ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 24 Interactive Classroom: 24 Total: 51
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: English and German Philology
Areas: English Philology
Center Faculty of Humanities
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
The subject English for Professional Use I focuses on developing the interactive skills of listening, reading, speaking, writing and mediation. One main objective is to help students find, understand and correct basic grammar and vocabulary errors; another objective is for students to be able to improve their oral English as far as expression and pronunciation are concerned since a more polished and appropriate use of the English language allows qualified workers to maintain an enhanced professional image.
During the semester, students will be using the English language as a tool to carry out tasks that have to do with the field of cultural management. For instance, certain grammar points will be reviewed, and then students will put them to use while working on tasks (texts, videos, and so on) related to the field of culture that facilitate the practice of using English in context.
The academic work carried out in this course will start at a B1.2 level as established by the Common European Framework Reference, or CEFR, (2001). This level has been designated as “independent user” and means that students with an “intermediate” level:
--can understand the main points of clear texts in standard language if they are about topics with which they are familiar, whether in work, study, or leisure contexts.
--can cope with most of the situations that might arise on a trip to areas where the language is used.
--can produce simple, coherent texts about topics with which they are familiar or in which they have a personal interest.
--can describe experiences, events, wishes and aspirations, as well as briefly justify opinions or explaining plans.
More specifically, students who successfully complete the coursework should be able to carry out these functions and demonstrate their ability to understand when listening and reading, to use English communicatively in oral exchanges with their spoken interaction and production, and to be able to produce appropriate written texts in English. Each of these areas appears below with some examples from the CEFR description of the skill level to be obtained for each one.
Listening:
--can follow a lecture or talk within his/her own field, provided the subject matter is familiar and the presentation straightforward and clearly structured.
--can understand simple technical information, such as operating instructions for everyday equipment.
--can follow detailed directions.
--can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
Reading:
--can scan longer texts in order to locate desired information, and gather information from different parts of a text, or from different texts in order to fulfil a specific task.
--can find and understand relevant information in everyday material, such as letters, brochures, and short official documents.
--can identify the main conclusions in clearly signaled argumentative texts.
--can recognize the line of argument in the treatment of the issue presented, though not necessarily in detail.
Spoken Interaction:
--can communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine matters related to his/her interests and professional field.
--can exchange, check, and confirm information, deal with less routine situations and explain why something is a problem.
--can express thoughts on more abstract, cultural topics such as films, books, music etc.
--can exploit a wide range of simple language to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling.
--can enter unprepared into conversation of familiar topics, express personal opinions and exchange information on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (i. e. family, hobbies, work, travel, and current events).
Spoken Production:
--can reasonably fluently sustain a straightforward description of one of a variety of subjects within his/her field of interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of points.
--can give straightforward descriptions on a variety of familiar subjects within his field of interest.
--can reasonably fluently relate a straightforward narrative or description as a linear sequence of points.
--can give detailed accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions.
--can describe events, real or imagined and narrate a story.
--can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions, plans and actions.
Writing:
--can convey information and ideas on abstract as well as concrete topics, check information and ask about or explain problems with reasonable precision.
--can write personal letters and notes asking for or conveying simple information of immediate relevance, getting across the point he/she feels to be important.
--can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
--can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions.
Interconnected skills:
Apart from the specific objectives related to the level of language that should be reached, the training activities to be carried out in this subject allow the students to practice and develop a series of interconnected skills:
--in their utilization of the resources suggested throughout the course, students should consolidate the skill in the use of a series of self-learning tools that are available on Internet, thus bettering their capacity for self-learning.
--carrying out several short projects centered on the resolution of specific problems will allow students to develop their research skills, most particularly those dealing with finding sources of information and the critical evaluation and appropriate use of the information obtained.
--students will also develop their ability to present their reasons and arguments in a clear manner, at the same time that they acquire flexibility to admit different perspectives; thus, they will be able to better their ability to participate in debates in a constructive manner.
