UHEK_BHEA_2013

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

COURSE INFORMATION

Confidential

Course Code : ELC 501

Course Name : English for Critical Academic Reading

Level : Degree

Total SLT : Equivalent to 2 Credits

Face-to-Face (F2F): 28 Hours
Non Face-to-Face: 19.5 Hours Guided and 32.5 Hours Non
Guided

Part :

Course Status :
(Core/Non Core)

Prerequisite : None

Nama Fakulti: Akademi Pengajian Bahasa Page 1 of 5 Tahun Mula: 2013

Nama Program: Tahun Semakan: 2016
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Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. analyse and synthesise the elements of critical reading in a text; (C5)

2. write a critical article analysis; (A3)

3. evaluate an argument in a text by applying critical reading strategies. (C5)

Course Description

This course is designed to develop students’ ability to read analytically and think critically. It
focuses on the relationship between reading and critical thinking and provides students with
a structured method for interpreting content and organization of written texts. Tasks and
activities suggested are discipline-based.

Syllabus Content

1. Interpret the meaning of words (CLO1, CLO3, C2)

 Define meanings of words using the dictionary

 Analyse word structure
 Use contextual clues

2. Recognise main ideas and supporting details in texts (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, C2, C4,
A3)

 Determine the topic of a paragraph

 Identify the stated main ideas and supporting details in texts
 Recognise types of supporting details in texts
 Formulate the implied main ideas of texts

3. Determine author’s purpose, tone, point of view, intended audience and issue involved
in an argument (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, C4, A3)

 Determine the issue in a given argument

 Identify author's purpose for writing the text
 Determine author's tone from the language used in the text
 Determine author's point of view or position in the argument
 Determine author's intended audience from the given argument

4. Identify and apply critical reading skills in reasoning through inferencing, drawing
conclusions, analysing assumptions and language when evaluating an argument
(CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, C4, C5, A3)

Nama Fakulti: Akademi Pengajian Bahasa Page 2 of 5 Tahun Mula: 2013

Nama Program: Tahun Semakan: 2016
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 Identify the logical reasoning and assumptions used in texts

 Make inferences and draw conclusions
 Recognise and apply critical reading skills
 Analyse the language for author’s bias
 Analyse and evaluate the arguments in texts

Assessment

Week Assessment Duration Weightage

Test

The test requires students to answer 12

questions based on a given text (approximately
1000-1200 words in length) that is pitched at
higher Intermediate to advanced level. It is
either expository or argumentative in nature and
8 deals with a contemporary issue. 1½ hours 35%

Students are required to determine the meaning

of words from context; identify the topic and the
main ideas (stated and implied); analyse the
supporting details, the types of reasoning and
the assumptions, as well as make inferences
and draw conclusions.

Written Article Analysis

The assignment involves pair work where

students analyse a given text (approximately
700-900 words in length) that is argumentative
in nature and deals with a contemporary issue.

The text is pitched at higher Intermediate to

advanced level and is assigned by the lecturer.
The type- written critical analysis of the article
8-13 must be approximately 600-800 words. 5 weeks 25%
Students are required to identify the issue and
the writer’s argument and discuss the tone, the
purpose, the intended audience, assumptions,
inferences, and conclusions involved in the
reasoning as well as the validity, credibility and
quality of the support.

The scoring of the assignment is based on the

Grading Scale for the Written Article Analysis
where the allocation of marks is as follows:

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Nama Program: Tahun Semakan: 2016
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Content (12 %)
Language (10 %)
Organisation (3%)

Final Examination

The final examination requires students to

answer 17 questions based on a given text
(approximately 1000-1200 words in length) that
is pitched at higher Intermediate to advanced
level. It is argumentative in nature and deals
with a contemporary issue.
- 2 hours 40%
Students are required to determine the main
ideas (stated and implied) and the meaning of
words from context; identify the issue, the
writer’s argument, the tone, the purpose and the
intended audience; analyse the supporting
details and the language; make inferences and
draw conclusions, as well as evaluate the
validity, credibility and quality of the support.

Total 100%

Recommended Text

Elder, J. (2008). Exercise your college reading skills. NY: McGraw-Hill.

Teoh, S.A., Chai, M.H., Azlina Abd. Rahman & Paul-Evanson, C. (2010). Reading and
critical thinking. KL: McGraw-Hill.
Summers, D. (Ed.) (2009). Longman dictionary of contemporary English (4th ed.). London:
Pearson Education.

References

Barnet, S. & Bedau, H. (2010). Critical thinking, reading and writing: A brief guide to
argument. (7th ed.). USA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Browne, M. N. & Keeley, S. M. (2009). Asking the right questions: A guide to critical
thinking. (9th. ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Carter, C.E. (2010). Mindscapes: Critical reading skills and strategies. (11th ed.). USA:
Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Diestler, S. (2008). Becoming a critical thinker: A user friendly manual. (5th ed.). New
Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Lunsford, A., & Ruskiewicz, J. (2009). Everything’s an argument. (5th ed.). Bedford: St.
Martins.

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Nama Program: Tahun Semakan: 2016
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Mather, P. & McCarthy, R. (2011). The art of critical reading. (3rd. ed.). Boston: McGraw-
Hill.
Moore, B.N. & Parker, R. (2009). Critical thinking. (9th. ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Ruggiero, V.R. (2011). Becoming a critical thinker (7th ed.). USA: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.
Spears, D. M. (2008). Developing critical reading skills (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Internet Sources

http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php

http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading_thinking.htm

http://wps.ablongman.com/long_licklider_vocabulary_2/0,6658,416421-,00.html

http://wps.ablongman.com/long_licklider_vocabulary_2/4/1105/283083.cw/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRmhB3MW6GE&list=PLpbtRdN7xWUcPT0qWBfC52Fub
Qxcgdgjk

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073513474/student_view0/index.html

http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0073047678/student_view0/index.html

http://grammar.about.com/od/tests/a/Exercise-In-Eliminating-Gender-Biased-Language.htm

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-deductive-reasoning.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbeD20mTTRk

http://www.internetlogic.org/argtypes.html

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-inductive-reasoning.html

Nama Fakulti: Akademi Pengajian Bahasa Page 5 of 5 Tahun Mula: 2013

Nama Program: Tahun Semakan: 2016
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