This course consists of two parts:

1. Area-specific training in either language or literature/culture, focusing on the development of specific academic skills and the use of research sources related to each discipline.
2. Supplementary activities that include two training workshops on MLA and APA citation styles, as well as the PhD Winter Workshop.

The area-specific sessions will be structured around the following activities:

• Lectures introducing fundamental theoretical concepts
• Class discussions on assigned readings
• Practical exercises
• Oral presentations and writing assignments

Note: Within the schedule set by the MA programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and courses or modules through questionnaires.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

A) Research Module (Language or Literature) (80%)

Language (Dr Jennifer Ament)

• EAP Writing Portfolio: 70%
• Oral presentation: 30%

Literature (Dr Cristina Pividori)

• EAP Writing Practice (1. Writing your title(s); 2. Defining the gap; 3. Writing your thesis; 4. Defining key terms; 5. Evaluating your sources; 6. Selecting a critical approach; 7. TEEL paragraph; 8. Handling the Q&A): 30%
• Extended Abstract: 40%
• Oral Presentation/Pecha-Kucha: 30%

B) Applied Academic Abilities Training (20%)

Attendance to MLA/APA courses and to PhD Winter Workshop.

PLEASE NOTE:

• All exercises are COMPULSORY.
• Students will obtain a "not assessed/not submitted" course grade unless they have submitted more than 30 % of the assessment items.
• When carrying out each assessment activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded and the date on which such a review will take place.
• In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format available through the UAB's virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities, and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis, and/or discussions on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students can access these virtual tools or will offer them feasible alternatives.

REASSESSMENT:

• To access reassessment, students must previously have been assessed in activities whose combined weight is equivalent to at least two-thirds of the total continuous assessment grade.
• Reassessment for this subject requires a content-synthesis test for either the literature or the language component.
• Component b) is not eligible for reassessment.

SINGLE-ASSESSMENT OPTION:

• This module DOES NOT incorporate the single-assessment option.

EXCHANGE-STUDENT STATEMENT: Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.

VERY IMPORTANT:

• Plagiarism is copying one or more sentences from unidentified sources and presenting it as original work (THIS INCLUDES COPYING PHRASES OR FRAGMENTS FROM THE INTERNET AND ADDING THEM WITHOUT MODIFICATION TO A TEXT PRESENTED AS ORIGINAL). Plagiarism is a serious offense. Students must respect the intellectual property of others, identify any sources they use, and take responsibility for the originality and authenticity of the texts they produce.
• In the event a student commits any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will receive a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities for the same subject, the student will receive a zero as the final grade for this subject.
• Irregularities include, for instance, copying in an exam, copying from sources without indicating authorship, or misuse of AI, such as presenting work as original that has been generated by an AI tool or program. These evaluation activities will not be reassessed

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• This subject permits the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively for bibliographical or information searches, the creation of materials such as images, and tasks supporting data processing and statistical analysis, provided that such use complies with the criteria established in this course guide and has been discussed in advance with the professor. In such cases, students must: (i) identify the parts generated using AI; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii), at the lecturer’s discretion, include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity.
• Failure to disclose the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will result in a mark of 0 for the activity, with no possibility of reassessment, or more serious penalties in cases of greater severity.