BHEA_JKA/CR01-08

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

COURSE INFORMATION

Confidential

Course Code : ELC501

Course Name : English for Critical Academic Reading
Level : Degree
Total SLT : Equivalent to 2 Credits
Face-to-Face (F2F): 22 Hours
Non Face-to-Face: 24.5 Hours Guided and
33.5 Hours Non-Guided

Part :
Course Status :
(Core/
Non-core)
Pre-requisite : None

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Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. demonstrate the ability to identify critical reading elements; (A2)

2. present a critical analysis of an academic reading text in writing; (A4)
3. express critical opinions in speaking by comparing and contrasting academic reading
topics (A4)

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 organisation of written texts. Tasks and activities
suggested are discipline-based.

Syllabus Content
1. Interpreting the meaning of words (CLO1, CLO3, C4, C5)
• Define meanings of words using the dictionary
• Analyse word structure
• Use contextual clues

2. Identifying main ideas and supporting details in texts (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, A4, C4, C5)
• 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. Identifying the logical reasoning and assumptions used in texts (CLO1, CLO2, A4, C4)
• Identify the underlying assumptions in texts
• Identify the logical reasoning in texts

4. Determining author’s purpose, tone, point of view (argument), intended audience and issue
involved in an argument (CLO2, CLO3, A4, C5)
• 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

5. Identifying and applying critical reading skills in reasoning through inferencing, drawing
conclusions, and analysing language when evaluating an argument (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3,
A4, C4, C5)
• 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

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Assessment

Week Assessment Duration Weightage

9 Test

The test requires students to answer 12 questions 1½ hours 35%

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 deals
with a contemporary issue. 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.

8-13 Written Article Analysis

The assignment involves pair work where 5 weeks 25%

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
must be approximately 600-800 words. 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:
Content (12 %)
Language (10 %)
Organisation (3%)

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Forum Discussion

13-14 The forum involving 4 to 6 panel members 25-30 30%

requires students to participate in discussion on a minutes
topic. It involves applying critical reading skills
from articles read to support panel member’s
point of view. It is pitched at higher intermediate to
advanced level. It is argumentative in nature and
deals with a contemporary issue.

Students are required to express their opinion on

a topic and support them using articles they have
researched. Members of the panel forum are
required to react to each other’s points and
present their counterargument as well as their
own views.

Portfolio

13-14 Students are required to present a portfolio 10%

consisting of articles researched for the forum.
Each student should include at least 2 articles that
he has referred to. Points taken from the articles
should be highlighted. An outline for each panel
member from both sides should be included.

Other elements in the portfolio are:

Timeline for discussions
Discussion notes
Reference list

Total 100%

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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. (9 . ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
th

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.

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

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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

http://schools-education.knoji.com/how-to-conduct-a-panel-forum/

http://iknowpolitics.org/.../ndi.20guide20to20organizing20public20meetings20-20pakistan

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