Argomenti dell'insegnamento
The course draws on themes of academic, personal and professional interest to students, to include eco-efficient products and services, sustainable production, consumption, embodied educational approaches, and biophilia-inspired life choices, so as provide a meaningful context for the development of students’ academic English competences. There will be a specific focus on written and oral features pertaining to academic discourses in English, as well as on their practical application with reference to the communication and dissemination of transdisciplinary knowledge. Topics include: - Structure and organisation of a range of academic texts - Common grammatical structures and lexis in academic texts; coherence and cohesion devices - Specialized terminology - Referencing and citation styles - Paraphrasing and summarising - Paragraph structure; linking paragraphs - Critical reading of programme-related literature and analysis of scientific discourses - Approaches to planning, drafting, and completing a range of programme-related texts - Disseminating knowledge resulting from projects through poster presentations - Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Guidelines for the ethically-informed use of artificial intelligence tools

Modalità di insegnamento
The English 1 course lectures feature a number of interlinked activities which aim to scaffold the students’ developing understanding and competences. This is done through the interactive presentation and discussion of central principles of academic discourse, through exploring individual participants’ learning needs, requirements and characteristics, and through individual/small-group reflections on how such principles can be applied in students’ own work. This will then inform a range of written and spoken tasks informed by lecturer and peer feedback. Additionally, students will draft an outline and work on a scientific manuscript on a theme of their choosing, as well as prepare a poster on a Master programme-relevant topic/project, to be shared with the group in an oral end-of-course presentation. Detailed information as regards the course principles, learning/teaching activities and tasks, formative feedback, and assessment modalities will be provided during the first lecture and clarified throughout the course.

Obiettivi formativi
Knowledge and understanding: Students will have developed their own individual project practice and will be able to: - better understand the social, cultural, economic and environmental dimensions of projects and contexts - better understand the relationships between environment, economy, society and politics - better understand through which features of written and spoken academic English such understandings can be meaningfully communicated to different audiences Making judgements: - students will have extended their ability to reflect on and critically assess their own participation and contributions during the course - students will have extended their ability to adopt appropriate features of written and spoken academic English in different contexts - students will have grasped principles of ethical use of AI as set out in Unibz guidelines Communication skills: Students will have developed their ability to: - communicate convincingly with different target audiences through a range of academic English modalities - present projects persuasively and confidently - justify their creative, strategic and linguistic decisions - communicate and collaborate productively within the student group Learning skills: Students will have extended their ability to: - work both independently and collaboratively to inform their personal learning and development in a range of contexts through observation, listening, and dialogue with fellow students and the course lecturer - work both independently and collaboratively to inform their personal learning and development in a range of contexts through reading, studying, and engaging in a range of writing projects, with peer and lecturer feedback - work both independently and collaboratively to support the learning and development of the whole group as a community of learning/practice - draw on a range of strategies and resources to support them in their current and lifelong learning

Obiettivi formativi e risultati di apprendimento (ulteriori info.)
By the end of the course, students will be better able to: - expand their understanding of the structures of scientific texts, including how to plan, draft, and organize them effectively - recognize and apply typical sentence and paragraph structures in academic writing - understand and apply the concept of register in academic contexts - increase their knowledge of written academic English and discipline-specific terminology - identify and use key functions in scientific texts (e.g., illustration, comparison, explanation) - apply appropriate referencing and citation styles, paraphrase and summarize sources, and use coherence and cohesion devices effectively - design and structure academic posters, and interpret posters, talks, and texts critically - understand the structure of scientific talks and deliver well-organized short presentations - use effective phrases to support audience comprehension and engagement in oral presentations - improve their oral presentation skills and overall confidence in public speaking - evaluate processes, ideas, and theories; describe methodologies; formulate opinions; present arguments; and make transdisciplinary connections - understand and adhere to the ethical use of AI tools as stated in the Unibz guidelines: https://records.unibz.it/regolamenti?prog=1/25&viewdoc=1

Modalità d'esame
Continuous assessment: - active engagement with the individual/collaborative course activities, written assignments and related oral presentations - benefiting from the lecturer’s formative feedback - planning and presenting a poster on a topic of academic/personal interest Final oral examination: - discussion of the themes, learning activities, and personal learning trajectories experienced during the course Information for non-attending students or students who are unable to attend the course regularly: Given the interactive and collaborative nature of the course, it is strongly recommended that such students should contact the lecturer at the beginning of the semester so that appropriate alternative course, feedback and assessment modalities can be set in place.

Criteri di valutazione
- Participants’ active engagement in a range of learning activities and tasks - Participants’ contribution to their community of learning - Participants’ ability to understand, analyse, evaluate and apply specific academic English conventions - Participants’ ability to draw on knowledge and content from various relevant sources in a personal and critical way, expressing their understanding and making personal contributions through appropriate academic English conventions in their written and spoken output - Participants’ awareness of relevant lifelong learning strategies and resources - Participants’ ability to benefit from the lecturer’s written and spoken feedback - Participants’ familiarity with Master programme-related terminology through spoken interaction in English at B2+ Assessment weighting (attending students): Coursework: 40%; Final oral presentations: 30%; Final oral examination: 30% The course lecturer can be contacted at any time by students with doubts or queries concerning their attendance, the course format and modalities, exam registration prerequisites, assessment modalities/other.

Bibliografia obbligatoria

Davis, M., Davis, K. J., & Dunagan, M. M. (2012). Scientific papers and presentations (3rd ed.). Academic Press.

Graham, A. (2018). English for Academic Purposes: A Handbook for Students (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.libproxy.unibz.it/10.4324/9781041055396

Bibliografia facoltativa

Gillett, A., Hammond, A., & Martala, M. (2009). Successful Academic Writing. Pearson.

Paterson, K., Wedge, R. (2013). Oxford Grammar for EAP. Oxford University Press.

Skern, T. (2019). Writing Scientific English: A workbook. Facultas AG.

Altre informazioni
Further texts/other will be provided on the basis of students’ interests and English language requirements.