--routine interaction in small groups will help the students to better their interpersonal skills, which are necessary in order to make decisions and organize teamwork.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
As the name indicates, this first-year, fall-semester course is an English for special purposes (ESP) subject. This means that studying this subject should help students to improve their use of the English language, and, more specifically, it should help them to come in contact with and begin to use certain vocabulary and structures that professionals in the field of cultural management employ to successfully carry out their work on a day-to-day basis.
English for Professional Use I is the first of two subjects in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Cultural Management degree program which were designed to assist students in preparation for their future professional careers. Students from the secondary school system in Spain, have generally been exposed to the English language for 14-15 years; moreover, they must pass a section on English when taking the university entrance exam which allows them to pursue a University degree. In this subject, students will be applying the English they have already acquired (B1.2 level) in a way that allows them to continue to improve their English, and thus, to acquire the language competence explained above.
CONTENTS:
1 Vocabulary and lexicon relevant to the linguistic context of cultural heritage and cultural services: professions and tasks in the creative industries (film, music, dance, festivals and conferences), and event planning (budgeting, financing and promotion).
2 Grammatical aspects pertinent to the B1 and B2 CEFR levels such as: present, past, perfect, and future verb tenses, subject & object questions, zero and first conditionals, obligation and permission structures, the use of “used to” &” usually”, comparative and superlative structures, use of articles, among others.
3 Professional profiles in cultural management. Cultural organizations and hubs. Cultural studies and popular culture.
Basic Bibliography:
RECOMMENDED DICTIONARIES:
Gran diccionario Oxford Español-Inglés/Inglés-Español. Oxford University Press.
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (Paperback). Harper Collins Publishers.
BASIC ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR REFERENCE
Dictionaries:
(English)
---- http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
---- http://www.ldoceonline.com/
---- http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
---- http://www.learnersdictionary.com/
---- http://dictionary.reference.com/
(English-Spanish/ Spanish-English)
---- http://www.wordreference.com/
(English-Galician)
---- http://sli.uvigo.es/CLIG/index.html
Synonyms, antonyms, and related ideas:
---- http://thesaurus.reference.com/
Grammar websites with exercises:
---- http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm
---- http://www.englishpage.com/grammar/
Writing Activities:
----https://nanowrimo.org/
----https://prowritingaid.com/
Miscellanea (activities, tests, reading, podcasts, and such):
UsingEnglish.com:
---- http://www.usingenglish.com/
English Page
---- http://www.englishpage.com/
---- (grammar, exercises, vocabulary, writing...)
BBC Learning English
---- http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
---- (grammar, tests, reading activities, listening comprehension, podcasts...)
British Council - Learning English
---- http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/
---- (grammar, tests, reading activities, listening comprehension, podcasts...)
Complementary Bibliography:
Davies, Rosamund and Gauti Sigthorsson. 2013. Introducing the Creative Industries from Theory to Practice. Los Angeles, California: Sage.
Farall, Cate and Marianne Lindsley. 2008. Professional English in Use: Marketing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Groes, Sebastian, Ed.2016. Memory in the Twenty-First Century: New Critical Perspectives from the Arts, Humanities and Sciences. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hesmondhalgh, David. 2007. The Cultural Industries. Los Angeles, California: Sage.
McKercher, Bob. 2002. Cultural Tourism: The Partnership Between Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management. New York: Hathaway Hospitality Press.
Peck, John and Martin Coyle.1999. The Student’s Guide to Writing: Grammar Punctuation and Spelling. Houndmills: Macmillan.
Strunk, William Jr. 2018. The elements of style. 1st Ed. Vancouver: Spectrum Ink Publishing.
Zinsser, William. 2016. On writing well: the classic guide to writing nonfiction, 7th Ed. New York: Harper Perennial.
