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Course, academic year 2025/2026   
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Academic Communication I - JLM001
Title: Academic Communication I
Czech title: Academic Communication I
Guaranteed by: Centre for Language Learning and Pedagogical Training (23-KJP)
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual: from 2025
Semester: winter
E-Credits: 3
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:0/2, C [HT]
Capacity: unknown / 15 (15)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
Guarantor: Laura Juliet Straková, M.A.
Teacher(s): Laura Juliet Straková, M.A.
Class: Courses for incoming students
Pre-requisite : {Složení skupiny: JLB002, JLB004, JLB006, JLB008, JLB010, JLB046}
Is pre-requisite for: JLM002
Annotation -
This course offers those with a C1 level of English to further develop their skills, with a balanced focus on the linguistic features of written and spoken academic discourse. Students will read and view content from various fields, and deepen their capacity to engage critically with material. They will also have regular opportunities to practice adapting academic writing into academic speaking, and to recalibrate language for diverse audience types and contexts. Students and instructor together will determine the topics most relevant to the group, but may include: rhetorical structures and figures; integration of sources and citation techniques in writing and speaking; collocations and phraseology; vocabulary and lexical metaphors.
If fewer than 5 students are registered for the course, then the course will not take place.
Last update: Straková Laura Juliet, M.A. (09.09.2025)
Aim of the course -

-To acquire and develop English language techniques, both written and spoken, that help communicate ideas and persuade others effectively in various academic settings.

-To develop competence in adapting academic writing to academic speaking, and in recalibrating rhetorical and linguistic strategies for different academic audiences and contexts.

-To hone linguistic skills in providing meaningful feedback, evaluation, and constructive commentary.

 

Last update: Straková Laura Juliet, M.A. (09.09.2025)
Literature -

All material will be available on Google Drive Academic Communication I, including links to online resources. (Access will be given after the first class.)

Textbooks from which material will be drawn:

Bailey, S. (2015) Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students, Routledge (4th ed.)

Hewings, M. and Thaine, C. (2012) Cambridge Academic English Advanced, CUP

Hewings, M. (2013) Advanced Grammar in Use, CUP (3rd ed.)

McCarthy, M. and O’Dell, F. (2008) Academic Vocabulary in Use Advanced, CUP

Paterson, K. and Wedge, R. (2018) Oxford Grammar for EAP, OUP

The materials are for class use by registered students. Any circulation of the materials is prohibited.

Last update: Straková Laura Juliet, M.A. (09.09.2025)
Teaching methods -

Emphasis is on the active use of English, with weekly topics explored in a mix of individual work, group discussions, pair and small-group workshopping, presenting and refereeing in various forms, and ‘surgery sessions’ on particular linguistic matters. Homework tasks are devoted to grammar, vocabulary and writing exercises, and preparatory reading or viewing. The instructor will frequently act as a facilitator, with students also taking on this role in various sessions. Students are expected to actively participate in the classes.

AI Use Policy
Students are welcome to use AI tools for assignments where appropriate. When using such tools, it is essential to document and credit them properly. Use of AI is purely voluntary.

You may use AI to:
Brainstorm and refine ideas

Conduct research and summarize existing literature – but always check original sources (see Errors and Bias below)
Create outlines, study questions, or study tools

Check grammar and refine wording, style, and structure – but it should not rephrase your work or introduce vocabulary that you would not otherwise use
Draft and format citations and bibliographies

You must not use AI to:

Write entire assignments or drafts (rough or final) for you

Present any AI work as your own without citation

Copy and paste whole text

Pretend that you wrote something you asked AI to write and then be unable to discuss the product you present as your own
Violate academic integrity, bypassing your responsibility to think and write independently

Academic Integrity

AI tools should support, not replace, your learning. Think critically about all of your assignments but particularly if you choose to use AI. Why is it important not to directly copy words from an AI engine into our texts?

Plagiarism. AI uses previously published sources without citation. Therefore using their outputs without acknowledgement puts you at risk of plagiarism. AI tools are also typically trained on datasets that may be outdated and can include copyrighted material. Therefore, relying on an AI tool may result in copyright violations.

Errors. AI engines are unreliable on facts—anything they assert must be checked against reliable sources. AI tools aim to simulate human-like content creation rather than ensuring accuracy or reliability. Therefore, it remains your responsibility, not the tool's, to ensure the quality, integrity, and accuracy of any work submitted for this course.

Bias. AI engines reproduce biases and prejudices from their source material—it is incumbent on us to check and correct for bias. AI output may reflect bias because the data they are trained on may reflect bias or may not include sufficient data from certain groups.

Crutching. Using AI to generate text may rob us of the chance to develop our own thinking on a subject. Think about it this way: The point in education is not to generate text artefacts. Rather, the point is to help us develop our own ability to think critically. Writing is a means to critical thinking, and we must do our own writing to cultivate our own true, not artificial, intelligence.

