Ab Initio

University of Surrey; Reading; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job description

This module builds on the language skills acquired in semester 1 across all four skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing), and enables students to attain a level of advanced competency roughly equivalent to B2 on the CEFR. A course book is used in class, and additional activities focus on developing language skills for the professional world, e.g. writing a CV and cover letter, and practising interviews.

Module Aims

• Help students develop linguistic skills across the four skills to enable them to participate and communicate effectively in a range of contexts, with a particular focus on the professional world.
• Enable students to acquire explicit knowledge of linguistic structures, grammar, and stylistic registers.
• Encourage student participation and learner autonomy.
• Develop ability to use linguists' tools, such as dictionaries and IT resources.
• Develop research skills through reading and presenting findings.
• Enable students to engage in analytical and evaluative thinking.
• Develop communication skills through interactions in class.

Learning and Teaching Methods

• Teaching will be delivered in a combination of lectures, seminars, and workshops.
• Opportunities for class discussion, group work, and peer evaluation.
• Further guidance for independent study will be provided by the class tutor.
• Opportunities for formative feedback on practice presentations and from written and spoken tasks set as homework.

Assessment

• A written assignment, to be handed in as coursework during the semester (30%).
• An oral assignment, to be completed in class time during the semester (30%).
• A final exam of two hours, usually consisting of two of the tasks practised during the semester (40%).

Skills Acquired

• Communicate effectively, in speaking and writing, and with a relatively good degree of fluency and accuracy in a range of professional settings.
• Recognise distinguishing features of spoken and written professional genres.
• Recognise and use appropriate nonverbal techniques in professional communication.
• Use grammatical and pragmatic conventions of language required for communication in professional contexts.
• Understand spoken and written forms of the language on professional topics.
• Demonstrate a good degree of grammatical accuracy in their use of more advanced grammar.