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First Foreign Language III (English)

Code: 103707 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2502904 Hotel Management OB 3

Contact

Name:
Roger Nicholson
Email:
roger.nicholson@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisits.


Objectives and Contextualisation

Knowledge-related objectives

Students acquire linguistic knowledge and develop written and oral communication skills, so that at the end of this second year they are able to:

1. Express themselves effectively, both orally and in writing, on issues of general interest and their specialization

2. Understand native speakers when they address them directly and be able to hold a conversation on issues of mutual interest.

3. Understand a conversation between native speakers and its most important points.

4. Understand written texts on various subjects and especially on issues related to the hospitality sector.

5. Know the components of a text (paragraphs, punctuation, deixis, connectors and anaphoric, cataphoric and exophoric reference).

6. Summarize texts, understanding the most significant points.

7. Understand and use different types of linguistic register.

8. Take the official level test at UAB Idiomes and be accredited with a level of B2 (this is compulsory to pass the course).

Skills-related objectives

By the end of the four-year programme, students must be able to:

  1. Develop a degree of accuracy (grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary use, registration, etc.) and fluency (speed in production, ability to express ideas and develop discourse), both written and oral expression, equivalent to level C1.1 level UAB Idiomes.
  2. Develop strategies and skills to understand authentic written and oral texts.
  3. Develop strategies to continue learning outside the classroom.
  4. Develop the ability to function efficiently and confidently in both everyday and tourism related situations  
  5. Use reference materials necessary for learning languages: dictionaries, textbooks or exercises, etc.
  6.  Function orally in any situation related to the hospitality sector using appropriate language and a suitable register.
  7. Be able to apply forajob related to the hotel and catering sector in English (write CVs, cover letters and emails, fill in application forms, and communicate effectively during the interview in English).
  8. Know whether to take further language courses in order to maintain or improve their current level.
  9. Develop strategies and skills to be able to explain food and catering services to overseas diners both orally and in writing.

 


Competences

  • Be able to self-evaluate knowledge acquired.
  • Communicate orally and in writing in a first, second and third foreign language in the areas of the hotel and catering industry and also in the different areas related to them.
  • Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  • Manage and organise time.
  • Manage communication techniques at all levels.
  • Manage techniques of internal and corporate communication in hotel and catering companies.
  • Work in teams.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Be able to self-evaluate knowledge acquired.
  2. Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  3. Identify the correct vocabulary and grammatical form to apply in the tourist sector in a first, second and third foreign language.
  4. Manage and organise time.
  5. Manage communication techniques at all levels.
  6. Produce discourses appropriate for different functions, means, activities and situations in the area of work.
  7. Use idiomatic peculiarities required in the tourist sector at intermediate and advanced level in a first, second and third foreign language.
  8. Use internet resources for tourism in a first, second and third foreign language.
  9. Work in teams.

Content

General contents

The communicative activities listed below are general linguistic functions and language specific to hotel management.

1. Express oneself effectively, both orally and in writing on topics of general interest and the hospitalty industry.

2. Use and understand the specialised vocabulary of reception, reservations, payment and check in and check out (revision and extension of the second year).

3. Write texts (letters, emails and fax) related to hospitality (confirmations, invitations, responses to complaints, etc.).

4. Write a paper on a controversial issue related to hospitality and or tourism and generate a debate in class (evaluable activity).

5. Update perfect covering letters and emails in English in order to apply for a real job or work placement in an overseas hotel.

6. Write without committing serious mistakes of text organisation, spelling and punctuation.

7. Make the necessary changes to the typical model letters and internal documents in hotel companies (templates).

8. Learn about and discuss issues related to the labor market (specialised vocabulary of personnel management)

9. Describe training internships and practical training, using appropriate language.

10. Conduct a job interview by telephone or videoconference.

 Grammatical contents

  • Revision and extension of tenses (past, present and future indicative and progressive aspects).
  • Modal verbs to express opinions and hypothesizing on and after events.
  • Verbs + infinitive without 'to' or gerund.
  • Revision and extension of modal verbs (perfect infinitive: should have, must have, might have, etc.).
  • The use of definite and indefinite articles (advanced aspects)
  • The passive form (advanced aspects). When and why it is used.
  •  Indirect speech (reported speech, thought and questions).

