Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ENG1426

 
TITLE English Writing Skills

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL Not Applicable

 
ECTS CREDITS 2

 
DEPARTMENT Centre for English Language Proficiency

 
DESCRIPTION ENG1426, English Writing Skills, focuses on providing students with a greater awareness of both basic aspects of writing in English, as well as of more specific skills and writing genres.

Students will learn about the importance of style and tone in writing, and they will be helped to develop their reading, synthesising, and paraphrasing skills. They will also be made more aware of the importance of cohesion and text organisation in writing, and they will be exposed to the necessary tools to improve the way they proofread and edit their own writing.

More specific aspects of writing that will be explored include reflective writing, report writing, email/letter writing, and writing about numbers.

Study-unit Aims:

- To help participants improve their writing skills in English;
- To make them aware of the importance of style and tone in writing;
- To help them refine their analytical skills, including how to proofread and edit their own work;
- To provide specific instruction on a variety of writing genres, mainly, letter/emails, reflective writing, report writing, writing about numbers, and writing in an academic context;
- To help them understand better the importance of text organisation and coherence in writing;
- To help students refine their reading skills, particularly in terms of synthesising and paraphrasing information.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- identify what is appropriate in terms of style and tone;
- identify features typical of academic writing;
- increase awareness of effective reading strategies;
- identify the difference and relation between paraphrase and summary;
- proofread and edit their writing better;
- use a selection of writing genres more effectively;
- organise their writing better.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- write more effectively with a better sense of style and tone;
- express themselves more appropriately in an academic context;
- present their ideas cohesively and concisely;
- organise their writing in a more structured manner;
- read and take effective notes more efficiently;
- analyse and correct their own writing.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Due to the nature of the unit students will be supplied with worksheets and a selection of notes during the sessions. They will also be encouraged to use available on-line resources made available or recommended by CELP through its online portal, www.um.edu.mt/celp (currently under construction but scheduled to be in operation by October 2013).

Recommended reading for specific aspects of the unit:
- Bly, Robert W., Webster's New World Letter Writing Handbook (Webster's New World, 2003).
- Kupsh, Joyce, and Rhonda Rhodes, Report Writing (Xlibris Corporation, 2010).
- Moon, Jennifer A., Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development (Routledge, 2006).

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES A screening test will be administered to determine eligibility for this study-unit.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Classwork See note below No 30%
Assignment See note below Yes 70%
Note: Assessment due will vary according to the study-unit availability.

 
LECTURER/S Larissa Jonk
Jean Theuma

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit