Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics

FOUN 1102 Academic Writing for Different Disciplines

We offer two courses in English Language Writing: FOUN 1001 English for Academic Purposes and FOUN 1102 Academic Writing for Different Disciplines.

Pre-requisite: Students must have one of the following in order to register for the course:

• CXC English Language (General Proficiency) - Grade I
• GCE English Language - Distinction (Grade A or I or II)
• General Paper - Grade A or B
• CAPE Communication Studies - Grade I or II
• TOEFL (Test Score 580+)
• A pass in the English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT)

OPTION A: Writing About Literature

This course introduces students to strategies for reading and writing about literature. The emphasis will be placed on how to read literature insightfully and how to write critical analyses competently. Writing About Literature is intended to guide students to develop strategies for literary analysis and to apply frameworks for interpretation; as well as to decode essay questions and to plan, research, draft and revise critical essays. Where possible, Writing About Literature will make linkages with the introductory prose, poetry and drama courses, so as to encourage participants to master and apply tertiary level essay writing skills.

This course is compulsory for students of Humanities & Education whose major is either Literatures in English (LIE) or English Language and Literature with Education (ELLE). It is strongly recommended for students reading other literatures in Modern Languages and the Creative or Festival arts as well. The purpose of the course is to assist students in developing sound analytical writing skills that will enable them to critically assess prose, poetry and drama, and produce related essays that are well-researched and documented and reflective of the level of analysis and presentation required at the tertiary level.

The aim of this course is to build students’ analytical and critical thinking skills in the analysis of the traditional genres of literature and the production of academic writing based on sound research and documentation appropriate to tertiary level studies.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

• explore the purpose of literature and of literary criticism;
• define literary genres;
• analyse the elements of fiction;
• apply a range of critical approaches to the analysis of literature;
• apply tools of critical reading to evaluate the quality of a literary work;
• Conduct research on literary assignments;
• interpret and plan a literary essay, and
• produce a well researched and documented essay utilising selected strategies and the approved MLA documentation format.

OPTION B: Argument and Report Writing

Argument and Report Writing examines two aspects of argument: argument as investigation into a given problem and selecting one of a number of possible solutions, and argument as a formal written exercise on a controversial issue, based on logical reasoning from sound evidence.

Part One:
Students explore methods of conducting primary and secondary research into a problem area, identify a specific problem, evaluate solutions and prepare a problem solution report. Critical thinking is emphasised as an integral aspect of the preparation of the problem/solution report.

Part Two:
Students explore the structure of formal argument. Elements such as inductive and deductive reasoning, the role of the syllogism, organising arguments, counter arguments and refutation, strategies for cultivating the appropriate formal tone are the focus here.

This course is compulsory for students of Law and Humanities & Education who are not Literatures in English (LIE) or English Language and Literature with Education (ELLE) majors. The purpose of the course is to assist students in developing research methodology and critical thinking skills that will enable them to produce reports and sustain arguments that are well-researched and documented and reflective of the level of analysis and presentation required at the tertiary level.

The aim of this course is to build students’ skills in the production of argumentative and report writing based on sound research and documentation appropriate to tertiary level studies.

The course objectives are to:

• strengthen students’ critical thinking skills;
• widen students’ familiarity with various methods of research;
• expand students’ abilities to utilise the problem /solution report to address a given problem;
• develop students’ abilities to apply research tools to problem-solving, and
• develop students’ competence in writing effective arguments

OPTION C – Scientific and Technical Writing

FOUN 1102 Option C - Scientific and Technical Writing is a Year 1 course that aims to encourage students of the Faculty of Science & Agriculture to reason about phenomena in ways that allow them to produce clearly and accurately written assignments that reflect precise and exact thinking. This course examines specific strategies that lead students to develop competencies in technical and expository writing using formal, academic English. Developing research skills and applying the accurate documentation of sources are also emphasised.

It is expected that the skills learnt in this course will be transferred to faculty courses throughout the students’ university careers.

The aim of this course is to improve writing, specifically technical and expository writing, among Science & Agriculture students at the tertiary level.

At the end of this course students should be able to:

• recognise a range of functions for language;
• appreciate the differences between written and spoken language;
• appreciate language varieties in the Caribbean and differentiate between official and vernacular forms and to choose the code appropriate to the context;
• express ideas in clearly stated objective language;
• understand the nature and relevance of formal academic writing;
• practise pre-writing, writing, redrafting, revising and editing a formal expository essay;
• organise expository material by dividing, classifying, comparing, contrasting, describing, and analysing for process or for cause and effect;
• develop grammatical and other language skills embedded in formal exposition, and
• distinguish between and employ the different skills required for technical descriptive and expository writing.

For more information on spelling conventions and recommended style guides, go to information for Current Students.