Module LANG0201: SPOKEN DISCOURSE FOR ACADEMIC STUDY

Department: English Language Centre

LANG0201: SPOKEN DISCOURSE FOR ACADEMIC STUDY

Prerequisites

• IELTS score of 5.0 + (or equivalent)

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• to enable non-native English speaking students to develop their speaking and listening abilities so that they are able to gain entry to academic courses at English medium universities
• to enable non-native English speaking students to develop their speaking and listening abilities so that they will be able to perform at an acceptable standard on undergraduate and postgraduate courses at English medium universities

Content

• spoken activities will aim to develop pronunciation through focus on phonetic articulation, intonation, word and sentence stress, linkage and other elements related to effective pronunciation
• spoken activities will focus on enabling students to perform a range of spoken language tasks, functions and skills including: Stating personal opinions, responding to questions, stating conclusions, reporting and attribution of the work of others, describing trends, stating agreement and disagreement, describing processes and mechanisms, exemplifying, introducing presentation topics, structuring and signposting presentations, requesting clarification, describing graphical and tabulated data, describing ideas and entities, expressing logical relationships, talking about self, supporting arguments with evidence, describing cause and effect, engaging in negotiation, giving definitions, describing and presenting visual aids, using appropriate body language elaboration of ideas, giving emphasis, asserting views in native speaker containing groups
• spoken activities will be used to illustrate principles of conversational and transactional interactions in different contexts focusing on enabling students to engage effectively in such interaction
• areas of focus will include: use of tags, turn-taking, back-channelling, ellipsis, fronting, use of tags and tails, overlap and interruption, internal and external reference (deictic reference) and repair
• listening activities will focus on: listening for detail, main ideas, selecting key information, understanding key concepts, lecture listening strategies and notetaking skills (using note-taking symbols, lecture note formats, framing and structuring notes)
• an essential element of content is a focus on language development through developing knowledge of vocabulary, discourse elements and grammatical forms

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of the course students should have developed knowledge of:
• general characteristics and style of spoken academic discourse
• intonation and its role in expression of spoken meaning
• general characteristics of colloquial and other spoken Englishes
• core vocabulary and grammar associated with spoken academic discourse
• language and forms required for the range of spoken academic language functions including expressing viewpoints, evaluation, criticism, quotation and citation
• mechanisms for structuring spoken discourse
• strategies for effective notetaking in lectures
• strategies and conventions in academic discourse
• linguistic and other strategies for working effectively in group tasks

• On completion of the course students should be able to demonstrate the following abilities at a standard that will enable entry to university academic programmes:
• listening to and comprehending day-to-day social and transactional interactions
• listening to and comprehending short talks, media excerpts and presentations and lectures
• discussing familiar and unfamiliar topics
• listening to and making effective notes in lectures
• giving effective presentations on a topic of relevance to academic study
• speaking effectively with other students and university staff
• communicating effectively in group tasks
• students should also be able to participate effectively in the social and transactional functions encountered in everyday life and within a broad academic setting

• using features of spoken language accurately
• interaction with others through spoken language
• self-presentation
• identification of gist in spoken language
• listening for detailed understanding
• effective notetaking

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• relevant tasks, skills and language will be encountered and practised in seminar sessions
• relevant tasks, skills and language will be practised through 'out of class' assignments
• independent learning will be facilitated through 'out of class' assignments
• tutorials will be used to help focus and individualise learning and monitor progress
• formative assessment: students will receive ongoing feedback on spoken performance through seminars and individual tutorials
• listening will be tested through lecture style tests, with performance level feedback provided
• students will receive in class ongoing feedback with respect to leading presentations and seminar performance
• summative assessment: speaking and listening will be assessed through a formally examined group-work task and through a seminar presentation
• listening will also be assessed through examination involving lecture listening linked to notetaking and/or a discrete item listening test
• presentation skills will be assessed as part of the Academic Project module, which is part of the English and Academic Study programme.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students will receive ongoing feedback on spoken performance through seminars and individual tutorials. Speaking in interview format will be tested more formally on a termly basis with performance feedback provided. Listening will be tested with performance level feedback provided. Students will receive in class ongoing feedback with respect to presentations and performance.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University