ENGL 1110 - Academic English I

North Terrace Campus - Winter - 2016

Students undertaking this course will develop their skills in reading, writing, and speaking English in an intensive study situation. They will read selected English literary texts (or extracts from them), learn skills for understanding these texts, and develop written and spoken responses to them. The selected texts will be appropriate for both students whose first language is not English and for native speakers of English. Students will develop transferable skills in critical thinking, research, the evaluation of secondary sources, and the planning and drafting of academic essays.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ENGL 1110
    Course Academic English I
    Coordinating Unit English, Creative Writing, and Film
    Term Winter
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 9 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible ENGL 2110
    Assumed Knowledge Intermediate knowledge of the English language
    Course Description Students undertaking this course will develop their skills in reading, writing, and speaking English in an intensive study situation. They will read selected English literary texts (or extracts from them), learn skills for understanding these texts, and develop written and spoken responses to them. The selected texts will be appropriate for both students whose first language is not English and for native speakers of English. Students will develop transferable skills in critical thinking, research, the evaluation of secondary sources, and the planning and drafting of academic essays.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Ms Sandra Lyne

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. Prepare and deliver a range of academic texts (essays, annotated bibliographies etc).
    2. Acquire skills in the genre of academic writing, including: structuring at macro and micro levels; using rhetorical strategies; working with primary and secondary sources; developing an argument; and using register, audience and authorial voice.
    3. Develop research skills relevant to the analysis of primary texts.
    4. Develop research skills relevant to the use of secondary sources, both online and in hard copy.
    5. Develop and practice skills in referencing, quoting, paraphrasing and avoiding plagiarism.
    6. Prepare and deliver coherently and logically argued material in both written and oral forms.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1, 3, 4, 6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3, 6
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    3, 5, 6
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1, 3, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    None.
    Recommended Resources
    Faigley, Lester. The Little Penguin Handbook: Australasian Edition. 2nd ed. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Australia, 2013.

    Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. New York: Norton, 2006.

    Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2008.

    Kane, Thomas S. The New Oxford Guide to Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
    Online Learning
    Course documents made available on MyUni include:
    • Course Profile
    • Course Plan
    • Assessment Tasks Outline
    • Lecture Audio Files (after live lecture)
    • Lecture Slides
    • Essay Questions
    • Assignment Marking Rubrics
    Course assessment tasks to be completed through MyUni are:
    • Online Grammar Test
    • Online Library Quiz
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course is built around a series of one-hour lectures covering academic writing skills and strategies for research and argumentation. These will be complemented by three two-hour workshops per week, in which students will undertake a series of exercises, in both written and spoken forms, aimed at developing their expression and argumentation in academic writing contexts. In addition, workshops provide students with the opportunity to draft assignments and seek peer review and comment before submitting their work. Grammar, syntax and style are addressed in both lecture and workshop content.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Students will commit the equivalent of 156 hours to this course.
    Learning Activities Summary
    Week 1:

    Lecture:  Introduction to academic writing.
    Workshops: Primary texts and analysis; Close reading and textual analysis; Oral presentations and transferable skills.

    Week 2: 

    Lecture: Paragraph structure and the literature review.
    Workshops: Paragraph structure; Summarising and the literature review; Library research skills and referencing.

    Week 3: 

    Lecture: Types of essays and constructing an argument.
    Workshops: Developing an argument and essay plan; Introductions and conclusions; Using quotations and secondary sources.

    Week 4: 

    Lecture: Writing, editing and finding your voice.
    Workshops: Analysis of authorial voice; Essay drafts; Editing and proofreading.
    Specific Course Requirements
    Purchase of the course reader from the University of Adelaide Image and Copy Centre.
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Provisional. Small group discovery experience may be developed through in class small group exercises.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    Oral presentation Formative and Summative 15% 1, 2, 3, 5
    Online grammar test Formative and Summative 5% 2
    Online library task Formative and Summative 5% 3, 4
    Essay plan Formative and Summative 25% 1, 2, 6
    Essay Formative and Summative 40% 1-6
    Participation Formative and Summative 10% 1-6
    Assessment Related Requirements
    If students miss more than two seminars/workshops without providing documentation such as a medical certificate to cover their absences, they will be considered at risk of failing the course. All students must complete and submit all of the assessment tasks (with the exception of the Oral Presentation task ONLY in cases of documented illness or compassionate exception) in order to deemed to have fulfilled all the requirements of the course.

    If students do not complete an assessment task or tasks, they will receive 0% for the uncompleted assignment/s and will be deemed ineligible to pass the course until they have completed and passed a Replacement Assessment task (maximum grade 50%P; this will become the grade for the overall course).
    Assessment Detail
    Oral Presentation (15%): working in small groups, students choose one text from the reader and produce a close reading of it. The group will present the close reading in a 5-minute presentation
    and answer questions from other students after completing it. All members of the group must take part in either giving the presentation or answering class questions.

    Online grammar test (5%): students complete an online grammar test via MyUni. There will be three sections, each using a variety of question types including multipe choice and short answer questions.

    Online library task (5%): students will work in the Barr-Smith Library with the English Reference Librarian on research strategies and methods relevant to their final essay. Students will then complete an online quiz answering questions about the library’s organisation, research options and databases, and referencing. The quiz will be predominantly in multiple-choice format.

    Essay Plan (25%): students will plan an essay on a topic chosen from a list. Feedback received on the essay plan must be incorporated into the final draft of the essay.

    Essay (40%): students submit an essay on their chosen topic using their essay plan.

    Participation (10%): students will be assessed on their participation in seminars and group work, their contribution to discussions, and their progress with assessment tasks on schedule.
    Submission
    All assignments are submitted in hard copy to the Humanities office (Napier Building, Level 7).
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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