IL1ACDN: English for Arts and Communication Design

Module code: IL1ACDN

Module provider: International Study and Language Institute

Credits: 0

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Ms Emily Salvesen, email: e.r.salvesen@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Ms Jennifer Sizer, email: j.sizer@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module focuses on the academic language and skills needed to perform more effectively at undergraduate level in Arts and Communication Design. It is primarily designed for students whose first language is not English and aims to support the transition to the UK HE context and academic culture. The module utilises Arts and Communication Design-specific texts to develop a range of writing skills needed for successful completion of assessed coursework tasks.

The module is non-credit-bearing and designed to support students’ disciplinary study, the expectation being that students will apply the skills they have learnt on IL1ACDN in their credit-bearing work. Therefore, for the module itself, there is no assessment or expectation of independent study hours.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Apply knowledge of written and spoken genres in Arts and Communication Design (e.g. essays, reflective accounts, critiques, presentations) to interpret assignment tasks and employ appropriate organisational patterns in their completion. 
2. Demonstrate an understanding of academic integrity through appropriate use of referencing conventions, including the paraphrase and summary of source material. 
3. Employ task-appropriate language (grammar and lexis) in written and spoken texts. 
4. Demonstrate criticality by using a variety of task-appropriate techniques to incorporate and comment on the views of others in their written and spoken work. 

Module content

Classes will focus on: 

• Recognising and responding to the key coursework assignment genres in Arts and Communication Design, e.g. essays, reflective accounts, critiques, presentations, including: 
  • expected structural & argumentation patterns and how these differ according to task type. 
  • reading-to-write and source use and synthesis processes. 
  • how ‘voice’ and ‘stance’ are realised linguistically within written texts. 
• Developing key skills useful to all academic communication within Arts and Communication Design, including: 
  • incorporating sources using paraphrasing, summarising and direct quotation. 
  • ‘information flow’ in English-language texts. 
  • employing linguistic features of textual cohesion to clearly signal relationships between parts of a text. 
• Consolidating and enhancing students’ use of language for academic communication, including verb tense and form, nominalisation, clause and sentence structure. 
• Developing self-confidence in academic communication through guided tasks and discussions. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module takes a discipline-specific, genre-based approach to language and literacy development using example student texts and published Arts and Communication Design-specific sources in classroom tasks.  

Teaching and learning is facilitated in a generally task-based approach, through a combination of reflective and productive activities, guided analysis of texts and peer and tutor feedback. The guided analysis of texts involves 'noticing' of key organisational and linguistic features in context and exercises to practise the use of rele