English C1.2 - 2nd semester

Objectives

The student should be able to :
a) perform at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference
b) have an increased intercultural awareness and a more developed knowledge of the culture/language relationship
c) write clear, coherent and well-structured texts in an appropriate style with few grammatical or lexical errors, showing a reasonably good commmand of a broad range of language
d) understand extended, complex, contemporary written texts such as opinion articles on social and cultural matters
e) express him/herself fluently and spontaneously, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, and contribute without major difficulty to any discussion with few restrictions
f) understand extended spoken discourse, both live and recorded, with few difficulties
g) know how to analyze and control the grammatical system of English
h) be responsible for his/her own learning, knowing how to develop the competences that lead to autonomy.

General characterization

Code

711121064

Credits

6

Responsible teacher

Bernard Adrian L´Estrange, Raquel Silva, Richard Sidaway, Zoe Taylor

Hours

Weekly - 4

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

English

Prerequisites

Pass at Inglês C1.1

Bibliography

Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (2006) Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Crowther, J. (2005) The Oxford Guide to British and American Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Foley, M. & Hill, D. (2003) Advanced Learner´s Grammar. Harlow: Longman.
McCarthy, M., & O´Dell, F. (2002) English Vocabulary in Use. Advanced. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Learning Resources Portfolio. A portfolio of learning resources provided by the teacher
Vince, M. & French, A. (2011) IELTS Language Practice: English Grammar and Vocabulary. Oxford: Macmillan

Teaching method

Communicative and dialogic method with a task-based, intercultural approach, all of which seek to stimulate interaction and promote increasingly autonomous learning, revolving around a series of topics. Discussion is a key element often preceded by reading or listening input and/or analysis and followed up by written work/further research by students. Skills-based tasks require both linguistic and extra-linguistic competences. Inductive approach for extending grammatical and lexical knowledge.
Frequent use of the internet and audio-visual means.

Evaluation method

Assessment is continuous and formative consisting of:
3 written texts of different types – 60%
1 spoken task – 20%
General coursework mark: active participation (including attendance), speaking skills and evidence of autonomous learning development – 20%



Subject matter

The course revolves around topics of a social, cultural and historical nature, but with flexibility built in to cater to different student needs/interests. The main topics covered are relevant to the type of student, their course and the learning outcomes and include a focus on the media (especially online and TV news for decoding local and cultural references). The topics lead into analysis and development of the following specific skills:
Writing – summaries; narrative/descriptive texts; discursive texts
Speaking – pronunciation; conversational strategies; discussion skills
Intercultural competence - identification, decoding & discussion of cultural references
Lexis – noun formation; multi-word verbs; collocation; word families
Grammar – verb phrase review; punctuation; prepositions; cohesion and discourse markers
Editing/revising - identifying and correcting linguistic errors.