Prospectus

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Language Acquisition 3: Grammar in Writing

Course
2019-2020

Admission requirements

A pass for Language Acquisition 2: From Scratch to Print, or a similar academic-writing course. Preferably, you have also taken Linguistics 2: The Syntax of English.

Description

‘Language Acquisition 3: Grammar in Writing’ is a follow-up to the first-year ‘Language Acquisition 2: From Scratch to Print’ academic-writing course. This second-year course provides a more in-depth understanding of accurate usage, lexical, grammatical and stylistic. Each week, the lecture covers a topic from traditional and functional English grammar (e.g. instance tense and aspect, complementation, or word order). This knowledge will be practiced in tutorial with exercises and short writing assignments that you have prepared at home.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, you will have acquired a sound knowledge and understanding of English (functional) grammar and English grammatical terminology (this will come in handy if you are considering a career in teaching or as a translator), which you will be able to apply when you write texts in English.

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA English website

Mode of instruction

  • One 45-minute lecture. The evening students follow these lectures online (weblectures).

  • One forty-five-minute tutorial per week.

Course Load

The course load is 140 hours (5 EC), allocated as follows:

  • Tutorial attendance: 26 hours

  • Tutorial preparation: 91 hours (reading and preparation of assignments)

  • Revision for the test: 20 hours

  • Written test: 3 hours

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Two-hour written examination

  • Portfolio with short analysis and writing assignments. Students will be asked to complete and submit a number of assignments every week. Three of these will be marked.

Weighing

  • Two-hour written examination (70%).

  • Portfolio with short analysis and writing assignments. Students will be asked to complete and submit a number of assignments every week. In three randomly chosen weeks, the assignments will be marked. (30%)

To pass the course, you need to obtain a 6.0 pass for the test and you need to have submitted the weekly assignments in Blackboard before class.

Resit

The written examination can be retaken if the result is below a 6.0. This resit will constitute for 100% of the final grade, thus replacing all previously earned marks. Please note that there is no resit for the weekly assignments.

Attendance

Attendance is compulsory. Missing more than two tutorials means that students will be excluded from the tutorials. Unauthorized absence also applies to being unprepared, not participating and/or not bringing the relevant course materials to class.

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used to present course information, notify you of changes to the course and to make course materials available.

Reading list

Set reading

  • Grammar in writing: Texts and assignments for Language Acquisition 3. Reader on Blackboard [available through blackboard]
    At least one of the following textbooks should be purchased:

  • Foster et al. (2018). English grammar through Dutch eyes. Bussum: Coutinho. [contrastive English/Dutch]

  • Swan, Michael. (2016). Practical English Usage. Fourth Edition. Oxford: OUP. [Advanced Learner’s Grammar; focus on foreign-language learners but not contrastive with Dutch]

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.

General information about uSis is available on the website

NB: First year students will be enrolled by the coordinator of studies.

Students other than from the BA English language and culture cannot take this course.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Registration Studeren à la carte

Registration Contractonderwijs

Contact

Please contact Student administration van Eyckhof for questions.

The coordinator of studies is Else van Dijk

Remarks

None.