The objective of this course is to prepare students for effective and strategic Communication activities in an international context. Beyond English Language, students also develop their Cultural Literacy and Intercultural Skills, which is critical in promoting respect and equality towards all members of the global community.
Course Prerequisites
While there are no mandatory prerequisites, a solid knowledge of English Language would be helpful in maximizing the learning experience of this course.
Teaching Methods
PowerPoint presentations will be used to both introduce and provide examples of the theories taught during the course. Analysis of authentic texts taken from a range of sources including Social Media, speeches, campaigns, advertising, music, and videos etc, will be used to reinforce the theories presented so as to provide a multimodal learning experience. Active participation is strongly encouraged.
Assessment Methods
Students are assessed by means of a written exam and an oral exam, both of which are divided into two parts: The first part of the written exam is an online test of grammar. The second part consists of a short essay using academic English, in which students analyse an English-language text. Students must pass the written exam before they can attempt the oral exam. For the oral exam, students must: (1) present an ORIGINAL PowerPoint Presentation in which they present ORIGINAL analysis of an example of Communication of their choosing (e.g. a commercial, advertising campaign, advertisement, trailer, speech, etc) BASED ON THE TOPICS covered during the course. (2) be able to answer questions aimed at demonstrating their understanding of the topics covered throughout the course. ***The PowerPoint presentation must be submitted 10 days prior to the date of the oral exam.
Texts
Goddard, Angela. The Language of Advertising. London: Routledge, 1998. Goodman, Sharon. Redesigning English. London: Open University, 1996. (Chapters 2-5) McCarthy, M & O'Dell, F. English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Murphy, Raymond. English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Redman, Stuart. English Vocabulary in Use (Pre-intermediate&Intermediate). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. 2001. Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press.
*Additional materials shall be used during the course that must be studied in order to pass the final exam.
Contents
The course is divided into two parts: (1) Students attend frontal lessons with the professor in which theoretical topics regarding English Language in Communications are introduced, including Linguistics, Language of the Media, Communication Theory, Advertising Approaches, Multimodality, Rhetoric and an investigation into the different kinds of Communication. (2) Students also attend Language classes with the lecturer, in order to prepare for the online grammar test. These classes are focused on reinforcing English Grammar up to the B2 Academic English level.
