English – Mastering the Spoken Language

Teacher(s)

Arblaster Paul; Collins Anne-Marie; Dickinson Tyler; Ochsenmeier Erwin; Trincaretto Marie;

Language

English

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

This Unit has several components: oral comprehension, oral expression and phonetics (practical or applied exercises). By following this course students learn to recognise and use syllabic stress, rhythm and intonation; to identify specific words, expressions, and information (numbers, names, etc.) ; and to understand and reformulate the gist of an authentic oral, i.e. spoken text. The Unit also provides students with an opportunity to hone their oral skills over the course of the year, with the goal of attaining the European Reference Framework level B1+ (minimum level required to pass the Unit). A range of specific skills are covered, including: making a presentation; understanding and using the cultural components of the English language (usage, polite forms, register, etc.).

Content

To hone students' oral comprehension (listening skills) in English, this Course Unit provides theoretical approaches and practical and/or applied exercises.
To build students' ability to express themselves orally (speaking skills) and to help students to incorporate socio-linguistic and cultural components of the English language in their repertoire, this Course Unit provides practical exercises and personalised feedback. Students are expected to be able to speak across a range of topics using appropriate vocabulary and grammar studied in other Course Units (specifically, English Grammar and MLE - Maîtrise de la langue écrite).
In maintaining and developing their listening and speaking skills, students are also expected to apply their knowledge of phonetics to the sounds they hear and produce.

Teaching methods

Practical/applied exercises in receptive skills (i.e. listening comprehension or comprehension of simple messages in standard language) requiring students' active participation;
Practical oral exercises: role play, guided conversations, presentations, group work, etc.

Evaluation methods

In order to be awarded the credits associated with this Course Unit, students must take part in all the evaluations for the components that make up the unit: listening skills and speaking skills for Q1 (BMHAN1121a) and Q2 (BMHAN1121b).
The evaluation of this Course Unit comprises two assessments per semester: a written exam testing the listening comprehension component (50% of the mark for the semester) and a separate assessment of speaking skills for the oral expression and phonetics components (50% of the mark for the semester). The evaluations of BMHAN1121a (Q1)  constitute 30% of the mark for the year. The evaluations for BMHAN1121b (Q2) constitute 70% of the mark for the year. The exam for Q1 takes place in the Q1 exam session, with opportunities to resit in the Q2 and summer resit exam sessions. The exam for Q2 takes place in the Q2 exam session, with an opportunity to resit in the summer resit exam session. A mark of 10/20 or more for any component will be carried over to future exam sessions within the same academic year. Students whose average mark in Q1 and Q2 is 10/20 or above need not resit any component for which their mark was less than 10/20. Students whose average mark in either Q1 or Q2 is below 10/20 need only resit those components for which their mark was below 10/20.

Bibliography

Syllabus et/ou divers documents disponibles sur Moodle.
Conseil de la coopération culturelle (2001). Un cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues : apprendre, enseigner, évaluer, Strasbourg, Didier.

Faculty or entity

TIMB