Duration
60h Th
Number of credits
| Bachelor in philosophy | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course makes up the first part of the course for Philosophy students.
The course as well as the various learning activities aim at activating students' knowledge, preparing them to use the English language in an active way and introducing philosophy-related vocabulary.
Students must prepare actively and regularly at home for the weekly class. Active participation in discussions is necessary.
The coursebook includes the four main language skills (writing, reading, speaking and listening) as well as grammar and vocabulary in use.
Level B1-B2 course.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
This is a B1/B2-level course (the CEFR objective is to become an independent learner and user of English)
The dual purpose of the course is (a) to consolidate and extend the student's general language understanding and use and (b) to introduce the specific features of the language related to philosophy (vocabulary and language structures). This is done in the four language skills, i.e. reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
By the end of the year, you should be able to:
- read, understand and answer detailed questions about a variety of popular and technical texts with little difficulty;
- understand and answer detailed questions about videos/podcasts on a variety of topics;
- produce simple connected texts on topics that are familiar;
- present a subject and express your viewpoint, in speech or in writing;
- take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining your views;
- interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party;
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Basic knowledge of the English vocabulary and grammar ( A2+ level).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
- Revision and enrichment of the basic and specific English vocabulary as well as its appropriate use.
- Reading and listening comprehension: understanding texts, summarizing the information, reacting to the content.
- Oral and written expression: being able to express one's point of view on a given topic and summarize the main ideas of an article.
- Revision and extension of essential grammar principles and rules.
- Regular preparation and research tasks to ensure active participation in class
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
In addition to the face-to-face class, students are expected to work regularly on their own (self-study grammar, various tasks (reading, research,...) and homework).
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
-Coursebook English Level-1
- Reading File (for the oral exam)
-GABi (Grammaire Anglaise de Base interactive)
All the material is available on ecampus.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions ) AND oral exam
Continuous assessment
Out-of-session test(s)
Further information:
The final grade is divided as follows:
Continuous assessment (20%)*:
- Oral presentation* (10%)
- In-class test #1 (Q1 - argumentative essay) (5%)
- In-class test #2 (Q2 - defining, comparing and contrasting) (5%)
- Midterm exam (January): listening comprehension (20%) + grammar (10%)
- Written exam in June: reading comprehension (20%) + vocabulary (5%) + a writing task (argumentative essay + definition )(10%)
- End-of-year meeting (aka oral exam): 15-min discussion on (1) 6 articles from the reading file, (2) the June writing task, and (3) a topic taken from the class debates or oral presentations (15%)
PLEASE NOTE THAT
1) If you pass the January exam, you do not need to retake it in June/August (same academic year). However, if you obtain a grade below 10/20 on the January exam, you are required to retake this section in June/August. If you fail to do so, you will receive a zero for the January section. This grade is not rounded up. Therefore, students who obtain a grade below or equal to 9.99/20 on the midterm exam will have to retake it. This rule also applies in the case of a second session.
2) If you obtain a grade of 12/20 or higher for the oral exam in June, you do not need to retake it in August. Students enrolled in the second session and who obtained at least 12/20 in the oral exam in June may still decide to retake this exam. In this case, the grade used to calculate the final score will be the last grade obtained, even if it is lower than the grade obtained in the first session.
3) In June, if your overall mark (continuous assessment + January + June) is lower than 10/20, you will need to resit the failed parts (January and/or June, except the oral exam if you obtained at least 12/20 in June) in August. Students who are enrolled in the August session and who obtained at least 12/20 for the oral exam in June can still decide to retake it in August. If they do, the grade obtained during the August session will be taken into account, even if it happens to be lower than in June.
4) Final success of the course can only be recognized after submission of ALL the tests in the May/June session assessment program. For example, a student who presents the written exam without taking the oral exam will be awarded a final overall grade of 0/20 in accordance with the principle of solidarity that unites the different exams and tests
*5) The oral presentation constitutes a compulsory learning activity, planned exclusively during class hours, in the presence of the audience formed by other students. The purpose of the exercise is to assess oral communication skills in an authentic context, which necessarily presupposes interaction with an audience. A presentation given outside class hours or in the absence of an audience cannot meet these conditions and cannot therefore be recognized as valid. Consequently, any student absent on the day scheduled for their presentation will not be able to benefit from a new opportunity to present outside of the class periods provided for this purpose.
*6) In accordance with Article 64 of the General Regulations for Studies and Examinations (RGEE), work carried out during the teaching periods (in-class tests + oral presentation), and whose marks are included in the calculation of the final mark, is only organized once per academic year. For pedagogical and practical reasons-notably, continuous evaluation, specific supervision, group work, classroom interaction, and the practical organization of presentations-these assessments cannot be repeated in the second session. The grade obtained for this work is considered to be tied to each exam session and is therefore retained for the calculation of the final grade in both the first and second sessions.
NOTE:
- The highest grade is not retained from one session to the next, but the grade obtained during the current session.
- A grade cannot be carried over from one year to the next.
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Note: Only students who have a Cambridge (or similar) certificate can be exempted and choose another course.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The various documents are available on eCampus (www.ecampus.ulg.ac.be).
As self-learning study, students will be required to do exercises on GABi (Grammaire anglaise de base interactive - on eCampus).
Regarding the use of language-generating artificial intelligence:
Unless specific instructions are given by the teacher within the framework of well-defined activities, the ULiège Charter on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Academic Work applies.
Contacts
Caroline Van Linthout, ISLV, English teacher, C.VanLinthout@uliege.be