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Professional English II

Course developer

Prior knowledge

ValoP303, Professional English I

Course abstract

The course is aimed at the acquisition of knowledge and skills in professional foreign language studies with the purpose of extending the students professional qualifications and improving the student’s communication skills with foreign students and specialists. The programme envisages the mastering of language skills in various forms and levels of communication.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge: have acquired terminology of the landscape industry and urban planning, use of abbreviations. Students have acquired terms in the following fields:
-Sustainable landscape, its perception, climate change, estates and gardens – learning of terminology (Test No 1);
-Urban planning, innovative projects, playgrounds, parks, gardens in the city, ecological architecture - learning of terminology (Test No 2).
Skills: 1) is able to use the foreign language to search for information and present results of independent work;
2) is able to translate and analyse technical and professional text - practical work, oral presentations, independent work.
Competence – informative, communicative, professional.
Students are able to use professional terminology and communicative skills: in writing (translations, academic writing) and orally (participating in discussions, creating dialogues, giving presentations) – Research, characterization and presentation of a personally significant landscape; Research of the urban environment, observations of the beautiful and unattractive in the city.
- performance of practical work, independent work, oral presentations, teamwork (group work) – presentation of a successfully implemented landscape architecture project. Participation in a seminar on a selected topic in urban planning.
Assessment takes place in each lesson, regularly checking the completed tasks.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Sustainable landscape. Impact of climate change on the environment. 2h
2. Soil, its role in landscape formation. Degraded landscapes and their revitalization 2h
3. Legislation in landscape protection and management. 2h
4. The European Union Landscape Convention, discussion. (Practical work No.1) 2h
5. Terrain creators. Terraces. Roof gardens and rock gardens. 2h
6. Garden and park art traditions in England. Japanese gardens. 2h
7. History of Riga gardens and parks. Plants used in landscaping. 2h
8. Landscape architects in Latvia. Park creation in Latvia. Parks. Cemeteries.2h
9. Test No.1 Terminology. Discussion. 2h
10. City, objects in the city. Urban planning. (Practical work No.2) 2h
11. Planning of children's playgrounds. Compliance with safety requirements when designing playgrounds. 2h
12. Urban development. Green Deal, sustainable development. 2h
13. Innovative urban landscape projects. Vertical landscape planning. Ecological architecture. 2h
14. Innovative projects of Latvian landscape architects. 2h
15. Test No.2 Terminology. Discussion. 2h
16. Seminar: Presentation of a scientific paper (Practical work No.3) Discussion. 2h
Nepilna laika neklātienes studijas /
Part-time correspondence studies All topics indicated for full-time studies are implemented, but the number of contact hours is 1/2 of the indicated number of hours.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Evaluation type: examination. It is made up of cumulative assessment.
The Final Test (examination) consists of:
• terminology test,
• reading tasks,
• listening tasks,
• question for discussion.
A student is admitted to the examination if there are: successfully written tests, semester group work and individual tasks (home reading 10 A4 pages). The number of the missed classes shall not exceed 20% of the total number of auditorium classes.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Independent work and tasks:
•Individual independent tasks are translations and analysis of professional texts. The aim of the individual independent assignments is to develop students' skills in using a foreign language to search for information and to analyze professional texts, as well as to evaluate knowledge of terminology and abbreviations used in landscape architecture and urban planning, translation of technical and professional texts and academic plagiarism.
•Group work presentations are the result of team work. Depending on the task, presentations can be prepared in an auditorium or at home. The aim of group work presentations is to develop skills in using a foreign language for searching information, oral presentations, teamwork; to develop informative, communicative and professional competences, as well as to evaluate the knowledge of terminology used in landscape architecture and urban planning, and in presentation making.
Home reading (10 A4 pages) is an independently selected professional text on a topic related to the field of study. Home reading analysis includes a brief presentation of the content, text analysis and answers to questions. The aim of home reading is to develop skills in using a foreign language for information search, professional text analysis and oral presentations as well as informational, communicative and professional competence; to evaluate knowledge of terminology used in landscape architecture and urban planning, presentation making, academic plagiarism.
Test No. 1 – professional terminology (landscape preservation, its legal aspects, types of gardens);
Test No. 2 – professional terminology (city, urban environment, objects in the city, urban planning, sustainability).
1.practical work – A personally significant landscape, its presentation.
2.practical work – Presentation on the attractiveness and ugliness of the urban environment of 1 city.
3.practical work - Seminar - presentation of an independently read scientific article on the current issues of urban development, presentation of professional vocabulary, answers to questions.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Cumulative evaluation: tests (15%) + group work presentations (20%) + individual assignments (40%) + home reading analysis (5%) + exam (20%)
The assessment according to the 10-point scale.

Compulsory reading

1. Evans V., Dooley J., Cook.D. Career Path. Architecture. Express Publishing, 2015. 119 p. ISBN 978-1-4715-1623-8
2. Evans V., Dooley J., Dr.Blum E. Career Path. Environmental Science. Express Publishing, 2020. 119 p. ISBN 978-1-78098-669-2
3. Underwood S., Dooley J. Career Path. Landscaping. Express Publishing, 2017. 117 p. ISBN 978-1-4715-6057-6

Further reading

Gairns R., Redman S. Oxford Word Skills. Intermediate. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. 254 p. ISBN 978 -019-462004 8.

Periodicals and other sources

1.The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) [Tiešsaiste] [Skatīts 2.12.2024.] Pieejams: https://www.asla.org
2.Council of Europe Landscape Convention. [Tiešsaiste] [Skatīts 2.12.2024.] Pieejams:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/landscape
3.A scientific journal by Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Landscape Architecture and Art [Tiešsaiste] [Skatīts 2.12.2024.] Pieejams: https://journals.llu.lv/laa

Notes

The course is included in the compulsory part of the study program "Landscape Architecture and Planning