The module aims to extend students’ general and discipline-specific English language and study skills, with an emphasis on critical thinking and independent learning, in order to allow them to function more effectively in other university modules, as well as in their overall academic career. In addition, it will raise their language skills to CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B2+ level.
A. Employ diverse listening and note-taking strategies to effectively enable general, detailed, and critical understanding of discipline-specific and general academic spoken texts. B. Employ diverse reading and note-taking strategies to effectively enable general, detailed, and critical understanding of discipline-specific and general academic written texts. C. Demonstrate a range of speaking skills to describe, explain, summarise, and critically analyse topics relevant to their field of study with a high degree of fluency and an appropriate academic style (when required) and lexical register. D. Demonstrate a range of writing skills to describe, explain, summarise, and critically analyse topics relevant to their field of study with an appropriate academic style and lexical register. E. Demonstrate a range of academic skills (e.g. critique, reflection, adherence to academic integrity, collaboration, problem-solving skills, etc.) necessary to function in students’ disciplinary studies.
Module content will be taught and learnt through the following intensive seminar activities: • class workshops and small group seminars • several lectures per semester • in-class writing activities (e.g. summaries and essays including timed writing) • authentic stream-related listening and note-taking tasks (video and audio) • regularly assigned, guided self-study activities including textbook ‘homework’