Syllabus

Title
0528 Fremdsprachliche Wirtschaftskommunikation II - Englisch (PILOT)
Instructors
Lauren Landsmann, B.A.,M.Sc.
Contact details
lauren.landsmann@wu.ac.at
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
10/01/19 to 10/07/19
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Bachelor Programs
Foreign Language Business Communication II - English
Elective Course II - Foreign Language Business Communication English
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Thursday 10/17/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 10/24/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 10/31/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 11/07/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 11/14/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 11/21/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 11/28/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 12/05/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 12/12/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 12/19/19 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 01/09/20 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 01/16/20 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Thursday 01/23/20 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM TC.3.11
Saturday 01/25/20 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM Ort nach Ankündigung

On this page:

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Contents

THIS IS A PILOT COURSE AND WILL BE OFFERED IN THE WINTER SEMESTER 2019/20. THE PURPOSE OF THE PILOT COURSE IS TO TRIAL NEW ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE DEVELOPED FOR OUR FUTURE CLASSES.

The syllabus for this pilot course consists of all material contained in the specified units of the textbook (see Literature). The books are available in the Management Book Service store, in the Lehrbuchsammlung, the Sprachlernzentrum and the Bibliothek fuer Wirtschaftssprachen. However, you are advised not to buy a copy until you have successfully registered for a place in one of the relevant LVs and attended the first class.

 

This EBC2 pilot course differs from regular EBC2 courses, so please read carefully all the information provided under 'syllabus'. These differences include:

  • Selected tasks from the book "Business Proficiency" will be used in class (from units 11, 13 & 16), together with materials developed by Ms Landsmann and Ms Zeilinger.
  • Instead of a mid-semester test you will have to do a presentation.
  • You will have to participate much more actively in class than in a regular EBC2 class.

This pilot course is aimed at students interested in new activities and willing to try them out. You will not need either the EBC2 coursebook or the New Handbook of Business English for this course. However, this pilot is intended to have the same level of difficulty as regular EBC2 courses and covers many of the same core topics. If you pass it, you will be able to proceed to a regular EBC3 class; there may also be the opportunity to continue with an EBC3 pilot class in summer semester 2020.

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Learning outcomes

LEARNING OUTCOMES (LOs)
After successfully completing this course, students will be able:

  • (LO1) to demonstrate a level of English communicative competence equivalent to B2 (upper) on the Common European Framework with respect to reading, writing, and listening skills;
  • (LO2) to understand and apply important concepts from the fields of business communication, specifically mergers & acquisitions, finance & investment, and economics, and to recall and appropriately use the essential terminology and other typical features (structures, collocations, etc) associated with them;
  • (LO3) to combine the various abilities mentioned above in order to understand intermediate level written texts about these business fields, and to discuss the above fields in an appropriate manner;
  • (LO4) to understand the principles of paragraphing and argumentation, and to apply these in short written texts;
  • (LO5) to understand and interpret content from a variety of recorded oral business communications and lectures, and to be able to present this in small groups.

In addition, this course fosters the ability:

  • to explain and summarise, in German (or other native language), English texts relating to the business fields mentioned;
  • to read a text to grasp the main ideas quickly (skimming) and to locate specific information (scanning);
  • to engage in spoken business communication in a variety of contexts such as meetings and presentations.
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Attendance requirements

As with all PI courses, attendance is a requirement to pass EBC2 (PILOT). As a special concession, you may miss up to three (3) meetings of your course. However, if you miss a fourth, you will no longer be able to pass the course. This condition applies whatever the reasons for your absences may have been.

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Teaching/learning method(s)

The course is divided into thirteen units, each based on an aspect of one of the business fields mentioned in learning outcome LO2 and the communication skills in LO3 to LO5 above. Classes involve a range of activities, including:

  • discussion of tricky content issues;
  • vocabulary development and reinforcement of grammatical structures;
  • listening comprehension;
  • text production;
  • examination preparation.

Additionally, the final units will include student presentations in small groups, with peer and teacher feedback.

 

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Assessment

As with all PI courses, attendance is a requirement to pass this pilot course (see above).

If you satisfy the attendance requirement above, your final score will be made up of the following four elements:

  • Presentation - 20%
  • Home Exercise - 5%
  • Feedback or (self-)reflection - 2%
  • Final Test - 73%

In general, no dictionaries or other reference materials are allowed in the test. Exceptionally, if you are neither a German nor an English native speaker, you may use a bilingual dictionary of German and your mother tongue (but NOT any form of electronic translation device) in the Final/Exceptional Test.

Your grade will be based on your final score, as follows:

  • 0-59% - grade 5
  • 60-67% - grade 4
  • 68-75% - grade 3
  • 76-84% - grade 2
  • 85-100% - grade 1

This course is a PI, so if you receive a grade 5 you will have to re-take EBC2 in a later semester in full (i.e., including class attendance and all 4 assessment elements).

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Prerequisites for participation and waiting lists

Registration

Successful completion of EBC1 is required. You can register ONLY by means of the LPIS system. Registration is effected on a first-come, first-served basis.  

For exact dates and times of classes, please see the WU's Directory of Classes (Vorlesungsverzeichnis / VVZ). As this is a PI course, there is no need to register separately for any of the tests (see above).

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Readings
1 Author: Ashford, Stephanie & Smith, Tom
Title:

Business Proficiency. Wirtschaftsenglisch für Hochschule und Beruf

Publisher: Ernst Klett Verlag Stuttgart
Year: 2017
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Essential reading for all students
Type: Book
2 Author: Mautner, G.
Title:

Englische Grammatik für die Wirtschaftskommunikation

Publisher: Linde
Edition: 3., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage
Year: 2014
Content relevant for class examination: No
Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
Type: Book
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Recommended previous knowledge and skills

In order to take EBC2 you must have:

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Availability of lecturer(s)

You can contact your instructor during their office hours, immediately before or after class or by mail.

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Study tips
  1. As EBC2 (PILOT) covers more complex areas of business and economics than EBC1, you may not have studied these in your own language yet; or, if you have done so, you may have found them quite difficult. In either of these cases, you should consider reading (more) in your own language about the basic ideas they involve BEFORE you try to deal with them in English.
     
  2. You should continue to apply the good study habits you have hopefully developed in EBC1. Remind yourself about these on the EBC1 portal. In particular, in order to obtain feedback on your written work or raise questions about the business content, you should make use of the Office Hours (Sprechstunden) held by your EBC2 (PILOT) instructor. If they are at times unsuitable for you, please contact her / him to arrange an alternative appointment.
     
  3. You should maintain your regular reading of relevant business and economic texts, including more challenging sources such as the Economist, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.
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Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1

M & As (U16)
2

M & As (U16): compare and contrast and present results
3

argumentation 1 (based on M & As)
4

argumentation 2 (based on M & As); instructions for HW
5

argumentation 3 (HW): discuss & peer edit

presentations basics 1
6

hand in final version of HW

presentations: basics 2

finance and investment 1 (U11)
7

finance and investment 2 (U11)

reading strategies: skimming and scanning
8

finance and investment 3 (U11)
9

economics 1 (U13)
10

group presentations 1 (ca 3 groups of 3); economics 2
11

group presentations 2 (ca 3 groups of 3) & economics 3
12

group presentations 3 (ca 3 groups of 3) & (economics 4) & revision
13

argumentation 4; revision; sample test tasks
Last edited: 2019-09-17



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