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Regular version of the site
2021/2022

English for Specific Purposes. English for International Studies - 2

Type: Optional course
When: 3, 4 module
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Oxana Demchenkova, Elena Anatolyevna Dolgushina, Lubov' Nikolaevna Maslova, Veronika Repnikova, Tatiana Olegovna Samorodova, Andrei Tulum, Evgenia Vasilyeva, Медведева Екатерина Павловна
Language: English
ECTS credits: 5
Contact hours: 80

Course Syllabus

Abstract

English for International Studies is a course designed for first-year undergraduate students majoring in World Economy and International Relations. The course takes a balanced approach to building students’ confidence and skills required to excel in academic study, as well as to use English in the modern globalised world. It combines (1) upgrading student English language and communication skills to the B2+ level according to CEFR (including reading and listening comprehension, written and oral expression, and communicative interaction) and (2) building a strong foundation in the field of International Studies. Content-based language teaching increases student motivation develops more comprehensive knowledge of the world and supports their general educational needs. The multifaceted holistic approach provides students with the tools to better comprehend, explore, and interpret the current trends in global economic, political, and social development. Contemporary topics and issues stimulate students’ minds, develop their critical thinking skills, and motivate learners to meaningfully engage with language.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • The course aims at introducing students to topical business and international relations issues and building professional language and communication skills ● enriching the academic and subject-specific vocabulary and extending the grammatical range for discussing a variety of topics, such as Business and Finance, International Organisations, Cultural Diversity, Science and Technology, Education, etc. ● equipping students with the reading strategies needed for tackling information-rich texts ● improving students’ writing skills using a scaffolding approach to writing ● increasing exposure to natural fluency and pronunciation using various video resources, such as TED Talks ● developing skills of target listening and extracting information from various types of texts (lectures, interviews, discussions, etc.) ● developing intercultural competence while focusing on the national aspects of cultures, comparing them to their own culture.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • to analyse advantages and disadvantages of a situation; produce a well-structured essay on a wide range of subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices; develop an argument with relevant supporting detail
  • to take part in discussions and give logically structured talks on various professionally oriented issues, providing reasons for their opinions, and expressing themselves fluently and spontaneously without obvious searching for expressions B2+
  • to understand a wide range of texts, including technical discussions in the field of International Relations and Business; identify key information in a linguistically complex text; quickly scan long, complex texts for specific information B2+; understand differences and similarities between points of view B2+
  • to understand the major specialised terms associated with economics, politics and international relations
  • to use language flexibly and effectively for academic and professional purposes
  • to develop skills in writing essays
  • to develop skills of note-taking
  • to develop understanding of specialised complex longer texts*/articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems (CEFR)
  • to give a structured talk (monologue): descriptive/informative/reasoning
  • to participate in discussions on various topics (active listening, questioning, responding to questions, emphasizing)
  • to understand lectures, dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
  • to understand lectures, dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
  • to understand specialised complex longer texts*/articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems (CEFR)
  • to understand text structure
  • to understand text structure
  • to use basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details)
  • to use basic reading techniques, skimming & scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details)
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • 1.1. Technological advances in communication. Social media use in business and politics. Social media and global role models. Journalism and the media.
  • 1.2. Globalisation: causes and effects. Is globalisation a force for good or evil? The impact of globalisation on developed and developing countries. De-globalisation and the latest trends in global development.
  • 1.3. What is a state? Territory, people, and sovereignty. The functions of the state.
  • 1.4. Types of states. Political regimes. Federal and unitary states.
