UCL - English advanced productive skills II (contrastive analysis and translation)

[GERM1521]

[15h + 15h] 3.5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st & 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Sylviane Granger

Language: English

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

To acquire advanced+ skills in speaking and writing (B2+ level - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Focus on the stylistic and pragmatic features of English.

The student will:
- have a good command of a broad lexical repertoire allowing gaps to be readily overcome with circumlocutions
- demonstrate little obvious searching for expressions or avoidance strategies
- have a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms
- make no significant vocabulary errors
- consistently maintain a high degree of grammatical accuracy; errors are rare
- be able to vary intonation and place sentence stress correctly in order to express finer shades of meaning
- use consistent and accurate layout, paragraphing, spelling and punctuation
- produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

Main themes

Building an advanced+ command of English through oral and written productions. The focus on argument, effective social discourse and on language awareness which appears at B2 (Vantage) is reinforced. The formal aspects of the language will be used and tested productively both orally and in writing. Special attention will be devoted to intercultural communication and translation enabling students to discern the differences, mainly in lexis and grammar, between English and French and which can pose problems.

Content and teaching methods

Contents
The subject areas covered will be varied and complex, including abstract, specialized and sometimes unfamiliar topics.

Method
Lectures: focus, mainly through written exercises, on vocabulary expansion, stylistic and grammatical accuracy and translation skills.

Exercise sessions: focus on correct oral production (vocabulary, grammar, fluency, pronunciation, etc).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Assessment
At the end of the academic year, there will be
- an oral exam to assess oral skills
- a written exam to assess writing skills.
Further information about the course, including a reading list, can be found on iCampus.