| CODE | CSP1000 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Communication and Academic Skills 1: Core Skills | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for English Language Proficiency | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Critical thinking and clarity of communication of thought in writing and presenting are situated in an academic context within this first of two study-units. The unit focusses on developing students' writing while emphasising how thought influences rhetorical patterns in writing and presenting. As it operates within an academic context, the unit emphasises how we write to communicate by drawing upon the conventions of the diverse disciplines. Through a series of ungraded tasks, the unit allows students to practise the thinking, writing, and presenting processes required in the graded tasks, both on this course and beyond to the wider context of their university course. Students will have the opportunity to craft an academic argument while understanding the importance of audience expectations, purpose, disciplinary perspectives, writing style and voice. Through metacognitive strategies, students will be encouraged to reflect on their thinking and writing processes as they focus on drawing a clear trajectory of their topic. The unit encourages academic analysis and argument at tertiary level where students are expected to gather, analyse, and evaluate a range of sources into their writing and presenting. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims to develop the student's ability to: - move from analysis to conversation with the primary and secondary sources; - analyse texts rhetorically by being sensitive to a reader-oriented approach and the argumentative strategy that best fits the academic context; - draft, rethink after feedback, revise and reflect on the writing and presenting process as a result of feedback; - compose / present well-reasoned arguments while persuading their audience with a given purpose and a specific genre in focus; - examine a range of sources and perspectives to present the wider conversation about the topic in focus; - evaluate sources (print-based and digital) situated in an academic context. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - reflect on the sources and draw comparisons for the purpose of presenting a position; - think critically so they can recognise the difference between opinion and evidence while supporting a point of view or thesis; - identify the voice appropriate to the subject and the writer's purpose while being sensitive to the context; - exploit the differences in the rhetorical strategies of the different sources; - reflect on how genres shape reading and writing; - recognise how and why conventions vary among disciplines through critical thinking; - recognise how the intended audience for a message shapes choices about style, tone and delivery; - identify the types of supporting materials that are necessary in relation to the context; - reflect on feedback and actively revise and change to present a more effective message. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - compose texts (writing and presenting) that demonstrate clear rhetorical choices with attention to audience, purpose, context, genre and convention; - compose well-reasoned arguments and persuasive texts; - use evidence to support and justify claims made in their writing and presenting; - reflect on feedback by actively engaging in a discussion on the process; - revise and redraft the end product following feedback; - communicate effectively as appropriate to the context (e.g. public speaking, interpersonal and intercultural communication); - communicate information in an appropriate style; - compose texts that demonstrate the ability to adopt the appropriate rhetorical choices while keeping audience, purpose, context, genre and convention in mind; - use evidence from primary and secondary sources to support and explain claims; - hone organisational and analytical skills, clarity, fluency, flexibility and accuracy in their written and presenting skills; - adopt strategies for conveying a research-based argument through writing and presenting; - collect, analyse and synthesise data and scholarly texts. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Materials and resources tailored to the students' course will be made available during the lectures. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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