The course aims to improve students’ knowledge and use of the conventions of academic and scientific English. It will cover some of the areas of scientific communication that students should master in order to successfully promote their research, including how to write cohesive and coherent sentences and paragraphs, how to paraphrase, how to write abstracts, and how to prepare and deliver academic presentations. Students will get a chance to practice their writing and speaking skills, and improve their academic English vocabulary and grammar.
On completion of the course, students should be able to 1. Communicate in a clear, concise and correct manner. 2. Extract required information from spoken or written science and technology-related material, using skills in note-taking and summarization 3. Describe information (data, processes and phenomena) in a formal, objective manner. 4. Exchange science and technology-related information using language that is appropriate to the medium - including visuals/diagrams, presentations, group discussions, and written reports. 5. Develop communication skills relevant to science and technology-related employment - including professional expression, teamwork and job applications.
Teaching Methods
The lectures will provide guidelines as well as practical examples from scientific texts and exercises to teach students how to apply the guidelines to their own work. Students will also be invited to give short oral presentations on topics of their choice, in order to put into practice the skills acquired during the lectures.
Assessment Methods
The exam will test - reading and listening skills applied to academic and scientific texts - writing skills applied to abstract writing - use of academic language Abstract (50%) Reading & Listening comprehension (25%) Language in use (25%)
Contents
The course will cover the following topics: - using verb tenses properly - conditionals - modal verbs (hedging in academic writing) - passive vs. active - using articles - word order - structuring sentences and paragraphs - linking words - avoiding redundancy - editing, paraphrasing, summarizing - writing RA abstracts - reading strategies
Course Language
English
More information
For an appointment, specific requests or queries write to silvia.minardi@uninsubria.it
