Following on from Academic Literacies 1, this module aims to further develop students' academic literacies as a foundation for their studies in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. The aims of this course are: To enable students to become better academic writers, critical thinkers and researchers; To encourage students to become autonomous/independent learners; To enable students to develop an awareness of the cognitive, metacognitive, affective and social strategies used by good writers and to use these skills to negotiate the writing process effectively; To equip students with the practical skills necessary to develop an effective academic writing strategy; To introduce students to research methodology in AHSS; To further develop the core research skills acquired in Academic Literacies 1, in particular the necessary research skills for sourcing, storing and presenting research data; To develop an awareness of the information technology skills necessary to develop the above literacies.

Incorporating a practice-based element, students will continue to develop academic study skills, writing skills, information management skills, research skills and interpersonal skills. Students will learn to work effectively on their own and collaboratively. The main emphasis will be on developing students' writing skills. Through small group discussion- and writing-focused workshops, students will be engaged in activities to develop themselves as writers, including critical and reflective evaluation of their own writing; familiarity with the conventions honoured and the criteria used by other disciplines for the evaluation of writing therein. The workshops will engage students in a range of strategies to develop an effective writing strategy. Students will read, write and talk about argumentation, arrangement of ideas, coherence, discipline-specific style conventions and values, grammar, and ethical concerns. With current writing projects in mind, participants will engage regularly in peer review, editing and revising their own and one another's work at each stage of the process in order to produce a writing portfolio.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Develop an effective academic writing strategy; Distinguish the relevant methodological approaches in their discipline(s); Apply the necessary skills for sourcing, storing and presenting research data; Use and cite sources in English and other languages; Develop paraphrasing, summarising and synthesising techniques so that they are equipped with the skills needed to avoid plagiarism and maintain ethical standards in academic writing; Critically evaluate research and decide upon the appropriate types of evidence to be used in their discipline(s); Evaluate the effectiveness of arguments and present them clearly and effectively; Define, identify and describe different styles of rhetoric.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Participate effectively in the academic community; Demonstrate an appreciation of the ethical issues associated with academic writing; Participate in peer partnerships and work collaboratively to support one another; Embrace their academic career effectively and independently.

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Through a series of lectures, small-group workshops/labs, incorporating online activities, delivered by experts in each of the respective literacies, namely academic study skills, writing skills, information management skills, research skills and interpersonal skills, students will further develop the academic literacies necessary to participate effectively and ethically in the academic community.

The need for the development of academic literacies was identified in a recent survey of staff and students at the University of Limerick, to which 99 members of staff and 601 students responded.