Course detail
English for Doctoral Degree Study
FSI-9AJ Acad. year: 2023/2024 Both semester
English for Doctoral Degree Study focuses on a complex development of language skills in academic and scientific areas. It is divided into three courses (Academic Skills 1, 2, 3), which lead up to the C1 level of English. The courses concentrate on acquiring general academic and discipline-specific vocabulary, reading academic texts, presentation skills, and independent writing of publishable research papers.
Language of instruction
English
Supervisor
Department
Entry knowledge
Minimum necessary CEFR level of English is lower B2.
Rules for evaluation and completion of the course
The exam has a written and an oral part.
Written part:
1 Submission of glossary of discipline-specific and academic vocabulary selected from at least three impact-journal articles with a minimum extent of 50 items. Assessment criteria: ability to study a foreign language independently.
2 Submission of research paper (minimum 9,000 characters) based on the student's master's or doctoral thesis. Assessment criteria: compliance with pre-set article structure, stylistic and grammatical correctness, use of discipline-specific vocabulary.
3 Short written assignment (150--200 words) on a general academic topic. Assessment criteria: general academic vocabulary and writing used in every-day academic contexts.
Oral part:
1 Presentation of conference contribution and follow-up discussion. Assessment criteria: compliance with pre-set structure of presentation, level of language skills, follow-up discussion.
2 Interview on doctoral study (research, teaching, participation in conferences including international ones, mobilities in abroad). Assessment criteria: fluency and interaction.
Students must pass all parts of the exam.
Students' participation in seminars is voluntary and the extent of instruction (one to three semesters) may be assessed by students themselves by taking a placement test in the e-learning.
Aims
The goal of English for Doctoral Degree Study is to provide students with language skills suitable for academic and professional areas, and prepare them for practical output of the acquired academic skills in the form of independent oral and written discourse at the C1 level of CEFR.
Skills: The skill to comprehend a scientific text, to reproduce it, and to compile a discipline-specific glossary. The skill to properly use the acquired grammar and academic style in both oral and written professional discourse. The ability of critical thinking, independent communication, and argumentation prevalent in the academia.
Output: independent written and oral performance.
The study programmes with the given course
Programme D-MAT-P: Materials Sciences, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-IME-K: Applied Mechanics, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-KPI-P: Design and Process Engineering, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-IME-P: Applied Mechanics, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-ENE-P: Power Engineering, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-ENE-K: Power Engineering, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-KPI-K: Design and Process Engineering, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-STG-P: Manufacturing Technology, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-MAT-K: Materials Sciences, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-STG-K: Manufacturing Technology, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-ENE-A: Power Engineering, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-APM-K: Applied Mathematics, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-FIN-P: Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-APM-P: Applied Mathematics, Doctoral, compulsory
Programme D-FIN-K: Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology, Doctoral, compulsory
Type of course unit
Language exercise
60 hours, compulsory
Teacher / Lecturer
Syllabus
Academic Skills 1
Week 1: Introduction, Appearance and success (Listening and speaking)
Week 2: Extended definitions (Reading and writing)
Week 3: Laws of science (Listening and speaking)
Week 4: Review of verb tenses (Grammar)
Week 5: Describing visual information I (Writing)
Week 6: Describing visual information II (Presenting)
Week 7: Accidental discoveries (Listening and speaking)
Week 8: Passive constructions (Grammar)
Week 9: Inspiring innovation (Listening and speaking)
Week 10: Effective teaching
Academic Skills 2
Week 1: Adulting school (Listening and speaking)
Week 2: Process description (Reading and writing)
Week 3: Modern cities (Listening and speaking)
Week 4: Modals (Grammar)
Week 5: Science and food (Listening and speaking)
Week 6: Comparison and contrast (Writing and grammar)
Week 7: Work and fun (Listening and speaking)
Week 8: Conditionals (Grammar)
Week 9: Consequences of progress (Listening and speaking)
Week 10: Pronunciation
Academic Skills 3
Week 1: The writing process: heuristics, evaluating sources, references
Week 2: Compiling glossary, General, academic and technical vocabulary
Week 3: Introduction to rhetoric; Title, abstract, key words
Week 4: Introductions and body paragraphs
Week 5: Methods, Results and discussion
Week 6: Cohesion, thematic progression, referencing
Week 7: Conclusions
Week 8: Articles and punctuation
Week 9: Giving conference papers
Week 10: Giving conference papers