2024/2025

English for Specific Purposes. Biology - 3

Type: Optional course

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 1-3 module

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Anna Viktorovna Zakharova

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course "English for Specific Purposes. Biology-3" is centered on the professional language and competences that are required for successful communication in the field of Biology. The course is aimed at advancing language proficiency to the level that enables students to listen to lectures on specific biology-related issues, participate in classroom discussions, make presentations, write reviews of academic articles and descriptions of complex processes as well as perform adequately in other academic and professional contexts. The course covers a number of topics varying from cell structure to biotechnology. The main English-learning objectives are the development of professional vocabulary, reading, writing and speaking skills. This course is originally designed for students of the B2+ CEFR level (HSE Scale 60-69) aspiring to excel in English for professional purposes. Within the course, students are supposed to complete home assignments and take tests of various formats, which may include but are not limited to lexical-grammar tests, reading tests, listening tests, writing tests, speaking tests.

Learning Objectives

• Improve students’ command of English for professional and academic communication in the area of cell and molecular biology
• Develop language skills consistent with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), B2+ level (HSE Scale 60-69)
• Expand specific vocabulary that helps students express the biology-matter content in English and use what they learn in the classroom right away in their studies
• Facilitate students’ performance in academic and professional contexts by developing listening, reading, writing and speaking skills

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Produce monologues (descriptive/informative/reasoning); write down notes for later reference; communicate spontaneously their opinions and reactions, providing explanations and examples, and invite others to join in; participate in debates (debate on abstract, complex topics)
• Understand academic/ professional presentations which are linguistically complex; use basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details); participate in conversations and discussions on a range of topics
• Understand text structure; understand lectures; following extended speech and complex lines of arguments; give clear and detailed talks on a wide range of topics, expanding ideas with relevant examples, evidence, or arguments; write clear, well-structured texts on a variety of subjects expanding points of view, developing arguments, synthesising and evaluating information (essays, reviews)
• Make presentations; give reasons in support or against a particular point of view, give the advantages and disadvantages of various opinions; participate in conversations and discussions on a range of topics in different contexts with good command of grammar and vocabulary; write clear and detailed lengthy texts summarizing the main ideas and selecting appropriate supporting details
• Understand the main ideas and certain details of relatively complex speech; understand dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics; read a variety of relatively complex texts on familiar and unfamiliar topics; use basic reading techniques, skimming & scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details).

Course Contents

• What is Biology?
• The world of cells
• Molecular biology of the gene
• Inheritance
• Biotechnology

Assessment Elements

• Written Assessment
  Written assessment includes minimum 1 reading test, minimum 1 listening test, minimum 1 vocabulary and grammar test and minimum 1 written work (review). The test tasks can be of different types.
• Oral Assessment
  Oral assessment includes a presentation and a dialogue.
• Independent Work Assessment
  Independent work includes activities that students do at home, activities that students do in the classroom and online work. Teachers choose the number of activities within this type of assessment on their own.
• Final Assessment
  Period of Final Assessment: the final exam is held in class within 10 days before the exam period online on MS Teams platform. The release of examination papers: during the session. The exam consists of 3 parts: Listening (30%), Reading (30%) and Writing (40%) respectively in the total mark for the exam. 0 points in case of cheating. Retaking exams: till the 15th of October 2022. Time limit: 80 minutes online/offline. Tasks complexity: C1. Exam structure: 1. Listening (L) Listen to the text and complete the tasks 1-10. max. 10 points 2. Reading (R) Read the text and complete the tasks 1-10. max. 10 points 3. Writing (W) Write a review/report. review assessment criteria/ report assessment criteria. Grading formula: L*0,3+R*0,3 +W*0,4 = 10.

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 3rd module
  0.3 * Final Assessment + 0.25 * Independent Work Assessment + 0.2 * Oral Assessment + 0.25 * Written Assessment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• A student's introduction to English grammar, Huddleston, R., 2015
• English for Biology Students and Postgraduates: учеб. пособие / Коротких Е.Г. - Новосиб.:Золотой колос, 2015. - 215 с. - Режим доступа: http://znanium.com/catalog/product/614906

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• McCarthy, P., & Hatcher, C. (2002). Presentation Skills : The Essential Guide for Students. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=775760
• Molecular cell biology, , 2016

Authors

• ZAKHAROVA ANNA VIKTOROVNA