Argomenti dell'insegnamento
The final list of topics and text types will depend on the specific requirements of the enrolled students, but the core topics will include: - types of academic texts and their general structure - audience, purpose, style - academic style and academic vocabulary - register: formal/informal language; personal/impersonal style - sentence structure, simple versus complex sentences, punctuation - nouns and noun phrase structures - the article system - verb tense, aspect, time phrases - paragraph structure & cohesion - summarising & paraphrasing - the writing process: from planning to proofreading - citations and plagiarism; reporting verbs; in-text citations and reference list

Insegnamenti propedeutici
/

Modalità di insegnamento
Lecture, discussion, workshop, individual writing tasks

Obiettivi formativi
Students will learn how academic texts in English are typically structured, gain an understanding of academic style, and understand conventions related to citations and references, including the language needed to cite the work of others effectively. They will develop competence in using English for a range of functions – describing, defining, summarising, comparing and contrasting, arguing, persuading, etc. – and understand how these are realised linguistically for formal communication in academic contexts. On completion of the course, students will: Knowledge and understanding - have an understanding of typical sentence and paragraph structure in English - understand the concept of register, particularly in relation to writing for academic purposes - understand how English vocabulary and grammar are used in formal contexts - understand different types of academic writing and their linguistic features Applying knowledge and understanding - be able to identify and reproduce typical linguistic features of formal writing in English - be able to identify and reproduce different types of academic writing - be able to use English effectively for a number of different communicative functions (e.g. comparison, exemplification, explanation) - be able to write formal texts in English with clarity, coherence and precision - be able to enact a writing process from planning to revising written work - be able to cite effectively and appropriately, and produce a list of references Making judgements - analyse written academic discourse and evaluate its linguistic and stylistic features - be able to select and use these features in a variety of formal written texts - be able to make informed decisions about appropriate lexis and grammar when producing academic texts - be able to produce well-structured sentences, paragraphs and texts appropriate to communicative purpose and audience Communication skills - be able to consider audience and purpose when producing formal texts in English - be able to summarise and paraphrase others’ ideas through formal, written texts - be able to communicate their own ideas and opinions in a formal, written context - be able to use vocabulary and grammar accurately and effectively in writing Learning skills - be aware of the kinds of errors they typically make in writing and be able to correct them - know how to refer to other texts as sources of language for their own writing - acquire the skills necessary to autonomously produce written formal texts in English

Modalità d'esame
Formative: portfolio of tasks completed during the course Summative: final written examination (production of short tasks based on writing prompts in timed conditions)

Criteri di valutazione
Formative: adequate completion of tasks carried out during the course. Evidence of critical reflection and skills progress across the portfolio will also be taken into account. Summative: an assessment rubric will be provided identifying specific criteria to evaluate students’ writing competence, including task achievement; content/ideas; textual organisation & structure; formality of text; use of English; accuracy of grammar and lexis

Bibliografia obbligatoria

Materials will be provided during the course, according to students’ needs. Students may want to consult the titles in the ‘supplementary readings’ below.

Bibliografia facoltativa

• Bailey, S. (2017). Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. Routledge.

• Butler, L. (2017). Longman Academic Writing Series 1: Sentences to Paragraphs. 

• Clark, S. & Pointon, G. (2016). The Routledge Student Guide to English Usage: A guide to academic writing for students. Routledge

• Folse, K., Gordon, D & Smith-Palinkas, B. (2017). Grammar for great writing, USA: National Geographic learning.

• Hogue, A. & Bixby, J. (2017). Longman Academic Writing Series 2: Paragraphs.  

• McCarthy, M. & O’Dell, F. (2017) English Vocabulary in Use, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

• Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. (2017) Longman Academic Writing Series 3: Paragraphs to Essays. 

Altre informazioni
Lecture slides, online resources, examination assessment criteria, and portfolio tasks will be made available on the OLE platform.