English for Sociology

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SYLLABI (COURSE DESCRIPTION)

Academic year 2021 / 2022

English for Sociology 1 
NameEnglish for Sociology 1
ECTS credits2
TeachersVivijana Radman, M. Sc., Senior Lecturer
HoursSeminar
30
PrerequisitesNone
GoalAcquiring and developing techniques for reading expert literature. Acquiring summary writing techniques. Developing the skill of speaking on academic and expert topics. Acquiring academic and expert vocabulary.
Teaching methodsDirect instructions; teacher-led demonstrations in the classroom; practicing newly acquired knowledge on the original expert texts; students' oral presentations on expert topics; analysis of the presentations, classroom discussion; E-Learning (Omega)
Assessment methodsContinuous assessment involving class attendance and participation in the classroom activities, homework assignments, and a written exam at the end of the semester.
Learning outcomes1. Students will be able to apply the techniques for reading expert literature written in English
2. Students will become familiar with the most common ways of structuring expert texts, including the organization of the text around topics and the organization of a paragraph around the topic sentence.
3. Students will be able to recognize and use the types of sentences commonly used in academic discourse.
4. Students will be able to use English academic vocabulary.
Week by week schedule1.
Introductory lecture. Presenting the goals, the methods, and the contents of the course. General English vs. English for Specific Purposes.Text as a unit of meaning. Expert text as a medium for communicating expert information. The interaction of linguistic knowledge and expert knowledge in the production of meaning.

2.
How to prepare for oral presentation on expert topics. The choice of topic (background knowledge, relevance, audience). Researching the expert literature as a way of acquiring both linguistic and expert knowledge (min. 5 sources). Distinguishing between the essential and supporting information. Organizing information into a coherent structure. The differences between the organization of written sources and the organization of speech (strategic repetition of key concepts, etc.) Listing the sources.

3.
Topic-main idea. The organization of information in an expert text. The organization on the level of the entire text; organization into interrelated paragraphs organized around TOPICS. Organization on the paragraph level: announcing the main idea of the paragraph in the topic sentence. Structuring the paragraph around the topic sentence/main idea (by elaborating it). Keywords. Analyzing original texts, recognizing the topics and topic sentences for a series of paragraphs.

4.
Cohesion. The ways of interrelating different units of meaning (sentences, paragraphs...) into a coherent text. Cohesive devices: words and structures used to interrelate ideas as well as to point to the nature of these relationships. The division into lexical cohesion, reference, ellipsis, connectors. Lexical cohesion is further divided into repetition of words, parallelism, practical repetition, synonymy or paraphrase, collocation. The analysis of an original text according to the types of lexical cohesion.

5.
Reference. Noticing the property of demonstrative and personal pronouns (as well as some other word classes) to point to a part of a text (a word, a phrase, an idea) establishing, thus, connections between different parts of a text. Anaphoric and cataphoric reference. Locating examples of reference in an original text. Ellipsis. The economy of a sentence, the redundancy as an obstacle to comprehension. Analyzing original passages, locating implied ideas.

6.
Connectors. Words that point to the nature of a relationship between ideas (between clauses, sentences, paragraphs). Introducing connectors that signal the relationship between the cause and the consequence, the relationships of addition, comparison, contrast, exemplification, sequence of events, etc.

7.
Coherence. The logical sequencing of sentences (and other units of meaning) in a text. Recognizing the strategies of creating the logical connections between the sentences (rhetorical organization, the use of cohesive devices). Analyzing original passages according to the strategies of achieving coherence. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.)

8.
Word recognition in comprehensive reading. Understanding the meaning of unknown words from the context (of the sentence, paragraph, text, language, culture). The influences of other languages on English (Greek, Latin, and French in particular). The influence of classical languages on other European languages, including Croatian. The so-called international words. Relying on different types of knowledge to dechiper the meaning of an unknown word (the linguistic knowledge, the expert knowledge, but also the knowledge of the world). Understanding and acquiring meaning from the context vs using a dictionary.

9.
Word recognition, connotative and denotative meanings of words. Positive and negative connotations. Inference. Reading between the lines, understanding implied information. The importance of implied information for the ultimate meaning of a text. Looking for connotative meanings and implied information in a variety of original passages.

10.
Figures of speech. Analyzing a series of original passages, looking for examples of figurative language. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

11.
Types of sentences in academic discourse: definition, classification, explanation, exemplification, description. Organization of information on the sentence level. Recognizing these sentences on the example of an original academic text. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

12.
Levels of generality. Organization of information according to the levels of generality: general statements supported by specific statements. Facts & opinions, distinguishing statements of fact from statements of opinion. Locating statements of fact and statements of opinion in an original text. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

13.
Predictability vs. informativity. Distribution of old and new information in a text. Old/known info as a basis for introducing new/unknown info. Predicting the directions into which a text might develop. Expected vs unexpected info/direction. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

14.
Expository vs. argumentative texts. Presenting already established knowledge (org into definitions, classifications, explanations, etc.) and presenting points of view supported by arguments. Original examples of both types of texts. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

