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ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION TO ACLE101

As new students in an academic institution, you will probably realise that you are not exactly sure how to write in a way that your lecturers expect of you and what they would accept as good academic writing. If you develop this knowledge and know what is expected of you and how to fulfil those expectations, you will be better equipped to participate in the academic world. If you know both how to structure your academic writing and to use the language according to existing conventions in the university, then you will achieve better marks in academic writing. You will be able to gain access to, participate in, and have influence and power in the academic environment.

This module is based on the well-established principle that before effective writing can be achieved, everyone must learn to read with understanding and comprehension, especially academic texts (which are factual and not stories). Therefore, this course will carefully and thoroughly analyse several texts to expose the structure and language of formal academic writing. The content of the texts is easily understood, as this is not the focus of the course but is, of course, relevant.

You must attend all classes. This module is a ‘cumulative’ one where each class builds on the last, and missing one class can seriously affect your performance and final result. If you miss a class that discusses and defines a concept used all the time throughout the course, you will always be behind and eventually will lack understanding. Of course, lousy attendance is one of the best predictors of failure in this type. Another good predictor of failure is not handing in the written work required on time (or not at all). The course requires a very definite commitment.

NOTES ON ACLE 101

1. This module will be offered in the first and second semesters.
2. Make sure what you are registering for at the beginning of the year.
3. This course is not like “English” at school. It is here to help you understand what is required to read and write at university. It is not a literature course like English studies here at the university. An academic literacy course should help you master academic language (oral and writing). It will undoubtedly help you to get better marks in your other subjects.
4. The module is taught in groups of about 40 students, and you must add your name to one of the groups on display in the old main building in the corridor between rooms 10 and 11. These sheets will be put up early in the 1^st week of term. Keep looking – first come, first served. You must select a group whose class times do not clash with your other subjects. No absence for clashes will be allowed.
5. You must attend all classes. Each class is built on the previous one; missing one will seriously affect your performance and results. You must commit to this course: it is not a sloppy, soft option!
6. This module's ‘duly performed’ requirement, which will allow you to write the final exam, is a passing class mark of 50% or more. It won't be easy to achieve this if you don’t hand in all the written work required.
7. Lectures for these modules will start in the 2nd week of the term.

Why should I take ACLE?

You will develop skills that prepare you for academic grounding during the course!

By the end of this module, you will understand the following:

• The purposes of the academic genre
• How do these purposes determine the structure and language of the genre
• What is required and expected of you in academic writing
• How language choices affect the way a message is received
• The purpose and requirements of basic referencing.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Read with an understanding of what writers are trying to do with their structural and language choices
• Write effectively and coherently within the structural and language conventions of the academic genre
• Write with an understanding of the impact of your structural and language choices