Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
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DROI1142 - Advanced everyday English



ECTS - Credits : 5

Lecturer :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , first and second term, 60 hours of theory.

Timetable :
Language of instruction :
English


Learning outcomes :
The students should:
• have extended their lexical and grammatical knowledge, and be able to recognize new words and structures (passive knowledge) and to use them (active knowledge);
• be able to express themselves orally and in writing about subjects that have been studied or not in class, in a level of English that is as correct, fluent, clear and structured as possible;
• be able to analyze new texts (listening and reading comprehension) and to establish links between the ideas in the texts and the themes studied in class;
• be able to lead a small group discussion, in some cases after a presentation;
• be able to use creatively the subject matter.

Prerequisites and co-requisites / Recommended optional programme components :
The students should have a good passive and active knowledge of English.
The conditions governing access to the advanced everyday English course and the advanced everyday English course for students in bilingual bachelor's degree are to be found in the brochure of the University.


Course contents :
• We will study in particular institutional and social issues. The teacher will propose topics, but the choice of these may vary depending on current events or the students' interests and contributions.
Examples:
- The United States presidential election in November 2000 enabled us to study the American electoral system. We discussed the events with an American guest who had worked on the election campaign of Al Gore. We compared this system to the one in place in Britain, and then broadened the discussion to politics in general.
- Starting from caricatures and photo's published in the press, we studied the issue of freedom of the press, more specifically in Britain and in the U.S.A. and talked about the different media in these countries.
- Reading a text describing the announcement made by the British Health Minister relating that patients enrolled on a waiting list for a surgical operation could have surgery in another country of the E. U. - which would be financed by the NHS (National Health Service)- caused a research on the NHS: its origins, its evolution, its current problems.
- Another recurring topic is the educational system, in a context of particularly acute teacher shortages in Great Britain.
• Lexical extension in accordance with the themes and competences
• Advanced grammar

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The subject matter will be presented through reading articles, research, debates, role-plays, essays, listening comprehension, viewing interviews and films.

Assessment methods and criteria :
The assessment will be based on:
a) Three or four individual written tests that will cover vocabulary and grammar knowledge as well as the observation, interpretation and analysis of the topics and institutions studied in class. These tests assess three skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and written expression.
b) Two oral presentations, individual or in small groups, of press articles: one article of the student's choice and one article relating to a topic studied in class. The skills assessed here are oral expression and reading comprehension.
c) A creative exercise presented in a group to the rest of the class. The skills evaluated are oral expression, poise and the creative use of the subject matter.
d) As the course is interactive, it is obvious that it will also take into account the students' regular and effective participation: presentation of exercises suggested by the teacher and/or by the students themselves.

Recommended or required reading :
None

Other information :
The professor will provide the students with the prepared courses and documents (texts, lexical and grammatical exercises, audio CD's). Documents proposed by students are welcome.