Discussion and Interaction in the Academic Community

The increased focus on internationalism in business and academics has caused an increase in the awareness of the importance of interactive skills for both native and nonnative speakers. One of the primary focuses of Discussion and Interaction in the Academic Community is to enhance the ability of nonnative speakers of English to contribute to the development of their disciplines and to the internationalism of the academic community. For many students one of the most difficult tasks is to interact effectively and confidently within the discussions, seminars, and ongoing dialogues in their disciplines. All of these areas require opportunity, awareness, and understanding of communication strategies, knowlege of effective discourse, and a willingness to participate. Discussion and Interaction in the Academic Community is divided into three major sections. Unit 1 focuses on the student as a member of the academic community. Unit 2 focuses on the student as facilitator. Unit 3 focuses on the student as expert. The objective of these units is to make students comfortable within the academic environment, to provide students with the opportunity to learn new skills for participation in academic discussion, and to provide students the opportunity to present, critique, monitor, and improve on the exchange of technical information. The text builds on the expertise and the linguistic abilities of the learners. It assumes that while many of the learners have a sense of their academic goals and have much information to bring to bear on any task, their ability to make their knowledge and objectives explicit in English is limited. This is a vital text for the growing cadre of students who findthemselves at ease within their disciplines, but unable to make themselves fully understood in an English-speaking environment.