Bachelor
2021/2022
Foreign Language (English)
Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Type:
Compulsory course
Area of studies:
International Relations
Delivered by:
Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
When:
1 year, 1-4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Лукашенко Анна Дмитриевна,
Дашичев Александр Денисович,
Лукашенко Анна Дмитриевна,
Elena Andreeva,
Natalya Bagrintseva,
Anna Anatolyevna Bychkova,
Elena Anatolyevna Dolgushina,
Ksenia Galkina,
Anastasia Gavrilina,
Olga Karamalak,
Lubov' Nikolaevna Maslova,
Elena Vasilyevna Nagornaya,
Elena Petrova,
Maria Safonova,
Tatiana Olegovna Samorodova,
Lioubov Sycheva,
Boris Tarev,
Andrei Tulum
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
186
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course has been designed for the students of the Bachelor in International Relations programme and is aimed at developing language and communication skills in English to the C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in multiple contexts such as reading, listening, writing and speaking. At the same time, the course is aimed at promoting autonomous learning and critical thinking. The one-year course is divided into two tracks: General English (GE) and English for Specific Purposes/Business English (ESP/BE). GE track combines language development and intensive IELTS preparation with training in all parts of the IELTS test to achieve a C1+ level. As for the second track, the first term is devoted to addressing issues in Political Studies. Besides learning the related vocabulary, students will familiarize themselves with, systematize or revise the information regarding such concepts as ‘politics vs. policy’, ‘regimes’, ‘government’, ‘conflict and peace’, etc. Concerning the second term, students will tackle economic and business issues. Some of them are of general nature: management, work and motivation, recruitment, etc. The others are specific: securities and stock market, government and taxation, banking, etc. The IELTS preparation manifests itself in developing all four skills: reading, listening, writing and speaking with exercises in the IELTS format designed for these topics by the instructors. With reading and listening, these are the overall comprehension of the text and extracting certain information from it. Speaking is developed through in-class discussions, IELTS 2-minute talks on the topics covered and comments on quotations. Writings builds on speaking skills as students learn to summarize the main ideas of the texts, express their point of view on the issues at hand as well as provide a comprehensible description of a visual (a line graph, a pie chart, etc.).
Learning Objectives
- This course is aimed at developing academic reading, listening, speaking and writing skills.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Speaking: develop topic-specific vocabulary; explore ordering an argument; focus on fluency and coherence; Test practice: Part 3
- Language development: practise forming clauses; using subordinate clauses; expressing opinions with that, review and practise pronoun referencing; learn signposting words
- Language development: practise linking ideas and using both/neither/either, practise forming cleft sentences
- Language development: practise reported speech patterns and using other reporting structures, practise using noun phrases
- Language development: practise using a variety of passive forms
- Language development: practise using sentence fragments and run-on sentences; practise punctuation
- Language development: review and practise future forms and speculating about the future, practise cause and effect linking words
- Language development: revise real and unreal conditionals and practise using other forms for expressing conditionality, practise using modal forms, degrees of certainty and adverbs of attitude
- Language development: revise synonyms and practise using prefixes for paraphrasing and word formation, review tenses
- Listening: learn how to identify distracters in Listening Section 1; practise using positive and negative vocabulary in Listening Section 1;Test practice: Section 1 (Form completion; Multiple choice)
- Listening: learn how to identify specific information required in Listening Section 4; learn how to identify correct answers in Listening Section 4.Test practice: Section 4 (Sentence completion; Short-answer questions)
- Listening: learn how to recognise paraphrasing in Listening Section 2; Test practice: Section 2 (Multiple choice)
- Listening: practise following lines of argument in Listening Section 2; Test practice: Section 2 (Matching; Table completion)
- Listening: practise listening for agreement and disagreement in Listening Section 3; understand factual descriptions in Listening Section 3; Test practice: Section 3 (Matching; Labelling a diagram)
- Listening: practise understanding how location can be expressed; practise labelling a map or plan and form completion in Listening Section 1; Test practice: Section 1 (Label a map; Form completion)
- Listening: practise understanding opinion from adjectives in Listening Section 4; learn how to recognise attitude from tone and intonation in Listening Section 4; Test practice: Section 4 (Multiple choice, Summary completion)
- Listening: practise using questions to predict answers in Listening Section 2; learn how to identify links between ideas in Listening Section 2. Test practice: Section 2 (Table and note completion)
- Reading: learn how to identify functions; Test practice (Matching information; Summary completion)
- Reading: learn how to identify the main idea; Test practice (Matching headings; Multiple-choice questions)
- Reading: learn how to identify the writer’s views/claims; Test practice ( Yes / No / Not given ; Multiple choice: select two answers)
- Reading: learn how to predict content from context by scanning, Test practice: Note and table completion
- Reading: learn how to predict supporting details by using topic sentences; Test practice (True, False, Not given; Short-answer questions)
- Reading: learn how to work out the meaning of unknown words; Test practice (Flow chart completion; Sentence completion)
- Reading: practise linking ideas; paraphrases; Test practice (Matching sentence endings; Summary completion)
- Reading: practise recognising reference words; Test practice (Matching features; Note completion: Labelling a diagram; True/False/Not given)
- Speaking: develop topic-specific vocabulary; focus on real and hypothetical situations and reactions; practise pronunciation: connected speech; focus on grammatical range and accuracy; Test practice: Part 2
- Speaking: develop topic-specific vocabulary; practise speaking more accurately; focus on grammatical range and accuracy; Test practice: Part 1
- Speaking: develop topic-specific vocabulary; practise techniques for adding detail for Speaking Part 2; focus on grammatical range and accuracy; Test practice: Part 2
- Speaking: learn how to use topic-specific vocabulary for Speaking Part 3; develop vocabulary; focus on lexical resource. Test practice: Part 3
- Speaking: learn to develop topic-specific vocabulary; expand your ideas using conjunctions and phrases; focus on pronunciation; Test practice: Part 3
- Speaking: practise Speaking Part 1 sub-skills and pronunciation; learn to use a range of tenses and vocabulary; word stress. Test practice: Part 1
- Speaking: practise Speaking Part 2 sub-skills and develop topic-specific vocabulary; improve fluency and coherence. Test practice: Part 2.
