This curricular unit aims to lead students to the development of oral and written comprehension and production skills, in English, through the progressive acquisition and application of grammatical, lexical, semantic and pragmatic contents, so that, by the end of the semester, students can be closed to reach B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Intended learning outcomes
The main goal of this curricular unit is the development of students' comprehension and communication skills, as well as the promotion of research and information management skills in view of their progressive autonomy and application of these same skills in different academic and professional contexts.
Skills and competences to be developed by the students
- Listening skills: understanding the English language when used by native speakers from different English-speaking countries and selecting specific information from oral speeches, audio texts or videos.
- Reading skills: understanding the general message of different written texts and selecting specific information from authentic texts written in English and related to the the students' world and experiences.
- Speaking skills: giving presentations in English and interact with the teacher and peers, by expressing themselves in English with a certain degree of flexibility and fluency.
- Writing skills: writing reports and other texts related to the world in which students operate.
Programme
Themes:
1. Linguistic and cultural awareness 1.1 Cross-cultural communication 1.2 Cultural differences 1.3 Avoiding stereotypes 1.4 Benefits and challenges of working abroad
2. Communication in professional environments 2.1 Jobs, departments and activities: accountancy, etc. 2.2 E-commerce 2.3 Meetings, phone conversations and emails 2.4 Formal and informal documents (letter, reports, etc.)
3. The social media 3.1 Types of social media 3.2 Pros and cons of social media for building brands. 3.3 Advertising: jobs and strategies 3.4 The role of creativity
4. International trade fairs and marketing 4.1 The relevance of marketing 4.2 Marketing strategies 4.3 The 4 Ps of marketing 4.4 Reasons to attend trade fairs and exhibitions
Grammar and vocabulary:
- Verb tenses - Modal verbs: must /mustn't; should/shouldn't... - Adjectives - Relative pronouns - False friends - Nationalities - Greetings and introductions - Giving opinions, agreeing, disagreeing - Inform, promote, recommend and persuade - Themes and English terminology related to companies: Company Management, Marketing, Sales, Finance, International Context, Networking, Customer Service, Human Resources, among other. - Other contents that arise from questions posed by students or during the analysis of current documents
Demonstration of the syllabus coherence with the curricular unit's learning objectives
The syllabus is consistent with the goals of the course as it enhances the development of oral and written English comprehension and production skills, in accordance with the principles defined by the Council of Europe through the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment, for the development of language programmes and curriculum guidelines. Moreover, the syllabus promotes the development of research and information management skills, essential components in the teaching-learning process nowadays.
Main literature
Martyn Hobbs and Julia Starr Keddle;Commerce 2 - Get set for work, Oxford University Press, 2011
Martyn Hobbs and Julia Starr Keddle;Commerce 1 - Start meaning business, Oxford University Press, 2006
Supplementary Bibliography
Richard Clark and David Baker;Finance 1 - For careers in finance, banking, accounting, tax and insurance, Oxford University Press, 2011
Bill Muscall;Business Vocabulary in Use: Advanced, Cambridge University Press, 2017
Learning Methods
Different themes are presented and explored within the overall design of the course. The activities chosen focus on oral and written communication. In the classroom context, a subject is brought to students¿ attention every week and students are called to intervene, in guided or free exercises, in this last case with greater space for students' creativity and autonomy. Group work and research are included in the programme. Students' external individual work should include research to be done on the topic of the following week, as well as intensive practice of the topics covered in previous weeks.
Assessment Components
Avaliação distribuída com exame final
Assessment Components
Description
Type
Time (hours)
Conclusion Date
Attendance (estimated)
Lessons
45
Assessment
Teste/Exame
3
Group work
Projectos
19
Other
Participação Presencial
12
Individual study
Study
81
Total:
160
Continuous Assessment
Individual written tests: 2 (35% + 35%).
Individual oral presentation: 1 (30%).
Students enrolled in Continuous Assessment should prepare and give a 5-minute presentation on a topic of their choice related to the course programme. Students should use the PowerPoint or a similar programme for class presentation.
The presentation grades will be awarded according to the following criteria: - submission of the project plan by the e-Learning platform / Turnitin (5%): originality and relevance of the selected topic; - English language proficiency level, fluency, and interactive communication demonstrated during the presentation and defence of the project (20%); - submission of the final report by the e-Learning platform / Turnitin (5%): ability to summarise the main arguments of the presentation, emphasising the strengths and weaknesses of the presentation, and putting forward improvement suggestions, if applicable.
Failure to present the work excludes the student from the continuous assessment scheme and, in turn, implies his / her transition to the final assessment scheme.
According to the Assessment Rules:
a) The effective attendance of students in class will be recorded and, if the number of absences per student exceeds 30% of the total number of contact sessions for each curricular unit, he/she will be automatically transferred to the final evaluation of the regular season.
b) In the written tests and other evaluation elements requested, a minimum grade of 7.5 (seven point five) values is required.
c) In case students miss or obtain less than 7.5 in the written tests or the written projects, they will be automatically transferred to Final Assessment of the regular season.
d) In case students miss or obtain less than 7.5 in the second written test, they may only be subject to the Appeal season for tests.
e) All the written assessments included in the evaluation (reports, case studies, etc.) must be submitted through the Turnitin data base, available at the e-Learning Platform. It would be accepted a similarity rate of less than 30%.
Final Exam
Written exam: 100%
Demonstration of the coherence between the teaching methodologies and the learning outcomes
The proposed teaching methodologies articulate directly with the learning objectives, since the various activities facilitate the acquisition and development of language skills, namely in terms of oral and written comprehension and communication. Moreover, group projects also foster the development of research, information management, collaboration, negotiation and problem solving skills.