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English in External Relations I

Course developer

Course abstract

The study course is aimed at the acquisition of knowledge and skills in the foreign language studies with the purpose of extending students’ professional qualification and improving communication skills with foreign students, specialists and in the academic environment. The course envisages the mastering of the English language skills in various forms and levels focusing on the terminology of social sciences, ecology, environmental science and environment protection.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge of terminology of the industry. Students know terms from the field of:
- university education, business organisations, companies (Test No 1);
- labour market, job advertisements, business activities, retailing, banking, marketing, advertising (Test No 2).
Skills to apply professional terminology and communicative skills: in writing essays, business letters; orally in discussions, dialogues, role plays, giving a presentation.
Competence of professional foreign language in order to apply English creatively in spoken and written communication for professional activities, student mobility and in academic environment.

Course Content(Calendar)

1.University education; education vocabulary.
2.Process of mass communication.Creating a glossary of terms for each topic.
3.Mass media. News media. Public media. Definitions of terms, translation of terms.
4.Social media. Lexical layers. Terminology of Communication Science
5.Company structure. Company management.
6.Description of a company. Corporate websites. Essay.
7.Test No. 1. Printed media in foreign languages.
8.Globalisation. Different views on globalisation.
9.Culture and society. Cultural diversity. Cross-cultural communication.
10.Latvian traditions in international context. Stereotypes.
11.Ecology and environmental protection. Natural environment: terms, concepts, their meanings and definitions.
12.Environmental problems and their consequences. Possible solutions.
13.Test No. 2. Reflection of environmental problems in media.
14.Cinema. Types of films. Film reviews.
15.Comparison of two film reviews.
16.Revision. Class discussion.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Assessment: Formal Test (pass / fail).
It is made up of cumulative assessment. Successfully written 2 tests, the glossary of terms for each topic, timely completed home works, completed individual work (reading of professional texts). Tests and home works are with a positive evaluation. The number of the missed classes shall not exceed 20%.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Individual work:
1. Reading of professional texts (the amount: 10 000 characters);
2. Oral presentation in front of the class.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The cumulative assessment (passed / failed) which is composed of the assessment during classes, tests, and of the individual work.

Compulsory reading

1.Ceramella N., Lee E. Cambridge English for the Media. 2010. Cambridge University Press. 112 lpp. ISBN 9780521724579
2.Cotton D., Falvey D., Kent S. Market Leader. 2011. Pearson. 176 lpp. ISBN 9781045812917
3.Andersson M., Migula P., Ryden L. Environmental Science. 2003. Uppsala: The Baltic University Press. 97 lpp. ISBN 91-970017-0-8
4.Cullen P. Vocabulary for IELTS. 2008 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521179218

Further reading

1.Giddens A. Sociology. 2009. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1094 lpp. ISBN 139780745643571
2.McCarthy M., O'Dell F. English Vocabulary in Use. Upper-Intermediate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.2011. 309 lpp. ISBN9780521677431
3.McCarthy M., O’Dell F. Academic Vocabulary in Use. 2010. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 176 lpp.ISBN 9780521689397

Periodicals and other sources

1.British Broadcasting company. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 04.09.2018) https://www.bbc.com
2.Interneta žurnāls organizācijai Institute for Public Relations. (skatīts 04.09.2018) https://prjournal.instituteforpr.org/
3.Lielbritānijas enciklopēdija [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 04.09.2018.) https://www.britannica.com/

Notes

The study course is included in the compulsory part of the professional Bachelor’s degree programme “External Relations of Organizations”