Institut für Fremdsprachen Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft www.hs-karlsruhe.de/ifs Course Descriptions Professional English B1 (previously called Professional English 1, Englisch für Fortgeschrittene 1, and English for Careers in Technology 1) Professional English B2 (previously called Professional English 2, Englisch für Fortgeschrittene 2, and English for Careers in Technology 2) Business English C1 Business English Advanced C1 Technical English C1 Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 1
Course Title Course Code Professional English B1 FSEB1 (extensive course) or FSB1E (two-week pre-term course) Degree Program This is an interdisciplinary course offered to students from all degree programs at the university. It can be taken in any semester of studies, depending on the specific degree requirements. It can also be taken as an elective course. Semester This course is offered in each semester. Course Types This course is taught both as a two-week intensive course during the lecture-free period and as a weekly course (extensive course) in the afternoons during the regular semester. The curriculum for intensive courses and extensive courses is identical. Regular attendance is required in all courses. ECTS Points 4 CEF Level (Learning Outcomes) This course is on level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF): Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst traveling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Prerequisites CEF Level A2 Registration Pre-registration is required for all IFS language courses. Detailed information can be found on the IFS Website: www.hs-karlsruhe.de/ifs. Instructor The course is taught by both staff and adjunct instructors. Assessment The grade given in this course is based on the following: a five-minute in-class presentation with discussion (10%) and a final examination at the end of the semester which comprises grammar (25-35%) vocabulary and phrases (25-35%) reading comprehension (10-15%) listening comprehension (15%) writing (10%) Materials Course books are often used, at the discretion of the instructor. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 2
Curriculum The course includes the following components. Additional topics may be covered at the instructor's discretion. GRAMMAR present (simple, continuous) present perfect (simple) past (simple, continuous) future (will, going to) modal verbs (must, have to, need to, may, might, should) 1 st and 2 nd conditional adjectives and adverbs if vs. when TERMINOLOGY basic financial terms incl. false friends like Kredit-credit, Lohn-loan graphs mathematical terms and symbols million, billion, trillion, fractions; +, -, x,, =, >, <, x², x³, n ; (), [], / \, #, *, " ", @ German-English differences for decimal points and the symbol for approximately geometric shapes and dimensions square, rectangle, triangle, circle, cube, pyramid, cylinder, sphere height, width, length, weight, base, diameter, area, volume cause and effect describing products and production processes job applications, recruitment, promotion company structure legal structures, sole trader, partnership, Ltd., etc. departments and positions in a company; organigrams COMMUNICATION SKILLS Telephoning getting through, taking and leaving a message, making and changing arrangements, asking for information and handling complaints Writing formal and informal writing (including awareness of register) job applications (résumé and letter of application, e-mails and memos) Presenting the language of presentations; 5-minute presentation on a business or technical topic of the student's choice (e.g. a company profile, a new market segment, description of a technical device or product) Participating in a meeting asking for and giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing, interrupting and clarifying ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE SKILLS Reading and listening activities (audio- and video-segments) which address both business-oriented and technology-oriented topics of general (non-specialist) interest, roughly in equal measure. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 3
Course Title Course Code Professional English B2 FSEB2 (extensive course) or FSB2E (two-week pre-term course) Degree Program This is an interdisciplinary course offered to students from all degree programs at the university. It can be taken in any semester of studies, depending on the specific degree requirements. It can also be taken as an elective course. Semester This course is offered in each semester. Course Types This course is taught both as a two-week intensive course during the lecture-free period and as a weekly course (extensive course) in the afternoons during the regular semester. The curriculum for intensive courses and extensive courses is identical. Regular attendance is required in all courses. ECTS Points 4 CEF Level (Learning Outcomes) This course is on level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF): Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. Prerequisites CEF Level B1 Registration Pre-registration is required for all IFS language courses. Detailed information can be found on the IFS Website: www.hs-karlsruhe.de/ifs. Instructor The course is taught by both staff and adjunct instructors. Assessment The grade given in this course is based on the following: a five-minute in-class presentation with discussion (10%) and a final examination at the end of the semester which comprises grammar (25-35%) vocabulary and phrases (25-35%) reading comprehension (10-15%) listening comprehension (15%) writing (10%) Materials Course books are often used, at the discretion of the instructor. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 4
Curriculum The course includes the following components. Additional topics may be covered at the instructor's discretion. GRAMMAR present perfect (continuous) future (present continuous, present simple) 3 rd conditional passive (present, past) adjectives and adverbs (comparative, superlative) gerund and infinitive relative clauses (restricted and unrestricted) TERMINOLOGY (Review and Extension) basic financial terms graphs mathematical terms and symbols geometric shapes and dimensions cause and effect describing products and production processes job applications, recruitment, promotion company structure COMMUNICATION SKILLS Telephoning getting through, taking and leaving a message, making and changing arrangements, asking for information and handling complaints Writing formal and informal writing (including awareness of register) job applications (résumé and letter of application, e-mails and memos) Presenting the language of presentations; 5-minute presentation on a business or technical topic of the student's choice (e.g. a company profile, a new market segment, description of a technical device or product) Participating in a meeting asking for and giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing, interrupting and clarifying ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE SKILLS Reading and listening activities (audio- and video-segments) which address both business-oriented and technology-oriented topics of general (non-specialist) interest, roughly in equal measure. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 5
