Syllabus
Registration via LPIS
Day | Date | Time | Room |
---|---|---|---|
Wednesday | 10/13/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Wednesday | 10/20/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Wednesday | 10/27/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Wednesday | 11/03/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Wednesday | 11/10/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Wednesday | 11/17/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Wednesday | 11/24/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | Online-Einheit |
Wednesday | 12/01/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | Online-Einheit |
Friday | 12/10/21 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Online-Einheit |
Wednesday | 12/15/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | Online-Einheit |
Wednesday | 12/22/21 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | Online-Einheit |
Wednesday | 01/12/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | Online-Einheit |
Wednesday | 01/19/22 | 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM | TC.3.06 |
Monday | 01/24/22 | 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM | Ort nach Ankündigung |
**Der Termin am 22.12.2021 wurde nach zuvoriger Zustimmung der großen Mehrheit der Studierenden auf ‚Online-Einheit‘ umgestellt. Die Anwesenheitsregelung gilt auch für diese Einheit!**
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.
THIS COURSE IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'ENGLISH BUSINESS COMMUNICATION3' (EBC3). Bachelor students are required to have passed EBC2 prior to attending EBC3.
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, countertrade, tender procedures, financial management, financial markets) 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
Regular attendance, missing no more than a maximum of 3 sessions. Please note that EBC3 is currently scheduled to take place on campus. This may change depending on developments with Covid-19 and the government regulations. Please keep checking your WU email, the class MS Team and the notices (Ankündigungen) on LEARN for up-to-date information.
The regular attendance requirement will also apply if it is necessary to return to online teaching.
This EBC3 course will consist of a mix of self-study, interactive online activities, live/on-campus classes relating to different aspects of the course.
In the first 7 sessions, we will focus on the keywords and content topics and discuss the orals and report writing.
The final 6 sessions will comprise 4 presentation sessions and 2 content review sessions focusing on preparation for the Final Test. The orals will be held during the presentation sessions and students not presenting will be required to listen actively, ask questions and give feedback. Additionally, there will be some self-study materials covering the content units from the Coursebook. In the review sessions, we will revise and discuss more complex and/or key topics from the self-study units as well as the structure and details of the Final Test.
Self-study materials
The self-study materials will be posted every week and are designed to be used alongside the EBC3 Coursebook. These comprise language, comprehension and content exercises to help you understand and be able to discuss business topics pertaining to globalised trade and sustainable business, international market entry, legal English, countertrade and tender, risk in international trade, financial management, and financial markets. They also give you information and instructions about the interactive online activities relevant for that week's unit.
Interactive activities
During the course you will be invited to participate in a range of synchronous and asynchronous interactive activities, such as creating mini-video presentations, commenting on each other's contributions, and working together in small groups (2-4 people) on quizzes. These activities are intended to help build an online community as well as help you go deeper into the material and prepare for the assessments.
Live/on-campus sessions
The live/on-campus sessions will be held during the scheduled class time and will have a content and/or language focus, depending on the relevant unit. EBC3 is currently scheduled to take place on campus but this may change depending on developments with Covid-19 and the government regulations. Please keep checking your WU email, MS Teams and the notices (Ankündigungen) on LEARN for up-to-date information.
Please note that the attendance requirement refers to these sessions, and will be upheld regardless of whether we have class online or on campus.
As EBC3 is a PI course, you must satisfy various criteria in order to pass:
Oral performance (15%): This element includes an oral assessment in which you will need to demonstrate proficiency in spoken English at the level of (or very close to) C1 under the European Framework of Reference, which is defined 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.
In groups of 3-4 people, you will conduct a presentation and discussion on current business topics.
Written homework (10%): This is practice for the written report in the Final Test. I will inform you about requirements and will set a deadline by which the homework must be submitted. You will receive 5 points for timely delivery of an appropriate assignment, and up to 5 additional points for quality.
Participation in live/on-campus classes and online tasks (10%): You are invited to take an active part in the live online sessions or in on-campus classes, i.e. to contribute actively to the various activities and online tasks. I will inform you about requirements, point allocation and timeframes in the first session and during the course.
Written Final Test (65%): The EBC3 Final Test is divided into three sections, corresponding to LOs 2-4 listed above (content, comprehension, communication). The first two consist of short questions of various types (e.g. gap fills, short answer tasks, multiple choice etc.) and text-based exercises. In the third section, you will be asked to compose a report-style text dealing with business concepts discussed in the course.
- score at least 60% of the overall points total achievable
- not miss more than 3 sessions in the live online/on-campus classes AND complete the Final Test
NOTE: You can choose freely to take EITHER the First OR the Second Final Test, but you cannot take the test twice, e.g. take the FT1 and then retake the FT2 to improve your grade. Please also note that if you choose to sit the Second Final Test but cannot or do not take it then, you will be given a "5", lose an Antritt and have to repeat the entire PI.
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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
Bachelor students must have passed EBC2 prior to attending EBC3. Please note that registration via LPIS is required for 'EBC3'.
Registration is effected on a first-come, first-served basis. 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 instructors are NOT involved in registration and will NOT reply to mails on the subject.
In order to take this course you must have passed
- the course EBC1
- the course EBC2 (at the latest, at the Exceptional Test before the start of the semester in which you wish to take EBC3)
You can contact your instructor during his/her office hours, immediately before or after class or by mail.
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