English for Academic Purposes Now! is designed to help any student who wishes to succeed in a further or higher education course which is taught in English, in particular at university or college.The aims of this students' book are to assist you to comprehend, question, evaluate and produce a range of discourses which are relevant to academic contexts.We hope to have anticipated some of the problems you may face and to help you overcome them as you begin your preparation in English.
Each unit contains eight skills which are thematically linked. These are:
1 Writing
2 Grammar
3 Speaking
4 Listening
5 Reading
6 Critical thinking
7 English for the Internet Age
8 Learner independence and study skills.
1 Writing
In writing, a great deal of work is done around essay construction and the types of essays you will be required to produce. You will learn to differentiate an explanation from an exposition, and description from argument. Answering exam questions is covered and there are tasks teaching you how to avoid plagiarism and how to reference your essays properly. Many models of varying text types are included.
2 Grammar
Grammar is taught as being a part of whole texts, that is, it is within readings, discussions and lectures rather than separate from them. You will be asked to examine the social and cultural situations (or contexts) as well as the texts themselves. Some traditional grammar points (such as articles) have been included in case you need to work in those areas.
3 Speaking
Speaking sections assist you to solve problems that you may face on campus. You will learn how to make academic requests to individual lecturers and to consider what an appropriate request comprises. You will also practise tutorial participation skills such as learning how to participate actively. Units cover research, preparation and presentation of various oral tasks required at university-these are called oral presentation skills.
4 Listening
When listening, you will hear many varieties of spoken English (some nine different accents are used in the recordings). There are two lengthy lectures of over a quarter of an hour, and, although a 'real' university lecture may go on for as long as three hours, the principles, the vocabulary, the format and the content of the recording are academic and will give you authentic practice in listening to a lecture and taking notes.
5 Reading
The reading texts are designed to reflect the real world and are placed in real world social contexts. Each time you read, it is hoped you will ask the following: Where is this text from? When was it written? Who wrote it or might have written it? What could be their purpose for writing it? Who is the audience it is written for? What possible slant or bias is communicated within the text? You will learn about study reading and reading to interpret essay questions.
6 Critical thinking
Critical thinking is meant to introduce you to ways of thinking and of approaching texts that will be expected of you in further and higher education courses.You will think about power relationships and should keep in mind that even as you learn the language of academia in English, you are learning the language of powerfulinstitutions. We want you to respect and admire your own academic culture and add to it your knowledge of the one you are learning. You bring to the classroom and your classmates a rich knowledge of your own.
7 English for the Internet Age
We believe the Internet has a great future and you will see its importance grow. It is included here as a resource for use in academic research and as a window to the wider world outside of your classroom. Students are provided with opportunities to learn navigation around sites, and terminology that will assist you to carry out projects.In English medium tertiary settings, a great deal of learner autonomy is expected of students-you have to carry out independent research at the library, and makejudgments within your essays in addition to summarising the opinions of others. Even students who have grown up in the culture often find this a shock.
8 Learner independence and study skills
Learner independence and study skills is designed to help you to find out how you learn best and to assist you to learn to work independently. Students like to know how they are going in terms of their own progress. Your teacher can assist you by providing answers to the activities. Additionally, peer-group evaluation and self-evaluation is included. You will learn how to keep records of your own progress and note what you do outside of the class to help your English. The tasks are varied and relevant to EAP purposes. We sincerely hope you find that some are fun as well as a challenge.
