Learning outcomes of the curricular unit (knowledge, skills and competences to be developed by the students)
To prepare the students for the different skills of the English language ¿ speaking, writing, listening, and reading, thus improving their ability to write and speak in English. These skills will be applied both to traditional media, such as formal letters and proposals or to email, blogs, websites, and social media.
To help students perform their activities, which will help to develop their language skills that will be necessary to be academically and professionally successful.
To provide the students with practice in learning strategies, which will allow them to be successful in business, both in writing and conversation skills.
To develop the student¿s ability in what concerns business correspondence.
To develop the student¿s ability to understand the English language structures and the vocabulary for communicating in the business environment.
To promote fluency in speech, especially in what concerns business language.
Syllabus
Brands; change; organization; advertising; money; cultures; human resources; international markets; ethics; leadership.
Reading and comprehension with the Financial Times.
Business correspondence (Curriculum Vitae; cover letter; invitation; request letter; reply to the request letter; purchase order; delay in the delivery; advice of dispatch; acknowledgment of receipt; complaint letter; adjustment letter; invoice; payment advice; report).
Revision and acquisition of grammar structures and contents.
Book to read: The Infinite Game, by Simon Sinek.
Demonstration of the syllabus coherence with the curricular unit's learning objectives
The contents of this curricular unit aim to provide the students with the skills to deal appropriately with day-to-day and academic situations in which the use of the English language is required. To achieve these results, the students will do reading and listening exercises with generic and technical texts, to promote the acquisition of words and expressions necessary for everyday situations, both in a personal or business context. They will also produce written activities to consolidate their knowledge of grammar structures. This will help to enhance their English language skills as well as to develop their abilities in understanding and managing day-to-day life and professional situations.
Teaching methodologies (including evaluation)
The methods used in this curricular unit will be student-centered and task-based with a progressive development of the difficulty of the exercises applied to encourage the development of active listening and speaking skills, as well as proficient reading and writing activities appropriate for their level. Thus, students will participate in spontaneous individual and group oral activities to encourage fluency. They will also prepare formal oral presentations and debates, where emphasis will be placed on appropriate pronunciation, enunciation, and diction. They will review basic grammatical structures and learn new writing conventions for formal and informal writing, especially in what concerns the elaboration of business correspondence.
During class activities, the students will have the opportunity to read and analyze texts of business content to improve their critical and reading competencies.
Evaluation:
- Performance in class: 10%
- Participation in the project: 25%
- Written Test: 65%
Demonstration of the coherence between the teaching methodologies and the learning outcomes
The production of oral and written exercises and the ability to understand what is said in a foreign language, namely considering a specific context, will be the methodology adequate to the development of the abilities of language acquisition. Writing, reading, understanding, and speaking skills, developed during the course, will help the learners to use properly a language other than their own and be able to solve language situations that they may face in their daily lives. The classes have a strong practical character, given the fact that it is the English language that is used as the teaching language. Also, they will function as the support needed for the development of language skills to be used in a personal or academic environment.
Bibliography (Mandatory resources)
- Jones, Leo & Alexander, Richard (2011) [2003] New International Business English, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Murphy, Raymond (2004) English Grammar in Use 3rd Ed, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Gutjahr, Lothar & Mahoney, Sean (2009) English for Sales and Purchasing, Oxford University Press.
- Vince, Michael & Sunderland, Peter (2003) Advanced Language Practice, Macmillan
Web Resources:
- BBC news online available at ¿www.bbc.co.uk
- Mind Tools: Essential Skills for an Excellent Career available at https://www.mindtools.com
- English online dictionary search tool ¿Lexi-logos¿ available at http://www.lexilogos.com/english/dictionary.htm
- Portuguese-English online dictionary search tool ¿Lexi-logos¿, available at http://www.lexilogos.com/english/portuguese_dictionary.htm
- Tedtalks on Business available at https://www.ted.com/talks?topics%5B%5D=business
