Syllabus

Title
0540 Fremdsprachliche Wirtschaftskommunikation III - Englisch (PILOT)
Instructors
Anthony Copnall, M.A.,P.G.C.E.
Contact details
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
10/02/19 to 10/07/19
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Tuesday 10/15/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 10/22/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 10/29/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 11/05/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 11/12/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 11/19/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 11/26/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 12/03/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 12/10/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 12/17/19 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 01/07/20 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 01/14/20 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Tuesday 01/21/20 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM TC.5.16
Contents

THIS IS A PILOT COURSE AND DIFFERS FROM REGULAR EBC3 LVs IN THAT IT IS DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE ALREADY TAKEN AND PASSED A PILOT EBC2 LV USING THE TEXTBOOK 'BUSINESS PROFICIENCY'. FOR SUCH STUDENTS, SPECIAL REGISTRATION ARRANGEMENTS APPLY.

YOU WILL NOT NEED EITHER THE EBC3 COURSEBOOK OR THE NEW HANDBOOK OF BUSINESS ENGLISH FOR THIS LV, WHICH IS INTENDED TO HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY AS REGULAR EBC3 LVs.

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.

Please note that the information provided here may be revised as necessary.

*****

The curriculum of this class is comprised of general language skills, core business content (i.e. the understanding of business principles and activities, technical terminology and registers) and communicative competence.

Learning outcomes

THIS COURSE IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'ENGLISH BUSINESS COMMUNICATION3' (PILOT) (EBC3 PILOT). Bachelor students are required to have passed EBC2 (PILOT) or EBC2 (regular course) prior to attending EBC3 (PILOT).

LEARNING OUTCOMES (LOs)

After successfully completing this course, students will be able:

  • LO1: to demonstrate a level of general English competence equivalent to at least C1 on the Common European Framework;
  • LO2: to understand and apply concepts from certain business and economic fields (globalization, international trade, legal matters, international payment, risks, financial reporting) and to recall as required the essential terminology associated with them;
  • LO3: to recall at will, and use, the English equivalents of basic German terminology from these fields, as well as other typical features (structures, collocations, prepositional usage, etc) of the associated language, to discuss the above fields in an appropriate manner, to understand the principles of report writing, and to apply these in practice;
  • LO4: to combine the various abilities mentioned above in order to understand upper-level written texts about the above business and economic fields, and to write communicatively-effective texts, both descriptive and analytical (specifically reports), relating to them.

In addition, this course fosters the following soft skills:

  • Explanation and summary in German (or other native language) of English texts relating to the business fields mentioned
  • Improved aural/oral skills
  • Improved ability to analyse and understand texts in general
  • Effective university-level study
Attendance requirements

Regular attendance, missing no more than a maximum of 3 sessions.

Teaching/learning method(s)

The EBC3 (PILOT) course is divided into thirteen units, as indicated above, and contains a number of exercises designed to develop the requisite skills and knowledge. EBC3 (PILOT) classes are of a workshop nature and involve a wide range of activities based on the course literature. These will include some or all of the following:

  • response to student questions and discussion about tricky content;
  • reading and working with texts;
  • development of report-writing skills;
  • further language development, involving both vocabulary and more advanced structures;
  • writing and evaluating of short texts in response to instructions.

Some activities will take the form of pair or small-group work.

Assessment

As EBC3 (PILOT) is a PI course, you must satisfy various criteria in order to pass.

Class participation (3% of total grade):

You must participate and show active engagement in all class activities (at the very least, this means attempting to answer questions put by your instructor), including appropriate interaction with both your peers and your instructor. In order to be able to do so, you must prepare thoroughly for each class.

Oral performance (20% of total grade): Your oral communication skills will be assessed through structured task assignments. For example, this could take the form of an oral assessment of a meeting/discussion task. This way you should demonstrate proficiency in spoken English at the level of (or very close to) C1 under the European Framework of Reference, which is defined in full as follows:

  • Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning.
  • Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
  • Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.

Written homework (5% of total grade): Your lecturer will inform you about requirements and will set a deadline by which the homework must be submitted. You will receive 5 points, or 5% of the total grade, for timely delivery of an appropriate assignment. 

Written Final Test (72% of total grade): The EBC3 (PILOT) Final Test is composed of a range of tasks designed to test a variety of skills corresponding to LOs 2-4 listed above, including text comprehension and business communication. In particular, you will be asked to compose a longer report-style text dealing with business concepts discussed in class. 

In order to pass the course, you must fulfill the following requirements:

  • score at least 60% of the overall points total achievable
  • attend regularly, missing no more than a maximum of 3 sessions

NOTE: You can choose freely whether to take the First OR the Second Final Test. Please note that if you choose to sit the Second Final Test and cannot take it then, you will have to repeat the entire PI.

...

Overall grade
Finally, if you satisfy the conditions specified for ALL the individual assessment elements above, you will be given an overall score (OS).

OS under 60%  ->   Grade 5; OS 60-67%     ->   Grade 4; OS 68-75%     ->   Grade 3; OS 76-84%     ->   Grade 2; OS 85-100%    ->   Grade 1
Prerequisites for participation and waiting lists

Bachelor students must have passed EBC2 (PILOT) or EBC2 (regular course) prior to attending EBC3 (PILOT). Please note that registration via LPIS is required for 'EBC3' (PILOT), with special registration arrangements applying for students who already took the EBC2 (PILOT) course. Any unfilled slots will be filled from waiting lists in accordance with study progress and in cooperation with the Vizerektorat für Lehre und Studierende.

Individual EBC3 (PILOT) instructors are NOT involved in registration and will NOT reply to mails on the subject.

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, Gerlinde
Title:

Englische Grammatik für die Wirtschaftskommunikation


Publisher: Linde
Edition: 2., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage
Year: 2008
Type: Book
Recommended previous knowledge and skills

In order to take this course you must have passed

  • the course EBC1
  • the course EBC2 (PILOT) or EBC2 (regular course) (at the latest, at the Exceptional Test before the start of the semester in which you wish to take EBC3 (PILOT) )
Availability of lecturer(s)

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

Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1

Introduction; Int'l Business Unit 15

2

Int'l Business Unit 15

3

Market entry strategies

4

Reports 1

5

Reports 2

6

Reports 3

7

Oral communication skills 1

8

Oral communication skills 2

9

Oral communication skills 3

10

Legislation Unit 14

11

Legislation Unit 14

12

Finance and investment Unit 11: financial reporting

13

Revision

Last edited: 2019-09-17



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