15.
Previewing. Learning about a text before reading it; titles, introduction, copyright, footnotes, illustrations, tables, graphs, organisation of paragraphs, the table of contents, chapter headings, section headings, publisher presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented
Required reading1. Gordana Mikulić; Alka Krvavac: English for the Arts and Humanities Školska knjiga , Zagreb, 1992.
2. R. R. Jordan Academic Writing Course Collins, London i Glasgow, 1980.
3. Linda London Blanton; Linda Lee: Writing Workshop – Promoting College Success, Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1998
4. Edward de Chazal & Sam McCarter:A course in English for Academic Purposes, Oxford University Press, 2012
5. Shorter texts as selected by individual instructor
Additional reading1. Edgar F. Borgatta; Rhonda J. V. Montgomery: Encyclopedia of Sociology, McMillan Reference USA, New York, 2000
English for Sociology 2 
NameEnglish for Sociology 2
ECTS credits2
TeachersVivijana Radman, M. Sc., Senior Lecturer
HoursSeminar
30
PrerequisitesTo enrol course it is necessary to pass course English for Sociology 1
GoalAcquiring and developing techniques for reading expert literature. Acquiring summary writing techniques. Developing essay writing skills. Developing the skill of speaking on academic and expert topics. Acquiring academic and expert vocabulary.
Teaching methodsDirect instructions; teacher-led demonstrations in the classroom; practicing newly acquired knowledge on the original expert texts; students' oral presentations on expert topics; analysis of the presentations, classroom discussion; E-Learning (Omega)
Assessment methodsContinuous assessment involving class attendance and participation in the classroom activities, homework assignments, oral presentation on an expert topic or oral exam at the end of the semester, and the end of the semester essay.
Learning outcomes1. Students will be able to discuss expert topics in English and support their positions with arguments.
2. Students will be able to deliver oral presentations on expert topics.
3. Students will be able to write a summary of an expert text in English.
4. Students will be able to plan and write an essay on an expert topic.
Week by week schedule1.
Abstract/Summary writing; Writing as an activity to organize and extract information of a given text – some characteristics of summary writing. Connecting reading and writing techniques, combining linguistic and expert knowledge. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

2.
Procedure in abstract/summary writing; comprehending the logic of a text, differentiating between essential and non-essential information, condensing the volume of the essential information (the economy of the expression), organizing the essential info into a coherent structure using linguistic devices (discussed in the first semester). Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

3.
Philosophy and the Sciences, detailed analysis of the text, text comprehension. Analysis of the overall organization of the text, analysis of the paragraph organization. Condensing the main idea of each of the paragraphs to a summarizing sentence. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

4.
Philosophy and the Sciences. Interrelating summarizing sentences into a coherent and cohesive text of the summary. Editing of the summarizing sentences for the economy of expression. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

5.
History of Art, detailed analysis of the text, text comprehension. Analysis of the overall organization of the text, analysis of the paragraph organization. Condensing the main idea of each of the paragraphs to a summarizing sentence. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

6.
History of Art. Interrelating summarizing sentences into a coherent and cohesive text of the summary. Editing of the summarizing sentences for the economy of expression.Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

7.
History of Science, detailed analysis of the text, text comprehension. Analysis of the overall organization of the text, analysis of the paragraph organization. Condensing the main idea of each of the paragraphs to a summarizing sentence.Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

8.
History of Science. Interrelating summarizing sentences into a coherent and cohesive text of the summary. Editing of the summarizing sentences for the economy of expression. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

9.
Essay writing: defining essay, presenting essay structure and types of essays according to the purpose in writing; explanation essay, argument essay, discussion essay, exposition essay Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

10.
Explanation essay: overall structure of an explanation essay; paragraph structure. Analysis of an original explanation essay according to the structure and the type of information expected in each of the parts of that structure. Essay plan. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

11.
Argument essay: overall structure of an argument essay; paragraph structure. Analysis of an original argument essay according to the structure and the type of information expected in each of the parts of that structure. Essay plan. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

12.
Discussion essay: overall structure of a discussion essay; paragraph structure. Analysis of an original discussion essay according to the structure and the type of information expected in each of the parts of that structure. Essay plan. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

13.
Exposition essay: overall structure of an Exposition essay; paragraph structure. Analysis of an original Exposition essay according to the structure and the type of information expected in each of the parts of that structure. Essay plan. Oral presentation (with guidelines and keywords) on expert topic. The analysis of the presentation (according to its informativity, the logic of its organization, etc.). Group discussion of the ideas presented.

14.
Preparations for the final essay, deciding on the topics for the final essay.

15.
The end of semester essay.
Required reading1. Gordana Mikulić; Alka Krvavac:English for the Arts and Humanities, Školska knjiga , Zagreb, 1992.
2. Edward de Chazal & Sam McCarter:A course in English for Academic Purposes, Oxford University Press, 2012
Additional reading1. R. R. Jordan: Academic Writing Course, Collins, London i Glasgow, 1980
2. Linda London Blanton; Linda Lee: Writing Workshop – Promoting College Success, Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1998
3. Edgar F. Borgatta; Rhonda J. V. Montgomery: Encyclopedia of Sociology, McMillan Reference USA, New York, 2000