26001 Business Communication Skills 1

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

This core subject focuses on the academic written language skills required for postgraduate study in Accounting. These academic skills are developed in conjunction with staff from the Faculty of Business. Students take a critical/analytical approach to understanding and producing written and spoken texts appropriate for the Australian context.

In particular, the subject focuses on critical reading skills, paraphrasing and summarising, selecting, evaluating and using a variety of sources of information, citing, referencing, developing written arguments, presenting seminars, text drafting and editing, and the preparation of postgraduate assignments or research documents (literature reviews, articles, conference papers, etc.). Texts are selected and assessment prepared jointly by academic literacy experts and postgraduate coordinators and supervisors in the Faculty. The texts also serve as examples of the different research methodologies used in Accounting.

Subject objectives/outcomes

The aim of this subject is to provide accounting students with on-going integrated academic language and text-based communication skills during the first semester of their postgraduate studies at UTS. On successful completion of the subject, students have gained a precise knowledge of their current English language proficiency level.

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Understand and produce oral and written academic texts relevant to the requirements of postgraduate accounting studies.
2. Show evidence of critical reading and writing skills in the context of postgraduate accounting studies.
3. Recognise and apply appropriate academic citing and referencing conventions.
4. Select, evaluate and use a variety of sources of information.

Contribution to graduate profile

This compulsory core subject provides postgraduate Accounting students with on-going integrated academic language and text-based skills during the first semester of their postgraduate studies at UTS. It contributes to the objectives of other core subjects by focusing on the development of vocationally relevant understandings of language and communication needs in the context of organisations in Australia and internationally. The main contribution of this subject is to enable graduates of the Master of Professional Accounting to achieve an IELTS band score of 7.0.

Teaching and learning strategies

The lectures and workshops will incorporate a range of teaching and experiential learning strategies including videos, simulations, debates, readings and case studies.

Content

An integrated approach is taken to the teaching of subject topics/components.

• Critical reading and thinking
• Critical writing at postgraduate level
• Summarising and paraphrasing
• Citing, referencing, avoiding plagiarism & ethics
• Tutorial participation & seminar presentation
• Listening and note-taking
• Preparing assignments relevant to the Accounting postgraduate studies
• Conducting literature and online searches, including retrieving, storing, organising and analysing information from a variety of sources

In this subject the level of difficulty of these topics is determined by students' academic language needs in the context of their postgraduate Accounting studies.

Assessment

Recommended text(s)

Eunson, B. (2005), Communicating in the 21st century, Wiley, Melbourne.

Faculty of Business (2006), Guide to Writing Assignments, Faculty of Business, University of Technology, Sydney.

Indicative references

Commonwealth of Australia. (2002) Style manual, 6th edition Wiley, Melbourne

Mohan, T., McGregor, H., Saunders, S. & Archee, R. (2004), Communicating as professionals. Thomson, Australia.

Morley-Warner, T. (2001), Academic writing is …, CREA publications, UTS, Sydney.

O'Connor, T. (2001). Assignment Writing. James Cook University.