English for Academic Purposes

In this unit students will be introduced to skills and knowledge necessary to construct written arguments. With an understanding of the principles of academic integrity, students will develop research, paraphrasing, synthesis and referencing skills. Students will improve their critical thinking skills through reading, writing and discussion and explore how language, modality and tone influence academic writing. Students will analyse complex texts which model the scholarly characteristics, academic conventions and discourse used across a range of academic disciplines.The unit will step through the processes of research, reading, and notetaking whilst refining writing skills. Students will engage with the VU learning management systems and library resources and databases. This unit will also involve the completion of the Academic Integrity Modules.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the use of analytical reading and listening strategies to identify main ideas and supporting evidence in a range of texts which can be used to support an argument.
2. Apply analytical writing strategies to summarise academic texts.
3. Utilise analytical writing strategies to organise, integrate and cite information from multiple academic sources in a coherent, well-structured academic essay.
4. Reference appropriately according to APA7.
5. Participate in an academic community through reflective and critical engagement in academic texts and understanding of principles of academic integrity.