Syllabus

Title
4425 Fremdsprachliche Wirtschaftskommunikation III - Englisch
Instructors
Dr. Miya Komori-Glatz, MA
Contact details
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
02/22/22 to 03/02/22
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Thursday 03/10/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.222
Thursday 03/17/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.218
Thursday 03/24/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Thursday 03/31/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.218
Thursday 04/07/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.233
Thursday 04/28/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.218
Thursday 05/05/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.218
Thursday 05/12/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.218
Thursday 05/19/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.222
Monday 05/23/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D2.0.030
Thursday 06/02/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.222
Thursday 06/09/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM TC.5.28
Monday 06/13/22 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM D2.0.392
Tuesday 06/21/22 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM Ort nach Ankündigung
Contents

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.

NOTE THIS IS A PILOT CLASS TESTING THE CANVAS LEARNING PLATFORM. THE OVERALL TOPICS ARE THE SAME AS REGULAR EBC3 BUT YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO WORK THROUGH SOME ONLINE MATERIALS EACH WEEK AND ENGAGE IN GIVING REGULAR FEEDBACK. PLEASE READ THROUGH THE SYLLABUS CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CLASS.

Learning outcomes

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, risk, 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:
    a) understand upper-level written texts about the above business and economic fields
    b) write communicatively-effective texts, both descriptive and analytical (specifically reports), relating to these
    c) plan and hold an oral discussion (presentation & interaction) in small groups on a relevant topic

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
  • Critical thinking
  • Effective university-level study
    Attendance requirements

    As with all PI courses, attendance is a requirement to pass EBC3. As a special concession, you may miss up to three (3) meetings of your LV. 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.

    This attendance requirement still applies if we need to return to online teaching.

    Teaching/learning method(s)

    This EBC3 course will consist of a mix of self-study, interactive online activities, and live/on-campus classes relating to different aspects of the course. We will follow the content and topics of the standard EBC3 courses but will be using a mix of materials drawn from the EBC3 coursebook and new materials developed for the CANVAS learning platform.

    In the first part of the course, we will focus on content topics and discuss the orals and report writing.

    The second part of the course will comprise presentation sessions and 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 for each module. In the review session, 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
    Self-study materials will be posted every week and are designed to be used alongside class materials. 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, risk in international trade, financial management, and financial markets.

    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, posting and responding to threads in a discussion forum, 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.

    Assessment

    As EBC3 is a PI course, you must satisfy various criteria in order to pass:

    Oral group discussions (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.

    Feedback on Canvas learning platform (5%): This course is piloting a new learning platform and it is important for me to get constructive criticism about what has worked well and what you found less useful or difficult. Feedback will be collected in various forms and you will be given clear instructions on how to deliver it so that you can earn your points.

    Written Final Test (60%): 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.

    In order to pass the course, you must fulfill the following requirements:
    • score at least 60% of the overall points total achievable
    • complete at least THREE of the interactive elements (interactive tasks and/or orals)
    • 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.

    ---

    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 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.

    Readings
    1 Author: Mautner, Gerlinde / Ross, Christopher
    Title:

    Englische Grammatik für Studium und Beruf. Verstehen - Üben - Anwenden.


    Publisher: Linde
    Year: 2021
    Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
    Type: Book
    Recommended previous knowledge and skills

    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)
    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

    Globalization

    2

    Regional Trade Agreements

    3

    Market Entry

    4 Report Writing
    5 Legal English
    6

    Countertrade & Tender Procedures

    7 Risks in International Trade
    8

    Payments in International Trade

    9 Financial Management
    10

    Financial Markets

    11

    Business This Week

    12 Review
    Last edited: 2022-02-04



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