Learning outcomes

For students in History, in Art History and Archaeology, and in Romance Languages and Literatures:

The student will aim to achieve the B1+ level of proficiency in English (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR).

Goals

The student will be able to:


– read texts written in a standard register, on both ordinary topics and those specific to their field;

– understand the main points of a message delivered in standard language (either live or through audiovisual material) on familiar subjects and/or those related to their field;

– take part in conversations of a general nature and/or of personal interest, describe past, present, or future events, express an opinion;

– give a presentation ("Student Corner") on a topic related to their discipline;

– write a summary of a text related to their discipline.

Content

The in-person courses, delivered entirely in English, are designed to be highly interactive in order to develop learners’ productive skills (both oral and written), based on topics and themes relevant to and of interest for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history and in art history and archaeology. Students will be required to write a text summary in Q1 and give a “Student Corner” presentation in Q2.

Table of contents

Exercices

Cf. course notes

Teaching methods

The course is delivered in-person and in small student groups. It is organised as interactive seminars in English and is structured around different modules.


Attendance is mandatory. Opportunities to practice oral and written production as well as receptive skills are provided in every session.


The objectives and activities are designed in accordance with the philosophy of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Language communication is developed while taking into account linguistic skills (vocabulary, syntax, phonology), sociolinguistic skills (markers of social relationships, rules of politeness, etc.) and pragmatic skills (organisation, adaptation, discourse structure) necessary for the target tasks. The course is not limited to considerations of linguistic knowledge alone.

Assessment method

A) Continuous assessment (30 %)

 

The continuous assessment mark consists of several parts:

-       Summary Writing (15%): In the first term, students must summarise a text related to their field of study.

-       Student Corner Presentation: In the second term, students present a topic related to their field of study in a fifteen-minute presentation. The presentation is not graded with a number, but will receive an ‘OK’ or ‘Not OK’. Students who do not hand in a complete portfolio won’t have access to the June oral exam and will have to complete additional tasks in order to submit a portfolio for the August resit.

-       Grammar and Vocabulary Tests* (7.5% each): Students will take one test in the first term and another in the second term.

B) Oral exam in June (35%)

 

The oral exam takes place during the exam session and lasts fifteen minutes. It is based on (a) the student’s portfolio and (b) discussion questions covered throughout the year.

The portfolio must contain:

-       Three summaries of the presentations they attended. Those must be approved with an ‘OK’ mark by the teacher beforehand. Students who do not follow instructions must redo their summaries and include a note explaining how they improved them.

-       Three activities which helped them improve their English (e.g. series or movies they watched, books/articles they have read). Each activity should be briefly explained in around ½ page.

 

Important: All activities must be completed to be eligible for the final grade and the oral exam.

 

C) Listening and reading comprehension (35%)

 

The ‘listening and reading comprehension’ exam will take place during the exam session and will consist of a listening and reading comprehension linked to topics seen in class.

 

D) August session

 

For the August resit:

-       If the overall average of the continuous assessment is below 10/20, students must retake the parts in which they scored less than 10/20.

-       The final grade for the August session is calculated in the same way as in June.

Note: If a student enrolled in the second session does not complete any required part of the evaluation, they will receive a final mark of 0A for absence.

* The grammar/vocabulary tests will cover the vocabulary covered in class (course notes, videos and texts) and the self-study part. More specifically, you will be asked to: (1) identify and correct mistakes (vocabulary, grammar and style) in sentences/paragraphs, (2) complete sentences with the appropriate word (vocabulary, grammar and style) and (3) use the words in a meaningful context to show that you know how to use words in context.

Sources, references and any support material

The materials required to follow the course are available on WebCampus.

Language of instruction

English