College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS)

ENV2302 - Communications for Environmental Studies

Assessment	Continual Assessment 100%
Units	Four
Workload	0-3-0-4-0-3
Prerequisite(s)	Students must be from Environment Studies Students who are required to take ES1000 - Foundation Academic English and/or ES1103 - English for Academic Purposes must pass the courses before they are allowed to read this course.
Preclusion(s)	ENV1202
This course is designed for undergraduates pursuing the Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree. It aims to help them develop critical thinking, reading, writing, and speaking skills relevant for communication with different actants. The genres we focus on in this course are: the argumentative essay, the panel discussion, the critique and the pamphlet. The course deals with the following interrelated areas: Communication of arguments regarding environmental issues using the Precautionary Principle. Communication of the ‘wicked problem’ of climate change with different stakeholders like scientists, environmentalists, policy makers and the lay public. Communication with the public - raising public awareness of environmental issues through science-based advocacy. Communication with academia - developing skills in oral communication and academic writing. Learn More

ES1000 - Foundation Academic English

Assessment	ES1000 is a 100% Continuous Assessment course.
Units	Nil
Workload	2-2-0-2-2-2
Prerequisite(s)	Placement through the Qualifying English Test.
Preclusion(s)	Nil
This is a required course for students whose Qualifying English Test results show that they would benefit from basic English language skills support. Students in the course must pass it before they are allowed to read the next required English course, English for Academic Purposes (ES1103). The purpose of ES1000 is to improve the students' English language skills in reading, writing and grammar. Topics covered include paragraph unity, coherence, sentence patterns, and academic integrity. Students will integrate diverse vocabulary, sentence structures, and grammatical elements to synthesise academic ideas, construct cohesive paragraphs, and reflect critically on their writing process. Learn More

ES1103 - English for Academic Purposes

Assessment	ES1103 is a 100% Continuous Assessment course.
Units	Four
Workload	0-4-0-3-0-3
Prerequisite(s)	1. Placement through the Qualifying English Test or a pass in ES1000. 2. Only students who matriculated in AY2016/17 and onwards can take ES1103
Preclusion(s)	ES1102
ES1103 serves as a bridging course for students who have taken the university's Qualifying English Test and are deemed to require additional language support for the academic context. It aims to equip students with the knowledge of the academic genre and the ability to apply such knowledge in academic communication. The course adopts a reading-into-writing approach using themed readings as springboard texts for students' writing and provides opportunities for analysing and internalising ways of organising academic texts. Students will acquire essential academic skills required to cope with the rigour of academic writing at a tertiary level. Learn More

FAS1101 - Writing Academically: Arts and Social Sciences

Assessment	FAS1101 is a 100% Continuous Assessment course.
Units	Four
Workload	1-2-0-4-0-3
Prerequisite(s)	Students who are required to read ES1000 Foundation Academic English and/or ES1103 English for Academic Purposes must pass those courses before they are allowed to read this course.
Preclusion(s)	Non-CHS students Students who have read and passed ES1531/GEK1549/GET1021 or ES1501% Students who have read and passed ES2531, ES2631, SP1541, UTW1001% and RVX100%
This course develops and applies the core strategies that underlie successful academic writing. These include writing with clarity and precision, analysing how authors argue, organizing and expressing ideas to guide readers through a line of reasoning, citing and documenting sources, revising the content, wording, and organization of a paper, as well as surface features such as spelling and punctuation. Students gain an appreciation of the basics of academic writing through three units, which correspond to the three stages of writing - introduction, body, and conclusion. Learn More

SP1541 - Communication Practices in Popular Science

Assessment	SP1541 is a 100% Continuous Assessment course.
Units	Four
Workload	0-3-0-3-0-4
Prerequisite(s)	Students who are required to read ES1000 Foundation Academic English and/or ES1103 English for Academic Purposes must pass those courses before they are allowed to read this course.
Preclusion(s)	Non-CHS students Students who have read and passed FAS1101, ES2531, ES2631, ES2660, UTW1001% and RVX100% Students in SPS (Special Program in Science) who have read and passed SP2271 are precluded from SP1541 and SP1541X Students who have read and passed SP1541X U-town students cannot select SP1541 RVRC students cannot select SP1541
SP1541 aims to enable students to communicate science to the non-specialist audience in a comprehensible and engaging manner through science popularised discourses. Students are introduced to four models of science communication which shed light on the evolving assumptions made about the roles of and interactions between scientists, policymakers, and the public in society. Drawing upon these models, students critically analyse and evaluate how communication strategies are employed in both written and spoken sources, and apply them. The cornerstone of the course is students demonstrating a deepened appreciation of the audience’s level(s) of knowledge through engagement opportunities with the public. Learn More

SP1541X - Communication Practices in Popular Science

Assessment	SP1541X is a 100% Continuous Assessment course.
Units	Four
Workload	0-3-0-3-0-4
Prerequisite(s)	Students who are required to read ES1000 Foundation Academic English and/or ES1103 English for Academic Purposes must pass those courses before they are allowed to read this course.
Preclusion(s)	Non-CHS students Students who have read and passed FAS1101, ES2531, ES2631, ES2660, UTW1001% and RVX100% Students in SPS (Special Program in Science) who have read and passed SP2271 are precluded from SP1541 and SP1541X Students who have read and passed SP1541 U-town students cannot select SP1541X RVRC students cannot select SP1541X
SP1541X aims to enable students to communicate science to the non-specialist audience in a comprehensible and engaging manner through science popularised discourses. Students are introduced to four science communication models which shed light on the evolving assumptions made about the roles of and interactions between scientists, policymakers, and the public. Drawing upon these models, students critically analyse and evaluate how communication strategies are employed in written and spoken sources and apply them through public engagement opportunities during a field trip in a Southeast Asian country, where they interact with the local community and learn about their cultures and local practices. Learn More

SP2271 - Introduction to the Scientific Literature

Students in this course gain the skills to understand and analyse peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. Critically reading scientific papers involves analysing them against the existing body of scientific knowledge to determine a paper's merits and limitations, reliability, and significance. This skill is crucial for keeping abreast of scientific progress and making evidence-based decisions. Students will learn to analyse methodology, interpret results, and evaluate conclusions. Based on library research, they will evaluate a paper in the context of the field and substantiate, challenge or extend its conclusions. Students will learn to communicate their analysis constructively in multiple modes.

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