As stated in the BA in Cultural Management Degree Program, students should develop certain abilities in three different areas: knowledge, ability/skill and competence, as listed below:
KNOWLEDGE
Con07: Know the rules and coherent and appropriate use of a foreign language in both its written and oral forms.
Con08: Identify the different levels and styles of use of national and international languages, in their oral and written forms, as well as their importance for the effective elaboration and transmission of texts with cultural content.
Con09: Recognize the diversity of communicative cultures and develop strategies to facilitate communication between diverse human collectives.
ABILITY/SKILL
H/DO4: Communicate information, ideas, problems, and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and effective way.
COMPETENCE
COMP03: Organize and plan work based on the goals and resources available.
As part of the theoretical explanation the professor will give short presentations on grammar, vocabulary, the use of English, and cultural management. The students attending these class sessions (24 hours) will then do individual and group practice activities in the classroom such as: class discussions, role-plays, problem-solving activities, listening comprehension and pronunciation activities, and analysis and commentary of assigned readings. In practice and training sessions (24 hours), the professor will propose complementary activities to be done outside the classroom on those linguistic aspects which require more intense practice such as assigned readings, writing and individual pronunciation practice, as well as short activities on aspects of communication related to the topics presented in class, or the participation in a group project. The tasks mentioned above should help the students to put their English into practice. In order to carry out the activities done outside the classroom the USC online platform will be used to access certain digital resources such as the assigned readings, vocabulary, and grammar explanations, and, when required, to turn in assignments and access feedback and grades. It will also be used as an additional means of evaluation and tutorials for students.
The tutorials (3 hours) will be done in the classroom during the semester and/or individually by means of the online platform by way of Teams and e-mail depending on the individual needs of each student. These tutorial sessions are an efficient way for the professor and students to maintain direct contact. This, in turn, will permit the evaluation of students’ progress during the course, including their level of interiorization of the content and the skills focused on in the classroom, and provide an opportunity to ask for and give personalized advice that will allow each student to better reach the course goals. The professor may also use the tutorials to confirm that the students have carried out the assigned complementary tasks that have been planned for study outside the classroom.
In addition, the coursework carried out in this degree program is a way to better prepare students for their professional future and professional work ethics will be implemented for the work done in this subject. All written activities should be double-spaced and typed. All of the activities which are turned in should include the bibliographical and digital sources that were consulted, as per an established academic method of bibliographical citation. ALL WORK MUST BE TURNED IN ON-TIME IN ORDER TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR IT.
Assessment will be based in part on the continuous evaluation of the student throughout the semester and in accordance with the assessment periods as listed below.
FIRST PERIOD OF ASSESSMENT:**
(A) For the students who regularly attend classes:
--Preparation and active participation in the classroom: 10%
--Continuous evaluation of supervised activities: 50%
--Final oral exam 10%
--Final written exam 30%
(B) For those students who are legally exempt from attending classes:
--Active participation in the online classroom and assigned homework 60%
--Final oral exam 10%
--Final written exam 30%
Students will receive a continuous evaluation mark towards the end of the semester. As observed in the list above, the preparation of the activities assigned and active participation in the classroom, as well as the continuous evaluation grade make up a significant percentage of the final grade for this subject. Written exams will be held on the dates officially set by the Faculty.
Students will pass this course if they do so simultaneously in the written and oral sections; should they pass only one of them, they will be entitled to keep this mark in the new period of exams in July; therefore, they will retake only the section previously graded as Fail.
**In any case, for all assessment periods, students must pass each one of the sections listed above in order to receive a passing final course grade.
In addition, all the activities turned in for grading must include the consulted bibliographic sources used in the documentation of the work and these sources must be cited according to academic standards for bibliographic and digital citation*. See IMPORTANT NOTICE below.
