COMS1001 Academic and Professional Communication

This topic is a core topic in selected undergraduate courses and is recommended as an elective topic in other courses where electives are available. In some cases, course rules provide for students to apply for exemption and to have this topic replaced with an alternative topic on their study plan. Please review your Course Rule to confirm if this option is available and go to Ask Flinders for eligibility and application advice.

This is a foundation topic with the broad aim of enabling students to recognise and use an appropriate style of communication in academic settings related to various fields within university study. The basic premise of the topic is that effective writing is contingent on critical thinking, reading and writing. You will be exposed to a variety of texts to encourage you to critically evaluate and write about issues from multiple perspectives before you develop your own arguments. The need to consider the rhetorical situation and ethical issues is emphasised as you go through the process of planning, writing, and critically revising your own texts based on feedback. The topic is designed specifically for the needs of Flinders University students in order to transition to university studies and many of the texts and study topics are directly related to your studies at the university to aid successful progression in your university education.

This topic aims to equip students with the necessary skills for reading and thinking critically and writing effectively by:

1. Analysing and evaluating academic texts
2. Cultivating awareness of audience, context and purpose in writing tasks
3. Developing rhetorical skills relevant to academic contexts at Flinders University
4. Engaging in texts from a range of disciplines

1. Produce a short annotated bibliography
2. Apply writing skills to complete an audience-specific argumentative essay
3. Develop and deliver presentations on an academic topic