  • 1.5. Parliamentary and presidential systems of government. The separation of powers.
  • 1.6. Elections. Voting systems. Political parties and movements.
  • 2.1. Capital. Corporate finance
  • 2.2. Types of securities
  • 2.3. Stock basics: Introduction
  • 2.4. Investment banks
  • 2.5. Securities regulation
  • 2.6. Stock market
  • 2.7. Company organisation. Board of directors: role, structure, executive vs non-executive directors
  • 2.8. Annual shareholders’ meeting: role, structure, types of voting
  • 2.9. Levels of management in a corporation
  • 2.10. Areas of management: marketing, human resource, operations. Types of managers: administrative, public relations managers, research and development managers
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Final assessment
    Period of FA: 10 days prior to the fourth module’s session. The release of examination papers: during the session. The interim exam lasts 70 minutes. The exam consists of two parts, i.e. Reading and Writing that weigh 40% and 60% respectively in the total mark for the exam. The actual score for Reading is turned into percentages which are tuned into a final mark out of 10 points. Grading scale: 10 =100 - 96%, 9=95 - 91%, 8=90 - 86%, 7 = 85 - 78%, 6 =77 - 71%, 5= 70 - 61%, 4 = 60 - 51%, 3 = 50 - 36%, 2 = 35 - 21%, 1 = 20 - 1 %, 0 = 0%. Time limit: 70 minutes online/offline. Max. 10 points. Comments to the tasks: 1. Reading (R) Read the text. Decide whether the statements (1-10) are True, False or Not Given according to the task. Max. 10 points. Students have no more than 20 minutes to complete the reading part. 2. Writing (W) Write an essay on one of the topics given. Max. 10 points. Students should write a 250-word essay. Students have 50 minutes to complete the writing part. Note! The final written assessment is conducted offline OR using MsTeams. During the exam, it is prohibited to: communicate (using social media, with people in the room), cheat, give the exam variant to others to have it done, listen to the audio file more than twice, pause the audio, use dictionaries, translators or other sources. During the exam, the student is allowed to: use blank sheets of paper for drafts, open the audios in other web-browsers or download the audio to the computer and open it there. A short-term communication failure during the Exam is considered to be a loss of a network connection for up to 5 minutes. A long-term communication failure during the Exam is the loss of a network connection for more than 5 minutes. It is not possible to complete the Exam in case of a long-term communication failure.
  • non-blocking Independent work assessment
    Independent work includes activities (summary and vocabulary practice) that students do at home using the SMART LMS system.
  • non-blocking Oral assessment
    Structured talks and discussions.
  • non-blocking Written assessment
    Written assessment includes Reading Tests, Listening Tests, Vocabulary Tests, Grammar Tests, Advantages and Disadvantages Essays.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2021/2022 4th module
    The final grade is composed of the following parts: 25% Written Assessment (WA) +20% Oral Assessment (OA) + 25% student Independent Work Assessment /online (IWA) + 30% Final Assessment (FA). Written assessment elements can be taken during the course of 10 days after they took place if a student has a medical certificate. The 10-day period starts from the last day of the medical leave. This, however, does not apply to oral assessment and individual work assessment (elements cannot be retaken). The Final Assessment may be taken again during the retake period. The first retake follows the structure of the Final Assessment. The second retake is conducted using unique Testing and Assessment Materials which cover the materials of the whole course. The grade for the second retake corresponds with the grade for the entire course.
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Foundations of comparative politics : democracies of the modern world, Newton, K., 2010
  • New language leader: advanced : coursebook, , 2015
  • New language leader: upper intermediate : coursebook, Cotton, D., 2016
  • Newton, K., & Deth, J. W. van. (2010). Foundations of Comparative Politics : Democracies of the Modern World: Vol. 2nd ed. Cambridge eText.
  • Якушева И. В., Демченкова О. А. - ДЕЛОВОЙ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК. INTRODUCTION INTO PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH 3-е изд., испр. и доп. Учебник и практикум для академического бакалавриата - М.:Издательство Юрайт - 2018 - 148с. - ISBN: 978-5-534-07026-2 - Текст электронный // ЭБС ЮРАЙТ - URL: https://urait.ru/book/delovoy-angliyskiy-yazyk-introduction-into-professional-english-426472

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • English for business studies : a course for business studies and economics students: student's book, MacKenzie, I., 2012
  • Expert IELTS 7.5 : coursebook, Aish, F., 2017
  • Mindset for IELTS : student's book 3: an official Cambridge IELTS course, , 2018
  • Upstream. Advanced C1 : Student's book, Evans, V., 2010