UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

PUSAT CITRA UNIVERSITI

LMCE1032 ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION III

COURSE BOOKLET

SEMESTER 1, 2018/19
 COMMITTEE MEMBERS

NAMES EXT. NO E-MAIL CONTACT NO.

Ketua
Pn Maryam Mohammed Amin 7620 maryam.amin@ukm.edu.my 017-6036713
Kursus
Pen. Ketua
Pn Nuretna Asurah Ahmad 7607 etna@ukm.edu.my 016-9781989
Kursus

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 PUSAT CITRA UKM
UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

Kod Kursus : LMCE 1032

Nama Kursus : Academic Communication III

Taraf Kursus : WF

Synopsis :

The course is offered to first-year students of Faculty of Law. It aims to enhance their English
language skills in academic contexts with emphasis on critical reading and thinking on current
legal issues. It also aims to help develop students’ ability to synthesize information from various
sources. The course adopts an integrated skill-based approach.

Hasil Pembelajaran :

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

 Present a case effectively
 Express opinions on current legal issues critically and effectively
 Express opinions on legal issues in writing

References :

Cottrell, S. 2017. Critical Thinking Skills. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
Finch, E. & Fafinski, S. 2017. Legal Skills. New York: Oxford University Press
Haigh, R. 2015. Legal English. New York: Routledge
Hanson, S. 2016. Learning Legal Skills and Reasoning. New York: Routledge
Johns, M.Z. & Tanaka, C.S. 2015. Professional Writing for Lawyers. Durham: Carolina
Academic Press

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 Essential Study Skills for Law Students

Welcome to LMCE1032 Academic Communication III. Throughout this course, your English
language instructor will discuss important academic skills you need to survive Law school. You
are invited to give suggestions to your instructor about the academic skills that you would like
to learn.
Our main references to study academic skills for legal purposes are the Routledge ebook
Essential Study Skills for Law Students Part 1 (2017) and Routledge ebook Essential Study Skills
for Law Students Part 2 (2018). You will find these ebooks under course materials on ifolio.
In groups, you will read about these Law related academic skills and share your knowledge with
your classmates. Your instructor will guide you to sharpen these academic skills with activities
carried out in class.
Here are some suggested topics to be covered in class:
Topic 1: Understanding and making the most out of your degree
Routledge Essential Study Skills for Law Students Part 1

Topic 2: Language and Law

Routledge Essential Study Skills for Law Students Part 1

Topic 3: Effective Legal Research: How to get the most out of your University Print
and e- Library
Routledge Essential Study Skills for Law Students Part 1

Topic 4: Preparation, Presentation and Personal Communication Skills

Routledge Essential Study Skills for Law Students Part 2

Topic 5: Understanding essay questions

Routledge Essential Study Skills for Law Student Part 2

Topic 6: How to structure convincing arguments

Independent study using online resources

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 COURSE EVALUATION

NO. COMPONENT WEIGHTING (%)

1 Case Presentation 30%

 Outline (10%)
 Case Presentation (20%)

2 Current Legal Issues Forum 40%

 Article Review (10%)
 Forum
(30%)

3 Opinion Essay 30%

TOTAL 100%

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 Case Presentation (30%)

Goal:

To present the summary of a case to an audience

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

 synthesize and articulate the summary of a case
 present the case effectively to an audience

Procedure:

1. Each student is to select a legal case and submit it to the instructor for approval. The
selected case must adhere to the stipulated requirements namely:
 English or local cases only
 Cases of the first instance/ first hearing only
Students are also encouraged to select cases from the reading list of their content courses.
A copy of the selected case must be submitted to the instructor prior to the oral
presentation.

2. Students discuss their selected case with their instructor (during a conferencing session)
and upon getting approval, students will prepare a case outline (10%).

3. In about 3-4 minutes, each student will orally present a summary of their case (20%). No
visual aids are allowed during the case brief.

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 Current Legal Issues Forum (40%)

Goal:

To discuss and express opinions on current legal issues critically and effectively

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

 analyse and express opinions critically and effectively on a current legal issue
 demonstrate effective discussion skills
 demonstrate confidence and fluency in carrying out the discussion

Format:

A forum on a current legal issue in groups of 4 – 5 for about 25 minutes

Procedure:

1. The class is divided into groups of 4 or 5 depending on the number of students in the
class. Students may choose their own group members.

2. Each group is to select one current legal issue from the newspaper (any newspaper and
not limited to local newspapers) and submit topic to the instructor for approval. Topic
examples: Abortions should be legalized in Malaysia, Marijuana should be legalized,
Immigrants should have more living rights in Malaysia, The legal age for driving in
Malaysia should be lowered, Animal euthanizations are justifiable, and CCTVs should be
banned for infringement of privacy.

3. Each member in the group looks for 3 articles on the selected issue from newspapers.
Each student reads the selected articles and synthesizes the articles in preparation for the
discussion by filling up the Current Legal Issues Research Outline form (10%).

4. On the day of evaluation, two members agree with the selected topic (eg: Abortions
should be legalized in Malaysia), two members disagree (eg: Abortions should NOT be
legalized in Malaysia), and one member acts as the moderator. The moderator must be
able to comment and argue both sides of the issue. Each group carries out the Current
Legal Issues Forum (30%) in 20 - 25 minutes.

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 Opinion Writing (30%)

Goal:

To write an opinion on a current legal issue

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

 critically express their opinion on a current legal issue in writing
 support their opinion with relevant details
 organize and develop their ideas in a logical and cohesive manner

Procedure:

1. Students write their opinion based on a current legal issue.

2. An opinion essay test (30%) will be carried out in class and the duration of the test is one
and a half hours.
3. The length of the essay is 350-400 words.

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 LMCE1032 ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION III
SEM 1, 2018-2019
COURSE SCHEDULE

WEEK SELF-LEARNING IN CLASS ACTIVITY

Tasks to be completed
before class

1  Read course booklet  Ice breaking

 Course briefing
2  Watch video How to  Introduction to Reading Legal Cases: Sources of
read a case Law
 Read notes on Reading  Introduction to Routledge Essential Skills for Law
Court Cases Guide Students
3  Watch video IRAC  Case Presentation Format briefing
method  Introduction to Reading Legal Cases: McCarthys
 Watch video Citing Case
cases
4  Select a case  Case Presentation conferencing
(Case selection)
 Essential Skills for Law Students: Topic 1
5  Prepare case outline  Essential Skills for Law Students :Topic 2
(10%)
6  Prepare for case EVALUATION:
presentation Case Presentation (20%)
Case Outline (10%)
7  Select topic on current  Current Legal Issues (CLI) Forum briefing
legal issue  Group discussion on CLI topic selection

SEMESTER BREAK
8  Read notes on  Essential Skills for Law Students : Topic 3
How to structure
arguments
9  Complete CLI Research  Essential Skills for Law Students : Topic 4
Outline form (10%)
10  Watch video Current EVALUATION:
Legal Issue Discussion Current Legal Issues Forum (30%)
Current Legal Issues Research Outline (10%)
11  Prepare for CLI Forum EVALUATION:
Forum (cotd)

12  Watch video How to  Opinion essay briefing

write a 5 paragraph  Input: 5 paragraph essay
opinion essay  Essential Skills for Law Students :Topic 5
13  Prepare essay outline  Essay outline
 Essential Skills for Law Students :Topic 6
14  Revision EVALUATION:
Opinion Essay (30%)