Course Overview
Certificate Business English
MWK: Spoken communication for students of business and economics
Attendance:
For credit you need to attend 75% of all meetings. Excuses are irrelevant. The
last required class meeting will take place on place on .
Homework:
For course credit you will need to complete all three important in-class presentations and discussions and all other homework assignments minus one.
Pass/Fail:
Each student will receive either a pass or fail grade based on attendance, homework assignments, individual classroom participation, as well as performance on in-class quizes.
Exams:
Written Certificate exam / UNIcert®
III: Thursday, July 10 from 16:00 to 19:30.
Oral exams: by appointment over two days during the following week.
Office Hour:
Wednesday from 13-14 in AB 125
Skill Sets:
Academic Speaking Skills
- Practice in formal oral presentation.
- Attention to such speaking tasks as roundtable or panel discussions, small-group conversation, role-playing.
- Targeted practice in pronunciation
and sentence intonation.
Listening
In-class listening practice will include examples from the final certificate exam and current business programs. Listening texts include lectures, interviews, panel discussions, business news reports, documentaries and occasionally, excerpts from feature films. Most importantly, students are encouraged to listen to business audio texts as much as possible. Internet sources of business texts (for example, www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice, cato.org and PBS) are recommended. You should listen to business-related programs on a regular basis.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary relevant to the course is extensive. Different classes of vocabulary include:
- Expressions directly related to academic and professional business/economics contexts: revenue, bottom line, leverage, P/E ratio, ramp up"
- Not specifically 'business' expressions, but frequently found in the context of business texts: don't knock it, thwart, soar, tout, bolster, revamp.
- More 'fashionable' terms used in some professional contexts: out of the box, dog and pony show, bounce it off.
For the most part, vocabulary is not a separate part of the course syllabus, but integrated into other course activities. Students are individually responsible for actively developing (especially when reading) their vocabulary. This results from the sheer amount and variation of the possibly needed development in their vocabulary.
Grammar
Although grammar instruction is not an explicit part of the course syllabus,
problems with grammar are dealt with as needed. Examples of problem areas which
are often dealt with include the usage of some transitional words (e.g., although
and despite), definite/indefinite articles, or verbal tense and agreement.
Self-study:
You need to be pro-active in developing your language skills and
expanding your vocabulary. Set aside time in the week for self-study, whether
in the SLZ or at home: from newspapers and journals (such as the Economist and
Wall Street Journal) on TV (CNN, NBC and BBC business programs), radio or on
the Internet. You are expected to read at least one article (outside of class
reading assignments) from a business journal every week. Furthermore, you should
watch or listen to one business program on TV or radio. Be prepared to discuss
in class the articles you've read and the programs you've watched or listened
to.
It's important to keep reviewing vocabulary learned. From time to time we will use the fololowing books:
English for Business Studies
(in the Lehrbuchsammlung: HD 232 M156).
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing, by Morris, Kenneth M.
(in the Lehrbuchsammlung:40/QK 600 M87 ).
The undercover economist, by Tim Harford
(in the Lehrbuchsammlung: 18/QD 110 H278).
Take time to read and study the chapters we haven't covered in class. Those of you who feel the need to practice grammar and idiom should try doing some of the exercises in
The Language of Business Englishby Brieger and Sweeny.
(in the Lehrbuchsammlung: HD 232 B853 L 28).
Rhetorical Skills
In this course we seek to develop rhetorical skills for students of English as a second language in the context of business and economics.
An entry in Wikepedia about rhetoric begins as follows:
"Rhetoric is the art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively. It involves three audience appeals:
logos,
pathos, and
ethos."
Wiktionary gives the following definiton of rhetoric:
rhetoric
1. The art of using language, especially public speaking,
as a means to persuade.
2. Meaningless language with an exaggerated style intended to impress.