Study Programmes 2016-2017
LANG0918-1  
English - Module 3 - Seminar of English used in the human resources management
Duration :
30h Th
Number of credits :
Master in political sciences : general (120 ECTS)5
Master in human resources management (120 ECTS)5
Master in labour sciences (120 ECTS)3
Lecturer :
ISLV, Nathalie Schraepen
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents :
Course contents : This course is designed to give students a grounding in English for Human Resource Management. We have chosen to focus in particular on one aspect of HRM: recruiting. The reason for this choice is that job-hunting and recruiting interest all students, as at some time or other they will be confronted with the process, be it on the recruiters' or applicants' side of the desk. It is also a field which enables the exploitation of a lot of HRM vocabulary and gives the opportunity to cover a wide range of grammatical structures and practice all four linguistic skills.
The course is organised around a coursebook based on recent reference books such as "What colour is your parachute 2017" (2016) and "You're hired! Job hunting online" (2016) as well as on expert interviews. This coursebook is ideal for those new to the world of employment and develops the specialist language knowledge and communication skills that job seekers need to apply for and secure jobs. It covers such areas as preparing a CV, writing a covering letter, asking and answering interview questions and includes plenty of practical, authentic material which can be exploited in class.
In addition to recruiting, the course will also cover other subjects such as job satisfaction, teamwork, performance evaluation and salary negotiations, but in less detail.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit :
The intended key learning outcomes, compatible with the B2/C1 level and with the programme of the Master's in HRM, is for students to be able to :
  • understand extended speech, even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly.
  • express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
  • use language flexibly and effectively for professional purposes with a particular focus on job interviews, taking into account the multicultural and international features of their environment.
  • formulate ideas and opinions with precision both orally and in writing.
  • write a CV and a covering letter.
  • ask and answer job interview questions.
In addition, the course will encourage students to be creative and self-sufficient and to demonstrate a critical and ethical mind and scientific precision in the analysis of complex situations.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
The level of this course corresponds to the European levels B2/C1. Students will thus need to have a good basic knowledge of English and a thorough knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar studied in the first-, second- and third-year courses in the bachelor's degree.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
This class uses a dynamic and interactive approach to learning English for HRM. The methods and activities used will involve:
  • the transmission of relevant grammar and vocabulary, using material from authentic business sources.
  • interactive role plays which will put into practice the students' oral skills and business knowledge.
  • listening activities using authentic business material.
  • business writing practice testing the students' vocabulary, formality and organisational skills, focusing on preparing CVs and writing covering letters.
  • there will be at least one guest speaker from a local company coming to share their HRM experience.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Weekly 2-hour classes will all be given in English during the second term.
Classes will be organised from February to May 2017.
There will be 2 groups. It is important to keep the two groups more or less the same size.  For this reason, students should contact the teacher to sign up for a group.
Recommended or required readings :
The course is based on the coursebook English for human resource management - M2 in HRM - HEC, ULg - 2016-2017
This coursebook will be on sale at Intercopy (ST) and available online on ecampus from mid-January 2017.
Assessment methods and criteria :
1. Written exam: (10/20)
This will test:
> the vocabulary and grammar seen in the course.
> the student's ability to express their opinion in writing.
> the student's ability to formulate and answer questions.
2. Oral exam :(8/20)
This exam will test:
> the student's ability to communicate opinions clearly and effectively on a subject they will have time to prepare just before the exam.
> the student's ability to participate actively in a role play based on scenarios related to the course.
3. Listening comprehension:(2/20)
This exam will take place just before the written exam.
N.B. The marks obtained for the listening comprehension count for the second session if they are 10/20 or higher.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
Nathalie Schraepen N.Schraepen@ulg.ac.be
ISLV office in Sart Tilman: level -1 in B33 (Trifac), tel: 04 366 46 52
Items online :
Online course on ecampus
https://www.ecampus.ulg.ac.be:8443/webapps/blackboard/content/listContentEditable.jsp?content_id=_157668_1&course_id=_7298_1&mode=reset