IL3APIR-Advanced Oracy Skills for Politics and International Relations

Module Provider: International Study and Language Institute
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Ms Gill Kendon
Email: g.b.kendon@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module will equip you with advanced spoken communication skills (‘oracy’ skills) needed for effective communication both in academia and in a range of employment contexts related to Politics and International Relations (PIR).

You will learn to communicate PIR concepts and issues more effectively via different spoken modes, both live (for example, presentations) and recorded (for example, podcasts), and for different kinds of audience. The module will develop all facets of your Oracy skills – physical, linguistic, cognitive and social/emotional – and will equip you with strategies for communicating ideas from complex written texts via speech in a clear and engaging manner. 

Aims:

This module aims to build the following oracy skills:

• ‘Physical’ oracy skills, including fluency, pace, tonal variation, clarity, voice projection, and body language


• ‘Linguistic’ oracy skills, including vocabulary choice, register, grammar, structure and organisation


• ‘Cognitive’ oracy skills, including critical examination of concepts, reasoned support for arguments, and consideration of audience level/type


• ‘Social and emotional’ oracy skills, including speaking confidence (self-assurance, liveliness, and flair)

It also aims to develop skills for processing (‘mediating’) PIR written texts and research data in speech, including:

• strategies for explaining concepts: linking to previous knowledge, breaking down complicated information and adapting language.


• strategies for simplifying a text: ‘unpacking’ a dense text or streamlining a text

Assessable learning outcomes:

On completing this module, you will have successfully demonstrated you can:

• employ relevant oracy skills to plan and organise content of spoken genres such as presentations and podcasts.


• employ relevant oracy skills to successfully deliver spoken genres such as presentations and podcasts.

employ relevant text-mediating strategies to communicate ideas and arguments from written language PIR sources orally.

Additional outcomes:

On completing this module, you will also have successfully demonstrated you can:

• identify techniques used by expert speakers to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.


• use tools and techniques to analyse language – and how it is used to construct stance and argument - in primary source and secondary source written PIR texts.

Outline content:

Content will include:

• Key physical, linguistic, cognitive and social/emotional (for further detail, see Module aims above) oracy skills


• Characteristics of key spoken-language genres (such as presentations and podcasts).


• Exemplars of spoken-language genres, analysed to explore aspects of content, language and delivery


• Language for constructing stance and argument in disciplinary texts, both primary (e.g. news medi a) and secondary source (e.g. research articles).

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The module is taught through seminar sessions and takes a task-based approach involving a cycle of input and practice. 

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars		25
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)		50
Wider reading (directed)		50
Preparation for presentations		50	25
Total hours by term	0	175	25
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Oral assessment and presentation	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Summative assessment consists of three oral tasks, two live tasks and one recorded.

Formative assessment methods:

In-class practice of and feedback on delivery of presentations and other spoken-language genres. 

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

40%

Reassessment arrangements:

In the event of a student failing this module overall, reassessment will comprise of resubmission of any individual piece of assessment for which the student received a mark lower than 40.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 16 December 2021