*IMPORTANT NOTICE: In the USC Rules for Academic Performance (DOG 21 from 21 July, 2011, Art. 16) presenting fraudulent academic work for any type of final evaluation is penalized with a “Fail” in the corresponding exam period. Turning in this type of work may also result in a disciplinary process for the offender. Hence, any detection of plagiarism in any of the academic work turned in for grading in this subject will be penalized with a “Fail” in this subject, even when the student has passing marks in other areas of evaluation. As “plagiarism” we understand when an academic paper includes any partial or complete copy, in literal form or not, of content, or ideas published in other academic papers or in any other type of published format (paper or Internet), and where the student does not cite the source from which the said content or idea was taken. Students who fail because of plagiarism will not be allowed to take part in the second chance exam period.
SECOND PERIOD OF ASSESSMENT:
The students who have passed a section during the first period of assessment may retain it for the second period of assessment; in any case, the evaluation system is the same as above.
STUDENTS WHO NEED TO RETAKE THIS COURSE:
Students who need to redo this course, and who have passed the continuous evaluation part of the course from the work done in class during the academic term may keep this part of their mark accordingly. However, if they have not passed the continuous evaluation part of the course, they will need to redo the entire subject.
As specified in the official study program for this degree program, this six-ECTS-credit subject will require 150 hours of work by the students: 51 class hours (24 hours of theoretical lectures, 24 hours of interactive seminars and 3 hours of tutorials) and 99 hours of autonomous learning.
The work carried out for this subject should be done according to the standards and specifications set out by the professors. Since this course is part of students’ preparation for their professional future, all assigned tasks must be completed as instructed and turned in on time.
In addition, all the activities turned in for grading must include the consulted bibliographic sources used in the documentation of the work and these sources must be cited according to academic standards for bibliographic and digital citation.
With respect to the students’ workload, apart from the orientations and suggestions provided by the professors in charge during the class period, see also RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THIS SUBJECT (below).
PREREQUISITES & FORMAL REQUIREMENTS:
Although there are no prerequisites, or formal requirements, for this course, students should have an intermediate to high level (B1.2) of English language skills. If you are unsure that you have reached this level, you may contact the professor in charge for more information.
In addition, students must have access to a computer and/or smartphone with audio and video capability to be able to access the on-line classroom and to complete certain activities assigned in this course.
CLASS ATTENDANCE:
Class attendance is mandatory; moreover, students ought to be capable of doing the work involved in this course on their own. Thus, those students who do not attend class must turn in the work assigned in class as part of their continuous evaluation mark. In order to favor continuous evaluation, a certain percentage of the Final Mark will reflect students' attendance to and active participation in class. In addition, emphasis will be placed on oral work done throughout the course and this oral work is best done in the classroom itself. In any case, as a University student you are responsible for preparing the work assigned in class whether you attend class or not.
CLASS WORK & HOME STUDY:
Active participation in class will help the students to improve their performance in both written and oral English. After the completion of an area of study, students are expected to continue their preparation of the vocabulary and/ or tasks assigned. During the academic year written work will be assigned to allow for the practice of this skill. In order for this practice to be evaluated, all written work must be typewritten, double-spaced, and turned in ON TIME.
--If plagiarism/cheating is detected, in either the activities or the exam, the sanctions laid out in “Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións” will be applied. See IMPORTANT NOTICE above in the “ASSESSMENT SYSTEM” section above.
Jodee Anderson Mcguire
Coordinador/a- Department
- English and German Philology
- Area
- English Philology
- Phone
- 982824713
- jo.anderson [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: Temporary PhD professor
Regina Martinez Ponciano
- Department
- English and German Philology
- Area
- English Philology
- regina.ponciano [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: Temporary supply professor to reduce teaching hours
| Tuesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30-14:00 | CLE_01 | English | Classroom 15 |
| Thursday | |||
| 09:30-11:00 | CLIS_01 | English | Classroom 15 |
| 01.14.2025 10:00-12:30 | CLE_01 | Classroom 13 |
| 06.18.2025 12:00-14:00 | CLE_01 | Classroom 13 |