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HDPO1390 - English III
[A. • 60 Th. • 10 ECTS - credits]
| Lecturer :
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Philippe Madeleine |
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| Language of instruction :
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The course is taught exclusively in English. |
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| Learning outcomes :
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a. Course Objectives
In BAC III, our goal is to help the students progress so that, by year's end, they will reach an intermediate level + (C1). The interactive courses combined with the e-learning activities and with self-learning exercises will help the students achieve a strong command of the language not only in terms of vocabulary and structures, but also in terms of the various skills: emphasis will be placed on oral expression and on listening comprehension (news items). Particular attention will be paid to the learning of the most commonly used idioms in socio-economic circles.
b. Means Implemented
To achieve the established goals, we propose a two-phase approach:
• input: the students will be led to be able to independently listen to video excerpts (international news and the business world), to read press articles, etc.
• Practice: i.e. the use of the input by the student in real communication contexts. This will be accomplished through
+ presentations
+ role-playing exercises
+ news bulletins: international news and the business world
+ discussions.
In BAC III, students will be expected to make professional, well-structured, communicative and dynamic presentations that make use of modern presentation techniques (PowerPoint).
The subjects chosen will have a direct relationship with socio-economic, cultural and political reality; they will be available on the following Web sites:
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Special reports
- http://edition.cnn.com/topics/ Topics
The subjects selected this year are the following:
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Special reports
Globalisation, Emerging China and India, Future of TV, Vote USA 2008, Africa's food crisis.
- http://edition.cnn.com/topics/ Topics
Principal voices: what is a social entrepreneur?
Before the presentation, the students attentively read and prepare the introductory (lead-in) articles with the aid of a vocabulary list. The lesson will begin with a test.
One week before the presentation, the group assigned with presenting the subject will inform the other students of one or two discussion questions. It is important to make an outline with your arguments and to make use of connectives and strategic phrases for your argumentation.
The presentation may not last more than 15 to 20 minutes. The presentations must be logical and structured. No reading of prepared texts will be allowed. The presentation will include the sites mentioned above and the students' own sources of information.
At the end of their presentation, the students will have to submit an article on the topic chosen (max. 2 A4 sheets of paper) - accompanied by a series of questions - that the students will have to prepare for the oral evaluation.
The students who attend the presentation will have to do so in an active manner: critique of the form, the contents and relevant questions.
For the oral examination, all students will have read at least 6 of the articles illustrating the subjects presented. They will be able to answer in a clear manner the questions put forth during the year and to defend their point of view on the subjects covered.
A schedule of the presentations will be established at the beginning of year. Students unable to present their work for medical reasons (doctor's certificate as proof) or professional reasons (certificate from their employer as proof) will have to inform their lecturer as soon as possible. They will have to be ready to make their presentation at any moment during the weeks following the originally scheduled date.
A second part of the course will be devoted to `International news'. In this case, there will be listening comprehension exercises to do at home in addition to oral presentations.
- Listening comprehension: the students watch BBC One - the news broadcast at 18:00 to 18:30 GMT on Tuesday 16 October and on Wednesday 14 November.
Contents and deadline: contents of the news broadcast of 24 October (test on listening comprehension will take place on 7 November) and contents of the news broadcast of 14 November (test on listening comprehension will take place on 5 December)
- Oral Expression: groups of 3 or 4 students will briefly present the week's main news twice per term. A discussion will follow the presentation
A third part of the course will cover the specific vocabulary of the class sessions and the prepositional idioms. The emphasis will be placed on the acquisition and the activation of the key sentences needed for good communication during meetings as well as on the improvement of listening comprehension.
During the oral examination, students will be able to take part in role-playing exercises with ease. They will also be confronted with a new situation in order to verify that they are able to apply the vocabulary and the structures studied in another context.
Test: recapitulative
7 November: Test of listening comprehension (news of 24 October) + specific vocabulary: Thematic idioms and the language of meetings + course vocabulary
5 December: Test of listening comprehension (news of 14 November) + specific vocabulary: Thematic idioms and the language of meetings + course vocabulary
12 December or 19 December: Test of oral expression; recapitulative test (presentations, discussions, international news)
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| Prerequisites :
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English II.
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| Course contents :
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Professional presentations;
Discussions.
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| Mode of delivery :
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Interactive course.
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| Assessment methods and criteria :
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The students' oral and written skills will be assessed on a continuous basis.
To be exempted, students will have:
1. to have reached a sufficient level by the end of the academic year
2. to have followed the courses diligently and systematically prepared the assignments
3. to have achieved an average score of 50% on all tests.
a. Written part (20 points)
Listening comprehension (12 points), course vocabulary and tests over the course of the year (8 points).
b. Oral part (20 points)
Presentations, discussions.
Students not exempted according to the above criteria will have to take an oral examination and a written test during the January and June examination sessions.
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