Undergraduate Course: English for the LLM (ELLM) (LLLG07140)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 0 |
ECTS Credits | 0 |
| Summary | ELLM aims to transition students from the Summer Pre-sessional into the Law School. The focus is on developing students' academic language and literacy to a level that allows students to cope with the challenges of and participate successfully in their chosen Law Masters programme. |
| Course description |
1) Academic Description
ELLM aims to develop and improve students' confidence and academic language & literacy skills to a sufficient level to bridge the gap between their entry language level and that required to participate successfully in a Law Masters programme. It further aims to raise awareness of what they should expect on their Law Masters programme and of what is expected of them by the Law School.
2) Outline Content
Reading: legal reading skills, legal journal articles, case reports, statutes, & other legal genres.
Listening: following & responding to spoken legal argument, taking notes
Writing: genre awareness, presenting & discussing arguments, synthesising sources, citing & referencing sources & authorities; information flow & constructing paragraphs
Speaking: presenting & discussing arguments, participating actively in seminars.
In-person lectures (Law School): Input from specialists on key areas of Law and activities (e.g. UK legal system, IP Law, reading cases & statutes)
In-person Seminars (Law School): experience & awareness raising of what these entail in terms of expectations of students (e.g. Company Law)
Key legal vocabulary in specialist law areas (e.g. IP Law)
Students will give short, focused presentations and participate in a number of short seminars. They will also prepare and present a number of case reports in varying formats (e.g written poster format, recorded presentation, in-person seminar style).
Much of the above will involve preparation & practice for the end-of-summer pre-sessional assessments in all four skills.
3) Student Learning Experience (approx. 100 words)
The course is a mix of self-study and classroom-based learning with intensive small group and whole class activities. Students will also work in 'peer' groups as part of their self-study/ex-class work, preparing for classroom sessions with a teacher and participation in seminars & lectures. Course involves working with student peers, ELE teachers and Law School academics.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Reading-into-Writing
1400-word piece of source-based academic writing; choice of questions appropriate to students' disciplines. Students demonstrate their ability to combine reading and critically evaluating academic texts in their disciplines (ILO 1), with writing clearly and appropriately in genres common in their discipline, synthesizing and critically evaluating content from sources to create their argument (ILO 2). Reading and Writing aspects of this integrated task will be assessed through discrete and equally weighted elements of the criteria, and separate scores for each skill will be reported.
Formative feedback loops including both reading and writing tasks are built into the writing process. Formative stages include a draft plan and a sample paragraph, and a reading task in which students use a CRAAP analysis (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) of source texts to evaluate potential sources for the assignment. Individual and group tutorials are scheduled for discussion of formative feedback.
Listening
A time-limited online test based on a recorded lecture in which students demonstrate their ability to understand and respond critically to academic lectures (ILO 3). The lecture recording is released online for a limited time, together with an editable test paper which students submit by a given deadline.
Speaking
Through delivery of a short (7-8 minute) individual live oral presentation to their class group, and responding to audience questions / participating in a follow-up Question-and-Answer session, students demonstrate their ability to use clear and appropriate English to deliver an effective presentation in their disciplinary field and participate effectively in academic discussion (ILO 4).
Students need to meet their degree programme English Language requirements in all four components and overall in order to progress.
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| Feedback |
Informal feedback is given on language - spoken and written - in every class.
Spoken and written feedback from tutor and peers on formative speaking and writing tasks.
Progress is discussed in regular tutorials (small group tutorials and 1:1 tutorials).
Students also receive general feed-forward comments on their performance on the summative assessment of Reading-into- Writing.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Read and critically evaluate academic texts in the discipline of Law, making critical use of genre knowledge and strategies appropriate to their purpose
- Write clearly and appropriately in genres appropriate to the discipline of Law, synthesizing and critically evaluating content from sources to support their argument
- Use clear and appropriate English to respond critically and contribute meaningfully to seminars and group discussions, and deliver academic presentations in the discipline of Law
- Use clear and appropriate English to respond critically and contribute meaningfully to seminars and group discussions, and deliver academic presentations in the discipline of Law
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Reading List
All the materials used for delivery of the course are provided electronically, and there is no need for students to buy any books. We will also give you advice on useful online resources. However, you may find the following publications helpful as additional resources for your studies:
Brown, G. & Rice, S. 2007. Professional English in Use Law. CUP.
Finch, E. & Fafinski, S. 2019. Legal Skills. OUP.
McCarthy, M. 2016. Academic Vocabulary in Use Edition with Answers. CUP.
Paterson, K. 2013. Oxford Grammar for EAP. OUP.
Swales, J. & Feak, C. 2012. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Michigan ELT.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enquiry and lifelong learning; aspiration and personal development; outlook and engagement; research and enquiry; personal and intellectual autonomy; personal effectiveness; communication |
| Keywords | Legal English,Academic Language,Academic Literacy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Kenneth Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9424
Email: Kenneth.Anderson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: Kameliya.Skerleva@ed.ac.uk |
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