English Language I

Recommended Prerequisites

Students should have reached the Council of Europe Language Level B1* of competence in English. This is equivalent to the University of Cambridge Preliminary English Test and may be described as follows:

A student at the B1 level can be expected to:understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etcetera.; deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken; produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest; and describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Teaching Methods

1. vocabulary/reading exercises and discussion; demonstration of important words/phrases/collocations
2. presentation of problem areas in English e.g idioms, discourse markers, phrasal verbs, with exercises to be completed at home
3. speaking in groups or directly to the teacher after listening to audio tapes: students will learn to conduct social research ‘in the street’ by mingling, interviewing fellow students and writing down responses while standing up
4. all listening exercises to be followed by discussion between students and teacher, and by analysis of transcripts
5. students encouraged to improve their English Grammar and Academic Writing skills at home (text books recommended);  the learning of vocabulary and collocations arising lead to long-term improvement in understanding and production of the language

 

Assessment to be by written examination with credit of up to 3 marks for participation in class. Exercises at levels: B1, B2, C1 & C2.

Learning Outcomes

1. to improve reading, listening, and speaking, and writing skills to one level above the current level for each individual student e.g. students with a ‘B1 reading ability’ are expected to reach the corresponding B2 level before assessment by examination
2. to ensure full understanding of all symbols and explanations given in an ‘Advanced Learner’s Dictionary’
3. to increase each student’s personal knowledge of vocabulary including that required to discuss statistical information depicted graphically as might be appropriate in a formal presentation
4. to introduce methods for the self-improvement of reading skills, grammar, and academic writing
5. to encourage objective oral analysis of matters arising in the international news media
6. to promote the habit of self-learning
7. to develop the language into a valuable tool for studying and working in International Relations

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Activities can be categorised into speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary development and self-improvement

• Various reading, vocabulary and collocation exercises related to International Relations, Economics and Business English will include: World Economy; International Trade; Business Letters; Fair & Free Trade; Numbers, prices, dates, fractions and percentages

 

1. Listening/conversation/reading/writing/vocabulary exercises including:The BBC International News and Business News; East Timor One Year After Independence; The International Trade in Coffee; The BBC News from different countries
2. Efficient use of Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: the different kinds of word; collocation; phonetic symbols; phrasal verbs; idioms; transitive and intransitive verbs; countable and uncountable nouns; American and British English
3. Techniques aiming at dictionary independence: False Cognates; Prefixes and Suffixes; Discourse Markers; Modal Verbs

Head Lecturer(s)

Rodney George Peach

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Assessment by exam with an increase of up to 3 values for participation in the class. Level exercises: B1, B2, C1 and C2: 100.0%

Bibliography

An advanced learner's dictionary such as: MACMILLAN English Dictionary for Advanced Learners. Oxford : Macmillan Education, latest edition.

MURPHY, Raymond - English Grammar in Use, a self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students with answers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, latest edition.

MURPHY, Raymond - Essential Grammar in Use, a self-study reference and practice book for elementary students of English with answers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, latest edition.

ROBBINS, Sue - Collins COBUILD Business Vocabulary in Practice. Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers, latest edition.

Academic Writing for International Students by Stephen Bailey - Routledge 3^rd Edition, which has answers and guidance given on the Internet.

Essential, general reading practice from printed versions of: Newsweek, Time, The Economist, The Times, The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian and/or their corresponding websites.