Prospectus

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Language Acquisition 2: From Scratch to Print

Course
2017-2018

Admission requirements

None.

Description

Thanks to their education, university graduates – this includes those with a degree in English Studies – are able to thoroughly research any given topic. They can define a research topic, formulate a thesis question, and find and process relevant literature. This is something our society takes for granted: in principle, anyone with a university degree should be able to report on research findings, orally or in writing. In principle, that is, because studies on the employability of graduates of a language or cultures degree show that what makes them special least in the eyes of their prospective employers is their excellent command of language, a skill that receives special attention in a language degree programme, but one that those fresh out of university are no longer automatically assumed to possess. An added advantage of having a degree in English is that the written and/or oral presentation skills that you have acquired in the language acquisition courses (and that you have perfected in other courses) enable you to express yourself accurately and precisely in the international language of science, trade and culture, English.

Language Acquisition 2: From Scratch to Print is an introductory writing course whose aim it is to familiarise you with the grammatical and stylistic features of formal written texts in English. The topics that the course will address are formal register, cohesion, writing effective paragraphs, titles, introductions and conclusions, working with dictionaries and grammars and referencing your sources. At home you will prepare short writing and usage assignments, which are discussed in tutorial. In the second half of the course you will meet with your tutor every week in small tutorial groups of four students to discuss your progress with the writing of an essay of approximately 1000 words. This essay is handed in at the end of the course, commented upon and marked.

Course objectives

  • Ability to write several types of texts, namely those that university-educated professionals are expected to write in their future professions.

  • Ability to peer-review texts of fellow students.

  • Ability to choose the right register for various text types.

  • Ability to apply grammatical and punctuation conventions correctly.

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA English website

Mode of instruction

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

  • One ninety-minute tutorial.

  • Self-study and preparation of short usage and writing assignments.

Course Load

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

  • Tutorial attendance: 26 hours.

  • Tutorial preparation: 74 hours.

  • Self-study, including the writing of the course essay: 38 hours.

  • Tutoring/opportunity to inspect essay: 2 hours.

Assessment method

Assessment

One 1000-word essay.
Participation during tutorials and through Blackboard.

Weighing

  • Essay (70%)

  • Participation (30%)

The pass the course students need to obtain at least a 6.0 pass for the essay.

Resit

Students need to resit the essay if the grade is below a 6.0. The participation component cannot be retaken.

Exam review

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.

Attendance

Attendance is compulsory. Missing more than three tutorials means that students will be excluded from taking the exam (or essay or other assignments) and resits. Consequently, the course cannot be completed during that particular academic year. Unauthorized absence also applies to being unprepared and/or not bringing the relevant course materials to class.

Blackboard

In this course, Blackboard is used to present course information, notify you of changes to the course and to make course materials available.

Reading list

  • From scratch to print: Texts and assignments for Language Acquisition 2: Reader, verkrijgbaar via Blackboard.

  • Longman dictionary of contemporary English. For advanced learners (2014). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Longman.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch

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

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

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable.

Contact

Please contact Student administration van Eyckhof for questions.