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2022/2023

Use of English II

Code: 100233 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500245 English Studies OB 2 2
2501902 English and Catalan Studies OB 2 2
2501907 English and Classics Studies OB 2 2
2501910 English and Spanish Studies OB 2 2
2501913 English and French Studies OB 2 2

Contact

Name:
Arnau Roig Mora
Email:
arnau.roig@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Nicholas John Edwards
Andrea Huerta Bon
Laura Jane Styles

Prerequisites

Students enrolling in this subject are expected to have passed the subject 103409 - Basic Use of English Language

The entry level for the subject is the C2.1 level (proficiency) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. At the C2 level, the student can (i) understand with no effort prctically everything they hear or read; they can summarize information from various sources, oral or written, reconstruct facts an arguments, present them in a coherent way; they can express themselves fluently and precisely, distinguishing nuances and ubtle meanings even in the most complex situations.

Objectives and Contextualisation

“Use of English 2" is part of the overall cours "Use of English", together with "Use of English 1", "Use of English: Advanced Written Expression" and "Use of English: Advanced Oral Expression".

Objectives:

  • To strengthen and build the students’ instrumental and academic oral and written use of the English language to a C2.1 level in order to later be able to succeed in attaining the core knowledge which constitutes the curriculum of the “Use of the Language” module.
  • To strengthen one's  pronunciation and intonation taking formal and academic register into account.
  • To fully understand real English texts, specialised and non-specialised. 
  • To speak and argue fluently and naturally about a non-specialised topic without making basic grammatical mistakes, with accurate pronunciation, and with a relatively wide range of vocabulary.
  • To understand audiovisual materials of a variety of specialised and non-specialised topics, and of a variety of English accents.
  • To write a wide range of formal text types observing the structural and stylistic conventions of the genre and using a variety of relatively sophisticated vocabulary and structures. 

 

Competences

    English Studies
  • Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
  • Executing in oral and written form a flexible and effective use of the English language with academic, professional and social purposes.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Utilising new technologies in order to capture and organise information in English and other languages, and applying it to the personal continued training and to the problem-solving in the professional or research activity.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
  • Executing in oral and written form a flexible and effective use of the English language with academic, professional and social purposes.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
    English and Classics Studies
  • Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
  • Executing in oral and written form a flexible and effective use of the English language with academic, professional and social purposes.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
    English and Spanish Studies
  • Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
  • Executing in oral and written form a flexible and effective use of the English language with academic, professional and social purposes.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
    English and French Studies
  • Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
  • Executing in oral and written form a flexible and effective use of the English language with academic, professional and social purposes.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Carry out oral presentations in English about a variety of topics of public interest.
  2. Carrying out oral presentations in English about a variety of topics of public interest.
  3. Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
  4. Demonstrate they comprehend and distinguish a wide variety of non-colloquial auditory material in standard British and American English.
  5. Demonstrate they know English specialised and non-specialised texts of high difficulty level.
  6. Demonstrating they know English specialised and non-specialised texts of high difficulty level, and interpreting them in a critical manner.
  7. Draw up brief argumentative essays in English about non-specialised topics of average difficulty.
  8. Drawing up brief argumentative essays in English about non-specialised topics of average difficulty.
  9. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  10. Issue appropriate critical assessments based on the comprehension of relevant information about social, scientific or ethical issues related to linguistics.
  11. Issuing appropriate critical assessments based on the comprehension of relevant information about social, scientific or ethical issues related to linguistics.
  12. Locating and organising relevant information in English that is available on the Internet, in databases, etc.
  13. Show comprehension of a wide variety of non-colloquial auditory material in standard British and American English.
  14. Summarising in written form the main content of an oral discourse about specialised and non-specialised topics of high level difficulty.
  15. Summarize in written form the main content of an english oral discourse about non-specialised topics of average level difficulty.
  16. Use the English language with the appropriate expression (correctness, fluency, pronunciation, communicative strategies) in formal (presentations, debates, formal interactions) and informal contexts (conversation) with a C2 level.
  17. Using the English language with the appropriate expression (correctness, fluency, pronunciation, communicative strategies) in formal (presentations, debates, formal interactions) and informal contexts (conversation) with a C2 level.
  18. Using the English language with the appropriate expression (correctness, fluency, pronunciation, communicative strategies) in formal (presentations, debates, formal interactions) and informal contexts (conversation), with a C2 level.