Course Title Course Code Business English C1 FSEC1B (extensive course) or FSC1BE (two-week pre-term course) Degree Program This is an interdisciplinary course offered to students from all degree programs at the university. It can be taken in any semester of studies, depending on the specific degree requirements. It can also be taken as an elective course. Semester This course is offered in each semester. Course Types This course is taught both as a two-week intensive course during the lecture-free period and as a weekly course (extensive course) in the afternoons during the regular semester. The curriculum for intensive courses and extensive courses is identical. Regular attendance is required in all courses. ECTS Points 4 CEF Level (Learning Outcomes) This course is on level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF): Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer text, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express himself/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressing. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce a clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices. Prerequisites CEF Level B2 Registration Pre-registration is required for all IFS language courses. Detailed information can be found on the IFS Website: www.hs-karlsruhe.de/ifs. Instructor The course is taught by both staff and adjunct instructors. Assessment The grade given in this course is based on the following: a ten-minute in-class presentation on a business topic with discussion (15%) and a final examination at the end of the semester which comprises terminology and phrases (50-60%) reading comprehension (10-20%) listening comprehension (10%) writing (10-20%) Materials Course books are often used, at the discretion of the instructor. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 6
Curriculum Business English is an interdisciplinary course which develops the language used for business at an advanced level. Topics will normally include general economics, company structure, marketing, advertising, trade fairs, reporting sales, recruitment, financial statements, etc. A component of the curriculum involves an assessed presentation based on a business topic such as: - a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of a company - a STEP (sociological, technological, economic and political) analysis of a market - a description of a company which could include such topics as history, structure (organigram), mission and vision, main products/services, main markets, marketing and advertising strategy, corporate social responsibility, research and development, innovation strategy, supply chain management, financial situation, corporate governance, ethical business practices, human resource practices, etc. At the discretion of the instructor, the curriculum may comprise a simulation. Student groups systematically design and develop their own small companies over the course of a semester. Students come up with a variety of ideas when creating their fledgling company, such as an event management company, a food import company, an indie music store, a bakery, a software company, a provider of flavored drinking water, a private hospital, and more. Highlights of the course include the simulated trade fair, the recruitment process, where students hire new employees, and of course, the final assessed presentation to potential investors. Each step of the simulation is accompanied by relevant vocabulary acquisition and speaking practice. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 7
Course Title Course Code Business English Advanced C1 FSECBA (extensive course) Degree Program This is an interdisciplinary course offered to students from all degree programs at the university. It can be taken in any semester of studies, depending on the specific degree requirements. It can also be taken as an elective course. Semester This course is offered in each semester. Course Types This course is taught as a weekly course (extensive course) during the regular semester. Regular attendance is required in all courses. ECTS Points 2 CEF Level (Learning Outcomes) This course is on level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF): Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer text, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express himself/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressing. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce a clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices. Prerequisites a prior Business English course on the C1 level Registration Pre-registration is required for all IFS language courses. Detailed information can be found on the IFS Website: www.hs-karlsruhe.de/ifs. Instructor The course is taught by both staff and adjunct instructors. Assessment The grade given in this course is based on a final examination at the end of the semester which comprises reading comprehension (30-40%) writing (50-60%) vocabulary (10-20%) Materials Course books or individual materials may be used at the discretion of the instructor. Curriculum This course has a strong focus on business-oriented reading and writing skills required on a management level. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 8
Course Title Course Code Technical English C1 FSEC1T (extensive course) or FSC1TE (two-week pre-term course) Degree Program This is an interdisciplinary course offered to students from all degree programs at the university. It can be taken in any semester of studies, depending on the specific degree requirements. It can also be taken as an elective course. Semester This course is offered in each semester. Course Types This course is taught both as a two-week intensive course during the lecture-free period and as a weekly course (extensive course) in the afternoons during the regular semester. The curriculum for intensive courses and extensive courses is identical. Regular attendance is required in all courses. ECTS Points 4 CEF Level (Learning Outcomes) This course is on level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF): Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer text, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express himself/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressing. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce a clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices. Prerequisites CEF Level B2 Registration Pre-registration is required for all IFS language courses. Detailed information can be found on the IFS Website: www.hs-karlsruhe.de/ifs. Instructor The course is taught by both staff and adjunct instructors. Assessment The grade given in this course is based on the following: a ten-minute in-class presentation on a technical topic with discussion (15%) and a final examination at the end of the semester which comprises terminology and phrases (50-60%) reading comprehension (10-20%) listening comprehension (10%) writing (10-20%) Materials Course books are often used, at the discretion of the instructor. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 9
Technical English is an interdisciplinary course which introduces and practices the structures common in technical writing and the sub-technical terminology commonly used, for example, in the New Scientist, Scientific American, or the technical sections of the Economist. Curriculum Students give a presentation on a technical subject. For example, if the focus is on automotive technology, presentations can deal with either a technical, an environmental, or a safety aspect. Reading texts are about such areas as architecture and construction, electrical engineering and electronics, mechanical engineering and mechatronics, and energy and environmental issues etc. Listening skills are tested by answering questions about a video clip or a short presentation given by the instructor. Institut für Fremdsprachen (Hochschule Karlsruhe Technik und Wirtschaft) 2012-08-12 10