20711626 - ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES

The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) B1 course aims at introducing students to the characteristics of written and spoken academic discourse. The module develops and consolidates knowledge and use of English in academic domains (EAP), integrating the four main skills (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking) applied to authentic texts in different disciplines.
Lessons aim at developing critical thinking and essential skills for the study of academic language, with a focus on the methodological tools to be used in the critical analysis of written and oral discourse.



The course provides a balanced knowledge of oral and written comprehension. At the end of the course, students will have developed written and spoken production skills according to the expected level on various topics related to academic discourse and have explored different linguistic styles and genres in various domains.

teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme



PROGRAMME

UNIT 1: Knowledge
Academic focus: understanding and presenting information. Identifying and using general, academic, and technical vocabulary - Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary:. Using compound sentences with coordinators.

UNIT 2: Organization
Academic focus: perspective and stance. understanding stance: adverbials and useful phrases, using contextualising language; Cohesion. – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: identifying common academic nouns; pronouns and determiners marking cohesion.

UNIT 3: Motivation
Academic focus: definition and explanation; signposting language: giving an overview and sequencing; Introducing cohesive information, definitions, explanations and examples. - Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: understanding and using classifying and evaluative adjectives; the structure of definitions: Noun+prepositional phrase/noun+relative clauses.

UNIT 4: Nature
Academic focus: Description. Using adverbials to introduce supporting information – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: Identifying adverbials meaning; using adverbials for cohesion. Noun phrases: adjective+noun+adverb+adjective+noun.

UNIT 5: Power
Academic focus: Reporting and Summarising. Reporting verbs: referring to points in a presentation.– Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: affixes: using suffixes to recognise word families; building word families using affixes. Noun phrases: summarising ideas using noun phrase patterns/using key nouns and determiners/ paraphrasing longer structures.

UNIT 6: Growth
Academic focus: Using sources; referring to sources/using reporting verbs and verb structures – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: identifying form in reported structures; Using reporting structures

UNIT 7: Networks
Academic focus: Contextualising. Identify essay focus. Explaining and rephrasing. – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: essay verbs; noun phrases: expressing key information using complex noun phrases.



UNIT 8: Innovation
Academic focus: Referencing – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: Cohesive language; selecting and using linking expressions in texts.

UNIT 9: Consumption
Academic focus: Comparison and contrast.– Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: identifying comparing and contrasting structures.

UNIT 10: Crime
Academic focus: argument and evidence; evaluative language: adjectives. Maximizing and minimising language: modal verbs, adverbs and verbs – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: noticing and interpreting arguments.

UNIT 11: Energy
Academic focus: identifying problem, solution and evaluation in texts. – case study and process – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: the language of problems and solutions.


UNIT 12: Progress
Academic focus: Cause and effect. – Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. Vocabulary: Identify cause and effect language in a text; expressing caution. Identify stance in cause and effect relationships.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
At the end of the course, students are expected to show an adequate understanding of the basic characteristics of Academic English, as well as to identify its main discursive features and genres.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Students will be required to develop skills to analyse academic discourse and showing knowledge of genre- and community-based language typicalities, applying appropriately the main theoretical principles and definitions.
Students will also be able to engage critically with spoken activities on different levels of formality, evaluating the content and delivery of communication in various academic situations.
LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES


WRITTEN EXAM
COMPUTER TEST

₋ Academic Language (Grammar/Vocabulary)
₋ Reading
₋ Writing

The written examination lasts 40 minutes and consists of three sections totalling 50 marks. The sections contain different types of exercises similar to those in the textbook.


Dictionaries are not allowed.

TEACHING METHODS
The course includes both lectures as well as class exercises.

REFERENCE TEXTS

Textbook:

Edward de Chazal & Louis Rogers: Oxford EAP – A Course in English for Academic Purposes – B1+, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
ISBN: 9780194002011


Core Documentation

Textbook:

Edward de Chazal & Louis Rogers: Oxford EAP – A Course in English for Academic Purposes – B1+, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
ISBN: 9780194002011


Attendance

attendance is not compulsory

Type of evaluation

right answer=1 or 2 points (according to the type of exercise) missed answer or wrong answer=0 points