Foreign language I (English)
Code: 103574 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | FB | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Maria Merce Coll Alfonso
- Email:
- merce.coll@uab.cat
Teachers
- (External) TBD
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
Students should have a B1 level (intermediate) of English according to the European Common Framework. This level is reached at the end of secondary compulsory education, and will be the starting point in this class.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course focuses on the oral comprehension of the English language. Through several Ted Talks, the students will work on different grammar and vocabulary points (i.e. comparative and superlative, the simple present, etc.). Writing skills, reading comprehension and pronunciation will be worked in class too.
Competences
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
Learning Outcomes
- Ability to maintain an appropriate conversation.
- Carrying out oral presentations using an appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
- Communicating in oral and written form in the studied language, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
- Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
- Interpreting the meaning of unknown words thanks to its context.
- Making predictions and inferences about the content of a text.
- Producing a written text that is grammatically and lexically correct.
- Producing an oral text that is grammatically and lexically correct.
Content
Unit 1: Why do we sleep?
Grammar: The perfect aspect.
Vocabulary: Collocations to talk about sleeping habits.
Unit 2: Image, Identity and Clothing.
Grammar: Structures to talk about amounts and comparisons.
Vocabulary: Vocabulary to talk about image, identity and clothing.
Unit 3: Dealing with groupthink.
Grammar: Cleft sentences.
Vocabulary: Dealing with groupthink.
Unit 4: Challenges.
Grammar: Structures to talk about approximations.
Vocabulary: Obstacles and opportunities.
Unit 5: Inspiration.
Grammar: Unreal past.
Vocabulary: Softening negative statements.
Unit 6: Solutions.
Grammar: Structures to express purpose.
Vocabulary: Solutions collocations.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| In-class activities | 50 | 2 | |
| Supervised activities | 25 | 1 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Independent activities | 50 | 2 |
In class activities:
In class, students will analyze and practice different kinds of oral and written texts, and will work on learning strategies to imrpove oral and reading comprehension/expression.
Supervised activities:
The teacher will supervise some oral and reading activities. Time will also be devoted to the discussion of various linguistic aspects (grammar, lexicon and pronunciation), and also to improve the students’ writing skills.
Independent tasks:
Students will work on assignments and exercises on their own.
Students will have to hand in a portfolio (self-corrected), which will contain all their self-study work.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examen final | 35% | 8 | 0.32 | 7, 4 |
| Homework and in class exerecises | 15% | 4 | 0.16 | 7, 3, 4, 5, 1, 6, 2 |
| Midterm exam | 35% | 8 | 0.32 | 7, 4, 5, 6 |
| Oral presentation | 15% | 5 | 0.2 | 8, 3, 4, 1, 2 |
- The following assessed activities are compulsory: exams, and oral presentation
- Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.
- In order to obtain an average between written exams and continuous assessment, students must get a 3,5 (minimum) in each of their written exams.
- This subject does not incorporate single assessment.
Procedure for Reviewing Grades Awarded
On carrying out each assessment 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
- Only those students who have a mean grade of at least 3.5 are entitled to opt for reassessment.
- The reassessment will be a final exam including the material of the whole semester.
- The maximum grade that can be obtained through reassessment is a 5.
Evaluation Activities Excluded from Reassessment
- Homework and in-class exercises
- Oral Presentation
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.
This subject allows the use of AI technologies exclusively for support tasks such as bibliographic or content-based searches, and text correction for the preparation of the oral presentation.
The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity.
Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Bibliography
Text-book:
Lansford, Lewis, Dummett, Paul, and Helen Stephenson. (2017). Keynote Advanced. National Geographic Learning.
Other:
Swan, Michael. Practical English usage. Oxford, OUP.
Dictionaries:
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary
Collins Dictionary Spanish-English / English-Spanish
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (with CD-ROM)
Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners of English (with CD-ROM)
Oxford Dictionary of Spanish-English / English-Spanish
Cambridge Dictionaries Online www.dictionary.cambridge.org
Linguee Online Dictionary Linguee | Diccionario español-inglés, entre otros idiomas
Other:
- To improve written skills:
Fawcett, Susan & Sandberg, Alvin. Evergreen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers: a Brief Handbook.Boston: Houghton Mifflin
White, Ronald & Arndt, Valerie. Process Writing.London: Lognman
- To improve oral expression
Baker, Ann. Ship or Sheep? An intermediate pronunciation course.
Hancock, Marc. English pronunciation in use.
- To improve reading comprehension:
Penguin Readers selection (levels 4 to 5)
Mikulecky, Beatrice & Jeffries, Linda. More Reading Power. London: Longman.
Software
This subject does not requiere use or knowledge of any specific software.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | English | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | English | first semester | morning-mixed |