Therefore, be sure that you consider ethical AI usage, data privacy and security, addressing potential biases in AI algorithms, and appropriately balancing technology with human interaction, as you will be responsible for any inaccurate, biased, or unethical content you submit, regardless of its origin (you or AI).

Documentation of AI Use

For any interaction a student has with AI, they must provide an AI Disclosure at the end of the work as a final paragraph, stating:
“I used the AI tool [ChatGPT, Bard, etc] in this [paper, assignment, etc] for the following purposes: [...]. All ideas, writing, and arguments presented are my own.”

Be prepared to defend your work orally if requested, including all arguments and sources, without the aid of AI.

Lecturer Use of AI
It may happen that AI offers suggestions for rewording and reorganizing a draft that differs from the instructor’s feedback and comments. In all cases, feedback and comments the instructor gives on assignments take precedence over the recommendations of any AI tool.

The Lecturer may use AI tools for the preparation of teaching materials, in line with the Statement of Charles University and the Recommendations for Educators. Any use of artificial intelligence tools will be carried out in a way that protects students' personal data. Student work will not be used to train AI models, and personal evaluation by the Lecturer will always complement AI-assisted assessment to ensure fairness and academic integrity.

FSV UK Policy

All uses of AI tools must be explicitly stated according to the guidelines set by FSV UK, and they must adhere to the broader ethical recommendations provided by Charles University. Students should carefully evaluate the information provided by AI tools and ensure that their final work reflects their own contribution and analysis. Violation of these rules may result in the essay not being accepted or in disciplinary proceedings under Charles University’s regulations.

Last update: Straková Laura Juliet, M.A. (19.09.2025)
Requirements to the exam -

Credit for the course will be awarded on the basis of the following 5 components. All of the components are compulsory, and all tasks must be fulfilled before the examination period starts. The pass level is 70 points or more out of a maximum of 100. There is no mid-term test, and satisfactory completion of items 3, 4 and 5 serves in lieu of an end-of-semester test. "Re-sits" are therefore not possible, but in borderline cases – i.e. for those with 67 points or more and a valid reason for not achieving sufficient points, e.g. unavoidable absence from classes due to illness – an oral exam may be offered in the examination period to establish if credit is to be awarded.

1. Attendance, preparedness, and class participation (10 points). Students are expected to attend all classes, to come prepared, and to participate actively in the individual, pair, group or other work of the day. As this is an applied seminar course, attendance is strongly encouraged and 1 point is deducted for each absence. 

2. Grammar, vocabulary, and writing assignments set during the semester, submitted to GoogleDrive (15 points). There will be 5 assignments; a student can earn a maximum of 3 points each. If an assignment is not uploaded by deadline, the student will receive no points for it.

3. Extended writing of approximately 1200 words drafted during the semester and revised by the end of the course (30 points). For the extended piece, a selection of potential topics will be offered relating to themes considered during the course. The writing has 3 drafts; a student can earn a maximum of 10 points for each draft. Assessment of the first draft focuses on mastery of language, rhetorical devices and academic style, and in the revised and final versions on how these versions respond to comments on the previous drafts, and otherwise develops the text. If a draft is not uploaded by deadline, the student will receive no points for it.

4. Referee reports and peer feedback (15 points). Each student will write 3 brief 1-page referee reports on another student’s work: one report on draft 1 and one report on draft 2 of the written piece, the third on a presentation (see 5.). A student can earn a maximum of 5 points each. If a report is not uploaded by deadline, the student will receive no points for it.

5. In-class formal and impromptu ‘presentations’ on the topic of their writing (30 points). Each student will adapt and practice delivering their topics and texts-in-progress for various audience types in different registers. There will be 3 adaptations of the presentation to tailor it for an expert and non-expert audience, and for formal and ad-hoc settings such as networking events or conferences. A student can earn a maximum of 10 points for each ‘presentation’. Assessment is based on the presentation itself (language, use of visual materials, persuasiveness). At the start of the semester, groups of 3-4 students will form peer committees. Peer referees (see 4.) will serve as facilitators and co-evaluators of these formal and informal speaking exercises, using a provided rubric. If a presentation is not prepared and delivered by deadline, the student will receive no points for it.

Last update: Straková Laura Juliet, M.A. (07.10.2025)
Syllabus -

We will read and watch extracts from a range of English-language sources in various genres and media, responses to which will form the basis for exploring techniques of language in academic genres such as rhetorical structures and figures, citation conventions, collocations and phraseology, and register in writing and speaking. Vocabulary, grammar and writing exercises will be based on material from Cambridge Academic English Advanced and other textbooks (see under Literature). A detailed syllabus will be available on GoogleDrive Academic Communication I after the first class; relevant study materials will also be posted here (only for registered users).



Last update: Straková Laura Juliet, M.A. (09.09.2025)
Entry requirements -

English at level B2-C1 and a pass in one of the English courses JLB002, JLB004, JLB006, JLB008, JLB010, JLB064 or JLB046.

Last update: Goodall Andrew, D.Phil. (11.09.2023)
 
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