COURSE IDENTIFICATION I.
COURSE : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES 2 CODE : CREDITS : PRE‐REQUISITES : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES 1 SEMESTER : SECOND SEMESTER PROFESOR : PATRICIA SILVA/ ISABEL MARGARITA O’REILLY II. DESCRIPTION The course will prepare students for the use of English in academic environments. Students will apply their English in order to understand authentic texts and speeches and to give oral presentations and write short essays. Students will thus prepare to perform in an academic environment at an advanced level demonstrating specific and general linguistic capacities corresponding to the pre ALTE 5 level (The Association of Language Testers in Europe). III. OBJETIVES 3.1 Practice oral production skills by identifying and using strategies for effective expression and by practicing the presentation of general and discipline‐specific topics, particularly those related to the academic environment. 3.2 Practice the writing and editing skills of academic short essays as a manner to develop the capacity for critical thinking. CONTENTS IV.
UNIT I. ENGLISH IN ACADEMIC CONTEXTS 1: BEHAVIOR READING SKILLS: 1.1
Organizing information for an essay 1.2
Skimming and scanning texts 1.3
Vocabulary building: Collocations SPEAKING SKILLS: 1.1
Referring backwards and forwards in presentations WRITING SKILLS: 1.1
Writing conclusions in essays GRAMMAR SKILLS: 1.1
Noun clauses 1.2
Verb/adjective + preposition combinations 1.3
Tenses and Time shifts VIDEO LECTURE: Carl Honore: “Praising Slowness” UNIT II. UNIT III. UNIT IV. ENGLISH IN ACADEMIC CONTEXTS 2: CHANGE READING SKILLS: 2.1
Reading critically 2.2
Finding information and taking notes 2.3
Retelling what you have read SPEAKING SKILLS: 2.1
Concluding a presentation WRITING SKILLS: 2.1
Using an academic style GRAMMAR SKILLS: 2.1
Relative clauses and it‐clauses 2.2
Abstract nouns and gerunds and infinitives 2.3
Adverb clauses VIDEO LECTURE: Mark Pagel: “How Language Transformed Humanity” ENGLISH IN ACADEMIC CONTEXTS 3: WORK AND EQUALITY READING SKILLS: 3.1
Understanding figures and tables 3.2
Scanning for information 3.3
Taking notes SPEAKING SKILLS: 3.1 Participating in class discussions WRITING SKILLS: 3.1
Looking at the structure of reports 3.2
Describing events in a time sequence 3.3
Describing cause and effect GRAMMAR SKILLS: 3.1
Passive voice 3.2
Past perfect 3.3
Adjective clauses VIDEO LECTURE: Margaret Heffernan: “Dare to Disagree” ENGLISH IN ACADEMIC CONTEXTS 4: CONTROVERSIES READING SKILLS: 4.1 Understanding the writer’s opinion 4.2 Identifying main ideas and supporting information 4.3 Recognizing general nouns SPEAKING SKILLS: 4.1 Asking for and giving more information WRITING SKILLS: 4.1
Describing information in figures and tables GRAMMAR SKILLS: 4.1
Verbs followed by noun phrases or that‐clauses 4.2
Non‐finite relative clauses 4.3
Participial phrases VIDEO LECTURE: Barry Schuler: “Genomics 101” 2
V. METHODOLOGY The course is based on the Communicative‐interactive methodology with an emphasis on conversation. Additionally, the course will cover strategies for listening comprehension (such as inferencing), which will be applied to authentic lectures and talks. Finally, writing will be utilized as a manner of learning and improving critical thinking skills. EVALUATIONS Oral presentation : 10% Virtual work/lab : 10% Two tests : 30% each Four quizzes : 10% In class work : 10% Final exam : 30% VI. VII. CALENDAR 29/7: First class 12/8: Quiz 1 2/9 Quiz 2 9/9: Test 1 7/10: Quiz 3 28/10: Quiz 4 4/11: Test 2 18/11: Final exam VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY BASIC:
 Martin Hewings and Michael McCarthy, Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper
Intermediate, (Cambridge University Press, 2012).
COMPLEMENTARY: 


Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, Writing Academic English, (Pearson Longman, 2006).
Joyce S. Cain, Eye on Editing, (Pearson Longman, 2003).
Susan Reinhart, Giving Academic Presentations, (The University of Michigan Press, 2002).
3