: B2
(Upper Intermediate) Student’s Book. Delhi: Cambridge University Press.
- Equivalent series to the above as
necessary, including Cambridge Academic Encounters, Oxford EAP, or Pearson
Academic Connections, or Pearson LEAP, any others which provide integrated
skills development, or equivalent units/themes developed by individual
departments.
- Additional selected short readings that
are discipline-specific.
Additional Readings:
- Hewings, M. and McCarthy, M. (2014).
Cambridge Academic English – An integrated skills course for EAP: B2
(Upper Intermediate) Teacher’s Manual. Delhi: Cambridge University Press.
- Equivalent teacher’s manuals/editions
from other series to the above as necessary.
References:
- Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. (2014). European University
Institute Language Centre.
https://www.eui.eu/Documents/ServicesAdmin/LanguageCentre/CEF.pdf
- Council of Europe. (n.d.). Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching,
Assessment (CEFR). http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/cadre1_en.asp
- Council of Europe. (2001). Global Scale
descriptors for CEFR levels. Council of Europe, 2001: 24.
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/elp/elp-reg/Source/Global_scale/globalscale.pdf
- Hyland K. (2006). English for Academic
Purposes. New York: Routelage.
- St. Giles International. (n.d.). CEFR
Level B2.
http://www.stgiles-international.com/downloads/Level-B2-Learner-Outcomes.pdf
- Using the CEFR: Principles of Good
Practice (University of Cambridge, 2011) http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/126011-using-cefr-principles-of-good-practice.pdf
Date last updated: May 30, 2015