Course aims:

Defining the main features of oral and written communication, of text production and reception (including scientific text from the humanistic domain), in English
Interpreting the relationship between the oral or written message and its context, explaining the argumentative methods as well as the techniques of the construction of the message in English
Organizing debates, constructing a study case and defending/indicating its structure

Course Entry Requirements:

B2, C1 English level

Course contents:

1. Subject Lines 2. Structuring Content 3. Building a Relationship and Deciding the Level of Formality 4. Language, Translating and Spelling 5. Requests and Replies 6. Cover Letters for Summer Schools, Internships, Placements, Erasmus, PhD / MA / Postdoc Programs 7. Reference Letters 8. Writing Research Proposals and Research Statements 9. Writing a Student Peer Review 10. Useful Phrases 11.Tense Usage

Teaching methods:

lecture, writing practice with feedback

Learning outcomes:

students will acquire skills regarding the structuring and writing of the main types of letters and emails they may need to write in their academic career, formal and informal, to editors, colleagues, and professors, and also some guidelines on how to approach a student peer review.

Learning outcomes verification and assessment criteria:

Elaboration of relevant written material pertaining to the course, e-mails and letters for particular situations as discussed in class. The elaboration of a portfolio of the practical written material pertaining to individual tasks and assignments.

Recommended reading:

Wallwork, A.,, English for Academic Correspondence, Second Edition, Springer International Publishing Switzerland,
Wallwork, A.,, Email and Commercial Correspondence - A Guide to Professional English, Springer, 2014,
Roman, K., Raphaelson, Writing that works: how to communicate effectively in business, e-mail, letters, memos, presentations, plans, reports, proposals, resumes, speeches [3rd revised], Quill, 2000,
Baude, D. M., The Executive guide to e-mail correspondence : including model letters for every situation, Career Press, Inc.,Franklin Lakes, NJ,