Bachelor
2024/2025
Practical Course of the English Language: Grammar, Phonetics, Practice of Oral and Written Speech
Type:
Compulsory course (Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication)
Area of studies:
Linguistics
Delivered by:
School of Foreign Languages
Where:
School of Foreign Languages
When:
1 year, 1-4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
17
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The “Practical Course of the English Language” is designed for the first and second-year students of the Undergraduate Programme “Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication” and aims at developing students’ English language communicative competence at B2+/C1 levels according to the Common European Framework of Reference. The course immerses students into the field of professional academic interaction focusing on skills and products relevant for successful university education performance. The course syllabus incorporates a wide range of academic input featuring up-to-date discussion topics and providing students with a variety of activities involving individual, group, and project contact and self-study work, receptive, productive, and integrated skills assignments, as well as SMART LMS training.
Learning Objectives
- enhance target English pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar skills for university studies
- develop effective listening, reading, and note-taking skills to work with different types of academic input
- develop academic communication writing skills: academic emails, event invitations, paragraphs, essays
- develop academic communication speaking skills: self-presentation, personal interview, academic talk, academic discussion
Expected Learning Outcomes
- To be able to adopt various reading strategies (skimming, scanning, identifying gist and differentiating details, inferring meaning from context, comprehending writer’s attitude)
- To present oneself in a way that leaves the desired image in accordance with socially and culturally accepted norms of action and behaviour
- To use a broad range of target vocabulary units, grammatical forms, and phonetic phenomena in communication practice
- To choose the most appropriate listening and note-taking strategies based on the listening purpose
- To make a good impression at a personal academic interview by highlighting desirable traits like your accomplishments, skills, and abilities
- To email your lecturers, tutors, or other university staff members to communicate personal or non-public matters
- To craft the perfect invitation letter to encourage people to participate in the event
- To give an academic talk that communicates opinions effectively relying on relevant arguments and evidence
- To produce clear, well-structured, detailed academic paragraphs on different subjects
- To produce clear, well-structured, detailed academic essays on different subjects
- To conduct group discussions with audience awareness knowing the structure, purposes of an academic discussion, and speakers’ roles
- To deliver effective academic presentations engaging the audience
- To write a critical review of a book or article, identifying, summarizing, and evaluating the ideas and information the author has presented
- To give effective non-academic presentations engaging the audience
- To write a review of a book, movie, opera, or other creative works to express or evaluate how you feel about the work reviewed
- To design and write or shoot news reports with a focus on clarity, factual accuracy, and engaging content, incorporating multimedia elements for reader engagement
- To conduct expert interviews
Course Contents
- Modules 1-2. ‘To have another language is to possess a second soul.’ Charles the Great
- Module 3. 'Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please.’ Karl Marx
- Module 4. ‘Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.’ Stephen Covey
- Module 1. ‘The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Module 2. 'What we think, we become.' Buddha
- Module 3. 'All artforms are in the service of the greatest of all arts: the art of living.’ Karl Marx
- Module 4. 'The things you own end up owning you.' Tyler Durden
Assessment Elements
- Academic ProgressThe control element assesses student’s work that includes, but is not limited to, the following constituent parts: engagement in class activities, completion of home assignments, self-study activities, proactiveness and resourcefulness.
- Language SystemsThe control element assesses grammar, lexis, phonology and discourse in-class quizzes.
- Language SkillsThe control element assesses listening, reading tests; speaking, writing communicative assignments.
- Smart LMS Self-StudyThe control element assesses completion of online tests in Smart LMS.
- Exam Year 1 Module 2The control element assesses target oral and written communication products of the Module(s).
- Exam Year 1 Module 4The control element assesses target oral and written communication products of the Module(s).
- Exam Year 2 Module 1The control element assesses target oral and written communication products of the Module(s).
- Exam Year 2 Module 3The control element assesses target oral and written communication products of the Module(s).
- Exam Year 2 Module 4The control element assesses target oral and written communication products of the Module(s).
Interim Assessment
- 2024/2025 2nd module0.15 * Academic Progress + 0.3 * Exam Year 1 Module 2 + 0.25 * Language Skills + 0.25 * Language Systems + 0.05 * Smart LMS Self-Study
- 2024/2025 4th module0.15 * Academic Progress + 0.3 * Exam Year 1 Module 4 + 0.25 * Language Skills + 0.25 * Language Systems + 0.05 * Smart LMS Self-Study
- 2025/2026 1st module0.15 * Academic Progress + 0.3 * Exam Year 2 Module 1 + 0.25 * Language Skills + 0.25 * Language Systems + 0.05 * Smart LMS Self-Study
- 2025/2026 3rd module0.15 * Academic Progress + 0.3 * Exam Year 2 Module 3 + 0.25 * Language Skills + 0.25 * Language Systems + 0.05 * Smart LMS Self-Study
- 2025/2026 4th module0.15 * Academic Progress + 0.3 * Exam Year 2 Module 4 + 0.25 * Language Skills + 0.25 * Language Systems + 0.05 * Smart LMS Self-Study
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Frankenberg-Garcia, A., Rees, G., Lew, R., Roberts, J., Sharma, N., & Butcher, P. (2019). ColloCaid: A Tool to Help Academic English Writers Find the Words They Need. Research-Publishing.Net.
- Porter, D. (2007). Check Your Vocabulary for Academic English : All You Need to Pass Your Exams: Vol. 3rd ed. A&C Black Business Information and Development.
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Academic project presentations. Student's workbook: Презентация научных проектов на английском языке : Учеб. пособие для вузов, Кузьменкова, Ю.Б., 2009