English Language and Culture 2
Instructor: Anastasia Chrysanthopoulou
Language: English
Degree: Undergraduate
Department: Department of Primary Education
Year of Study: YEAR 1- SPRINGTERM
Code: PED 282
Type of Course: Compulsory
ECTS: 5
Available for Erasmus Students: Yes
Within the ERASMUS framework students from other European Universities may choose to attend courses of foreign languages which are assigned ECTS credits
Prerequisites
Good knowledge of English is recommended towards students’ successful completion of the course (C1 ,C2)
Course description
- This course is for students who have a B2 C1, C2 Language level(Upper intermediate –Advanced) and are interested in finding out more about British culture , and language use in relation to culture, society, communication.
- Give students an opportunity to explore how the language has developed historically, spread globally, and undergone transformations in relation to technology and different media forms.
- Develop an increased Language awareness.
- Reflect on the association between language and cultural identity .
- Practise all four skills, reading writing, listening and speaking
- The course is structured around a number of tasks, all of which involve developing a better understanding of how the English language continues to change and create opportunities for shaping personal and social identities
- The course takes authentic English material in context as its starting point. Tasks and discussions will help you measure your understanding and practise your English throughout the course. At the end of each week you will be asked to describe your own feelings and experiences about that week’s topic in a short piece of writing.
- Learning Outcomes
- Apply strategies for reading and comprehending advanced authentic texts.
- Students Expand /enrich Vocabulary
- Improve all four language skills – reading, listening , speaking ,writing to a satisfactory level.
- As students explore how English has ‘moved’ in these various ways they will come to appreciate the utility and versatility of the English language and develop an increased awareness of their own creative potential.
- Develop further language skills using the technology available in addition to classroom training. In other words students are prepared for autonomous learning.
- Investigate how languages shape cultural identity both within and across borders.
- Discuss the notion that translation is as much a cultural process as a linguistic one.
- Respect for difference and multiculturalism
Course Material
- Why do we need to learn Greek & Latin roots?
- ETYMOLOGY: History of the English Language
- David Crystal – English as a global Language
- What language barrier? : Men and women do not communicate in the same way. But is there really any evidence to support this Mars-and-Venus theory
- A melting pot : look at new loan words, food vocabulary and lexis of a colourful nature.
- How politeness is distinct to a culture, and the ways in which language is used to reinforce ideas of politeness.
- Pronunciation Change – Pronunciation and public image
- Language alive: look at changes in the words and expressions we use.
- New worlds, new words: look at how vocabulary variation reflects culture change.
- English and the internet
- Modal meanings and functions
- Shakespeare’s Language
· Language and translation: explore the challenges faced by translators when trying to make concepts understandable for audiences with different cultural reference points and background.
Teaching Activities
Lectures and classroom exercises/activities (3 hours per week)
Activity
Lectures and classroom activities. 13X3 = 39 hours
Reading- Language and lexical exercises 11 hours
Assessment
- To be exempted from the written Final Exam students should submit an original copy of their Language Certificates
- Level C1, Advanced, grade 6
- Level C2, Proficiency, grade 7
- Students are expected to write an Optional assignment – essay of 500 words on a general social issue, present an opinion , argument or problem, in consultation with the teacher, in Times New Roman or Calibri size 12 double -spaced.(+ 20% of the overall assessment)
- The Writing task is evaluated according to the following criteria:
Task response: ability to address the topic fully by presenting and supporting ideas thoroughly.
Coherence and Cohesion: writing organization and its logical sequence.
Lexical resource: the use of a wide range of relevant vocabulary in a natural way.
Grammatical range and accuracy: the use of grammatically correct and complex structures.
- Participation and attendance (+10%of the overall assessment)
All the taught material and suggested bibliography are uploaded online (e-class)
Use of ICT
Use of IT in teaching, and in communication with the students (e-class).
Support Learning through the e-class platform