Lexical content

  • Advanced hospitality lexis (company policies, accommodation, facilities, equipment and furniture, hotel departments and their organizational structure, etc.).
  • Phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs most frequently (those related to the daily operation of a hotel: check in, bring up, etc.).
  • Advanced connectors: because of, owing to, moreover, besides, etc.
  • Compound nouns and adjectives.
  • The verb 'to get' and its multiple uses.
  • Tourism vocabulary.
  • Specialized vocabulary for work and personnel management.
  • Gender inclusive lexis in written communication (salutations).
  • Business and entrepreneurship.
  • Housekeeping vocabulary.

 


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classes 60 2.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 2.5 0.1 1
Type: Autonomous      
Portfolio and projects 81 3.24 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Teaching language: English

A modified version of the communicative approach is used: small groups performing communicative tasks, with a balance between learning grammatical structures and linguistic functions while paying equal attention to the four language skills but without forgetting the peculiarities of a language course designed for hotel management students.

Classroom activities include debates, reading articles on the hospitality sector and of general interest, grammar exercises and vocabulary, listening comprehension exercises, reading concordance sheets (data-driven learning), writing assignments, cooperative learning, work in closed pairs, discovery learning and role playing. Prior to each class, participants should consult the Virtual Campus ("Notícies" followed by "Links" o "Materials")  for reading material about the hospitality sector or general issues with a view to contributing to debate in class.

 

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.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
First semester test 20% 2.5 0.1 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Portfolio 20% 0 0 1, 2, 4, 5, 9
Projects 20% 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Second semester test 40% 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Continuous assessment

1. Project. It is prepared during the course under the supervision of teachers and presented to the class.

2. Portfolio. It assesses the four language skills. Activities may be done at home or in class.

Examples of such activities are listed below:

Written assignments

Short reading activities

Short tests

Self-assessment forms

Finding information

Document production

The days scheduled by the school for mid-term exams may be used to carry out dossier work; for example short reading or listening tests.

3. First semester test. A mid-term exam is held during the periods scheduled by the school for exams, one of which will be a written test (two tasks) while the other one will be a listening test. The format should be similar to the final exam.

4. Second semester test

A minimum class attendance of 80% is required to be able to participate in continuous assessment.

Official level test at UAB Idiomes

All course participants must sit the UAB Idiomes multilevel test and attain a B2 level (compulsory to pass the subject). In addition, the test is the final exam for those who do not pass continuous assessment. A B2 level must be attained to be able to pass the course with a 5.0 Pass.

Single-assessment option  

 

The single assessment option to pass the course is based on the successful completion of the aforementioned Multilevel Exam at level B2. This exam is held on the same day as the final exam.

 

 

Reassessment for the single-assessment option

 

When students are evaluated by means of single assessment, the examination will be the same as that of the rest of the students: that is, in order to be eligible for the reassessment exam, it is necessary to obtain at least a final mark of 3.5 in the single assessment in accordance with that Multilevel test/SIGMA equivalence tables at Servei de Llengües de la UAB.

 

Changing the exam date

Students who cannot take the exam on the set dates due to health, work (trips or other similar obligations) or on compassionate grounds may ask their teacher for a change of date, supplying any necessary documents, and giving notice of at least seven calendar days except in extreme cases such as accidents. If the request is accepted, the exams must still be taken within the period set by the School of Tourism and Hotel Management.

The Grade Not Evaluable

The grade for the subject will be NOT EVALUABLE when the student attends less than half of the assessment activities and/or does not attend the final exam.

 

 


Bibliography

Books:

Redston, Chris. i Cunningham, Gillie. (2011) Face2face (Advanced Student’s Book New Edition), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Stott, Trish. i Pohl, Alison. (2010) HighlyRecommended 2 (Student’s Book), Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Harding, Keith. i Henderson, Paul. (1992) High Season (English for the Hotel and Tourist Industry), Oxford: Oxford University Press.

McCarthy, Michael. i O’Dell, Felicity. (2002) English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 

Websites:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

www.thefreedictionary.com

www.caterer.com

http://diccionario.reverso.net/

http://www.webcorp.org.uk 

www.breakingnewsenglish.com

 


Software

There isn't any.


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TE) Theory 1 English annual morning-mixed