LANGTCHG 715 : Developing Academic Literacy

Arts

2020 Semester Two (1205) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Aims to help participants understand and develop their academic literacies. Focuses on texts involved in the research process, such as review articles, research paper proposals, dissertations and conference abstracts; makes extensive reference to findings from genre and corpus-based analyses; and includes conducting mini-analyses on the discourse in participants' own disciplines.

Course Overview

 Developing academic literacy skills involves building knowledge and skill in three main areas: technical aspects (e.g. summarizing, paraphrasing, sentence and paragraph level word choices, frequently used language patterns); disciplinary components (e.g. how texts are constructed in your particular subject area); and critical components (e.g. issues of access, power, identity and social practices). While all three will feature in LANGTCHG 715, the main focus of the course will be to further develop the language and genre-based skills and knowledge you will need to comprehend and produce texts in your graduate studies. The course analyses examples of evaluative texts (e.g. academic essays and reviews) and research reports (e.g. library research reports in essays, and empirical reports in theses and dissertations), and provides guided and independent opportunities for text construction. Metadiscourse strategies that writers use to organise information coherently and convincingly in the text, and to convey the writer’s own perspective through the use of strategies such as hedges, boosters, and attitude markers are explored. We also look at what corpus-based analyses reveal about language use in particular disciplinary areas.

Each class session includes discussion of a course reading that relates to the topic of the session, some explicit instruction about the genre, analysis of sample texts and the type of language typically used, as well as opportunities to receive feedback on practice tasks. The course has three assignments.  

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate understanding of important aspects of academic literacy: macro-structures, source text use, language patterns, prefabricated text chunks, and metadiscourse strategies (Capability 1.1)
  2. Apply theory and scholarship to successfully complete practice-based assignments (Capability 1.2)
  3. Evaluate the components and style of the academic genres of evaluative review, argument essay, and components of a research report (Capability 2.1)
  4. Communicate understanding of core academic genres by composing own examples of a book review, literature review and research Discussion (Capability 2.3)
  5. Communicate precisely, clearly and coherently, using appropriate metadiscourse strategies (Capability 4.1 and 4.2)
  6. Evaluate the quality of own work and drafts by peers, edit thoroughly, and work independently on text construction tasks (Capability 5.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework 100% Individual Coursework

Next offered

Semester 1, 2021

Learning Resources

All course materials can be found in a text produced specifically for the course. It can be purchased from the University bookshop in the Kate Edgar Commons. Relevant readings can be accessed through CANVAS (Course readings).  

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week on each 15 point course that they are enrolled in, including class time and personal study and assignment preparation.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 05/07/2020 02:58 p.m.