UCL - Listening comprehension and specialised (business) English oral exercises

[ANGL2710]

[60h] 6 credits

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

Teacher(s): Sabrina Knorr

Language: English

Level: Second

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

Aims

Oral and listening skills in a specialised context (business).

Main themes

In the language laboratory, the students work on a video method (9 episodes) dealing with a merger, which leads to a number of themes such as the relationships within a company, meetings, negotiations, cultural differences, etc.
Students also work on another set of video documents, each of which deals with a specific theme related to the business world, such as globalisation, leadership, etc.
Moreover, a number of themes such as the different functions within a company, the setting up of a company, banking, import/export, advertising, the environment (and sustainable development), etc. are dealt with in the classroom (not in the laboratory).

Content and teaching methods

On the one hand the student gradually improves his/her listening comprehension skills with the video and audio cassette work carried out in the language lab thanks to the quantity (one hour a week) and the quality (variety: 3 sources of material presenting monologues, dialogues, formal and familiar registers, different accents and contexts etc) of the material.
On the other hand, the course aims to improve oral production skills with various oral exercises: very much pronunciation work (sounds, accentuation, intonation), lexical extension (vocabulary, specialised expressions, idiomatic expressions) and a bit of revision of grammar structures which aren't mastered. Detailed and repetitive correction by the teacher guarantees the integration. This course not being a communication course, great emphasis is put on accuracy.

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

Prerequisites:
B1 to B2 level of the Common European Framework for Languages.

Assessment:
1) During the year students are tested on several parts accounting for half of their final mark:
- phonetic symbols,
- general English pronunciation (Répétiteur),
- business English pronunciation (course material),
- test on the most common grammar and vocabulary mistakes (Répétiteur).
2) At the end of the year the exam -which is written and accounts for 50%- of the final mark includes:
- Listening comprehension (mainly),
- Vocabulary,
- Grammar (little).

Course material:
The course material for the student includes a set of course notes (listening comprehension and pronunciation material), a book (listening comprehension, texts, vocabulary, grammar), the ILV Répétiteur files on pronunciation and on the most common grammar and vocabulary mistakes, and the ILV Multitest exercises containing business vocabulary.
The teacher also uses two video series as well as two business listening comprehension audio tapes.
The students do not have the video and audio tapes. They are watched and listened to in class, and the student has permanent access to this material in the ILV Self-tuition centre (CAA).

Training staff:
The teacher is available during her reception hours and can be contacted by e-mail.