2020-2021 / LANG3015-1

English language for management

Duration

30h Th

Number of credits

 Master in law, professional focus in management2 crédits 
 Master in law (120 ECTS) (Droit économique et social, mineure gestion)2 crédits 

Lecturer

Ellen Harry, ISLV

Coordinator

Ellen Harry

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

30 hrs: The course is based on on a recent publication exploring the causes behind the financial crisis of 2008, as well as an integrated course manual at upper intermediate level (B2+) aimed at business people and students of business English:
- Cotton, Falvey and Kent. Market Leader. Intermediate Business Course Book. 3rd edition. Pearson Education, 2010.
- Lewis, Michael. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. W. W. Norton, 2010. 
The course manual is organized around thematic units relating to management and economic life. It offers a range of activities (articles from The Financial Times, expert interviews, speaking and writing tasks, case studies, grammar and vocabulary exercises) exploited in class as they relate to Lewis's book. This book will allow Law students to acquire the business English terminology and business language skills necessary to follow more complex business-related activities. 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

As this is a B2 (writing/speaking)/C1 (reading/listening) level course, at the end of the year, the intended key learning outcomes are that the students will be able to...


  • understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in business;
  • interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers possible without strain for either party;
  • produce clear, detailed text, comprising a range of business-related documents;
  • explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options;
  • understand extended speech and lectures on familiar subjects, taken from English-speaking media;
  • show a relatively high degree of grammatical control, and correct most of their mistakes.
This is in accordance with the programme objectives for the Master's degree in Business and Law.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

The course is open to Law/HEC-ULiège students having successfully completed the bachelor's course programme requirements regarding English, and to external students with an equivalent (intermediate) level of everyday and business English.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

This class uses a dynamic, interactive, and effective approach to learning business English and includes:
* active and regular participation in class discussions and debates on business themes, putting into practice the target business terminology and appropriate oral skills * the assessment of grammar through self-assessment tests, through former exam excerpts (1st week of class) and online self-study exercises through GABi; * periodic written assignments, testing writing and organizational skills; * interactive discussions on The Big Short, putting into practice oral skills and business knowledge; * improving listening skills with a focus on notetaking and presentations; * improving public speaking skills, thanks to a presentation based on class themes; * the transmission of relevant grammar and vocabulary through Market Leader, which uses material from authentic business sources, and The Big Short.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

A 30-hour course taught 2.5 hours per week in the spring semester.

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

If the sanitary situation deteriorates, classes will be replaced partly by video-conferences on Lifesize (or another platform) and partly by exercises to be completed on eCampus and/or Padlet. Students could be asked to create a narrated PowerPoint slideshow.
If necessary, the oral exam will take place on Lifesize or Collaborate.
The students will of course be updated on any change in the organization of the course and the exam.

Recommended or required readings

Course Book: Cotton, Falvey and Kent "Market Leader Intermediate Business Course". 3rd edition. Pearson Education 2010. Available in part on eCampus.
Lewis, Michael. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. W. W. Norton, 2010. 

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Any session :

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions ) AND oral exam

- Remote

written exam ( open-ended questions ) AND oral exam

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred in-person


Additional information:

1 self-assessment test (including vocabulary and grammar) and 1 writing test will be organised during the spring semester.
The presentations will take place in the weeks: 15th March, 22nd March, and 19th April. Students who do not perform their oral presentation will NOT be allowed to sit the May exam, and will have to sit the second session. 
All tests and essays will be taken into account as classwork. 
The exam in May, testing the language and skills taught throughout the year, will comprise an oral, reading and listening exam. 
The final marks (20 marks) will be awarded as follows:
Oral exam - 6 marks
Listening comprehension exam - 3 marks
Reading comprehension and written exam - 4 marks
Presentation - 4 marks
Classwork and self-study - 3 marks

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

Ellen Harry Chargée d'enseignement principal Bâtiment B33, Bureau des enseignants de l'ISLV, niveau -1 Sart-Tilman tél: 04/ 366 46 52 eharry@uliege.be