- Vocabulary: develop vocabulary related to community; practise academic collocations and describing emotions
- Vocabulary: expand academic vocabulary; explore differences between written and spoken vocabulary
- Vocabulary: explore the language of invention and innovation; learn how to express quantity; learn vocabulary for agreement and disagreement
- Vocabulary: explore vocabulary from the academic word list; learn new collocations related to learning; practice dictionary skills
- Vocabulary: learn how to use an impersonal style in writing and speaking; study academic verbs and collocations for thoughts and beliefs
- Vocabulary: learn new academic collocations; practise using idiomatic phrases for problems and solutions
- Vocabulary: learn new academic nouns, word families and collocations
- Vocabulary: revise verbs for argument and opinion; learn new collocations for argument
- Writing: learn how to give your opinion and develop your arguments for Writing Task 2; Test practice: Task 2 (Opinion essay)
- Writing: learn how to give your opinion and develop your arguments; plan how to write an opinion essay for Writing Task 2; Test practice: Task 2 (Opinion essay)
- Writing: plan how to write an essay for Writing Task 2, practise developing a paragraph, practice writing about solutions. Test practice: Task 2 (Problem and solution essay)
- Writing: practise structures of mixed type essays
- Writing: practise structures to compare and contrast in Writing Task 2; plan how to write an opinion essay for Writing Task 2. Test practice: Task 2 (Opinion essay)
- Writing: practise understanding causes and effects in Writing Task 2; plan how to write a cause and effect essay for Writing Task 2; Test practice: Task 2 (Cause and effect essay)
Course Contents
- Defining Policy
- The State, Statehood and Sovereignty
- Political Regimes
- Government
- Types of Democracy
- Liberal Democracy
- Transition to Democracy
- Parliamentary Systems
- Presidential Systems
- Bureaucracy
- Conflict vs. Peace
- Armed Conflict
- Management
- Work and Motivation
- Managing Across Cultures
- Recruitment
- Sectors of the Economy
- Marketing
- Business Cycle
- Securities and Stock Market
- Banking
- Government and Taxation
- CSR
- International Trade
- Economics and Ecology
- Lifelong learning
- A world of change
- The feel-good factor
- A consumer society
- Homes of the future
- Law and order
- On the move
- Social networking
Assessment Elements
- GE written assignments
- GE speaking assignments
- ESP written assignments
- BE written assignments
- BE speaking assignments
- ESP Final Test
- ESP Module Test
- BE Module Test
- BE Final TestThere will be 3 tasks. 1. Listening; 2. Reading; 3. Writing (summary and expressing his/her own opinion). The tasks will be provided via plarforms (MS Teams, Zoom) with a pre-set time limit.
- GE Module Test
- BE Oral ExamThe student has to complete two tasks at the oral exam. 1. A comment on a quote. Due to the online format of the exam, the 'selection' of a quote will be done with a random choice of a number by the student (the professor will provide the range within which the student can choose the number) and the professor posting the quote in the chat to the platfrom (MS Teams, Zoom). The student will have a minute to think it over and then he will have a minute to offer his/her interpretation of the quote and his/her arguments to support his/her agreement or disagreement with it. 2. a speaking card on one of the topics covered in the second term. The selection of the card will be done in the same way as with the quote. Then, the student will have a minute to prepare and two-two and a half minutes to address the points on the card. Throughout his/her answer, the student has to have his/her camera on and to share his/her screen.
- GE Final Test