Content

Grammar and vocabulary:

  • Advanced grammatical structures in English.
  • Error correction exercises.
  • Vocabulary exercises based on texts and audio-visual materials.
  • Exercises on English collocations and idioms.

Listening comprehension:

  •  Comprehension activities of authentic audiovisual materials.
  • Note-taking and summary-writing of the core points of a recorded discourse or oral presentation. 

Oral production:

  • In-class oral practice activities.
  • Oral practice sessions.

Methodology

The teaching methodology used is based on:

  • Teacher-led activities (30%, 1.8 cr)
  • Supervised activities (15%, 0.9 cr)
  • Self-study and student-led activities (50%, 3 cr)
  • Assessment tasks (5%, 0.3 cr)

Teacher-led activities (Theoretical and practical classes)

  • Lectures using ICTs.
  • Class debates and discussions.
  • Practical activities in groups or pairs.
  • In-class receptive and productive skills practice.

Supervised activities  (tutorials)

  • Oral practice sessions in groups.

Self-study and student-led activities

  • Language practice with the course books and other reference books.
  • Writing argumentative essays, opinion articles, letters, reports and reviews.
  • Completing a course portfolio.
  • Practice with ICTs and Moodle.

 Assessment tasks

  • In-class précis (i.e. written summaries based on audio-video input) and a final achievement exam (written and oral)

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
In-class oral practice 15 0.6 2, 1, 9, 3, 18, 17, 16
Theory and practice classes 30 1.2 4, 13, 6, 5, 2, 1, 10, 11, 9, 3, 8, 7, 15, 14, 18, 17, 16
Type: Supervised      
Tutorial sessions 22 0.88 13, 6, 5, 9, 3, 12, 7, 18, 17, 16
Type: Autonomous      
Reading and Studying 76.5 3.06 6, 5, 10, 11, 12, 8

Assessment

  • Continuous assessment (20%)
  • Final oral exam (30%) 
  • Final written exam (50%)  

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IMPORTANT:

      1. To pass the course, students need to pass 60% of the content of the final written and oral exam, and the average of the course must be 60% or more. Students will only gain access to the written exam if they have passed the final oral exam.

      2. To pass the final exam (written and oral), students need an average of 60%.

      3. In order to obtain an average of the final exam, students need to obtain a minimum of 55% in each of the 3 parts of the final exam. Otherwise, they will have to reassess one part in which they have obtained less than 55%.

      4. Only if/when students pass the final written exam and the oral exam with a 60% will continuous assessment marks and other evaluation activities be taken into account. 

Procedure for Reviewing Grades Awarded
 
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place. 

Reassessment

(i) To qualify for re-assessment, students need to have completed all the continuous assessment tasks and the two final exams -written and oral, except for duly justified absences.

(ii) Students will only qualify for re-assessment if the mark in their final written and oral exam average reaches a 35%. If they reach less than a 35%, students won’t be eligible for reassessment.

If a student sits reassessment exams, they will get a maximum of 5 on SIGMA as a final grade.

No avaluable

Only available for those who have submitted less than a 30% of the course tasks/exams.

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VERY IMPORTANT:  In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Continuous assessment 20% 1.5 0.06 4, 13, 6, 5, 2, 1, 11, 9, 3, 12, 8, 7, 15, 14, 18, 17
Final oral exam 30% 1 0.04 4, 13, 6, 5, 2, 1, 10, 9, 12, 8, 7, 15, 14, 18, 17
Final written exam 50% 4 0.16 4, 13, 6, 5, 2, 1, 10, 9, 3, 12, 8, 7, 15, 14, 18, 17, 16

Bibliography

Basic Bibliography

  • Malcolm Mann & Steve Taylore-Knowles. Destination C1 & C2. Grammar and Vocabulary. Macmillan. 2007

 Recommended reference books:

  • Michael McCarthy & Felicity O’Dell. English Vocabulary in Use: Advanced (with answers and CD) Third Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2012
  • Work on your Vocabulary. Hundreds of Words to Learn and Remember. Advanced. Collins, 2013.
  • Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary English
  • Michael Swan. (2005). Practical English Usage. Oxford University Press, 2005.

Recommended links:

  • General practice

www. ejerciciodeingles.com

  • Listening comprehension practice

https://www.ted.com/talks

BBC One Minute World News

  • Pronunciation

http://www.howjsay.com/ (American English)

  • Dictionaries

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ (includes pronunciation files, British English)

http://www.ozdic.com/ (collocations)

the British National Corpus: http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/

Software

No specific software will be used.