LS1415 English for Academic Studies (online) 3.0 credits

The course is web-based without timetabled meetings and is organized around six themes that are treated in modules of the course:

• Academic culture, language and assessment
• Types of academic English
• Core functions of academic language
• Academic identity
• Criticality
• Learning optimisation

Students will produce a portfolio of work focused on improving their academic linguistic proficiency

General content: Differences between general English and scientific English - Strategies for moving from competence to excellence - Key academic vocabulary - Strategies for vocabulary learning

Academic culture: Collaborating with other students - Making use of university and departmental resources - Defining academic dishonesty and plagiarism - Understanding different assessment schemes - Becoming a member of a discourse community - Interpreting teacher's feedback - Efficient note-taking

Listening comprehension for academic studies: Identifying common lecture structures - Distinctive features of spoken English that can affect comprehension - Listening for gist and detail - Dealing with different speaking styles - Developing active listening skills - Preparing for optimal listening to lectures

Speaking and presenting at academic studies: The purpose of academic discussion and debate - Strategies for preparing for and participating in academic seminars and discussions - Structuring scientific talks and presentations - Presentation technique - Audience awareness - Presenting visual data - Developing and expressing critical viewpoints - Presenting and defending a degree project - Anticipating and answering questions on presentations - Giving constructive feedback to other students - Strategies for improving speaking skills

Reading comprehension for academic studies: The different types of academic texts - Strategies for reading academic writing - Identifying coherence and cohesion in texts - Differences between reading for information and critical reading - The functions of multi-modal items in texts - Understanding arguments in texts - Strategies for understanding difficult texts

Academic writing: The role of academic writing - Different Genres of academic writing - Writer and reader responsibility - Key skills for good academic writing - The IMRaD structure - Finding, evaluating, selecting, using and referencing other sources - Referencing systems- Genre, audience, purpose and organization - Paragraph and sentence structure - Writing with coherence and cohesion - Distinguishing between voice of author and voice of sources - Techniques for paraphrasing - Different concepts of criticality - Critically and respectfully expressing a viewpoint- Critically reflecting on one's own work and the work of others - The writing process from planning to proofreading - Ways of producing writing - Responding to feedback on writing

The aim of the course is to help the students develop study and communication skills focusing on the conventions and requirements within their own academic disciplines.

On completion of the course, the students should be able to:

• Carry out a critical analysis of academic discourse
• Demonstrate an understanding of the discourse practices within their disciplinary communities
• Demonstrate an understanding of how knowledge is communicated in academic contexts
• Create and present a reflected academic identity in spoken and written academic texts
• Develop strategies for refinement of their academic language

General admission requirements

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

• LEXA - Continuous Assessment, 3.0 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

All course components passed.

Jane Bottomley

Jamie Rinder

Susanna Zeitler Lyne

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.