Guía Docente 2023-24
ENGLISH

BASIC DETAILS:

Subject: ENGLISH
Id.: 31916
Programme: GRADUADO EN PERIODISMO. PLAN 2014 (BOE 15/10/2014)
Module: LENGUA Y MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN
Subject type: OBLIGATORIA
Year: 1 Teaching period: Segundo Cuatrimestre
Credits: 6 Total hours: 150
Classroom activities: 68 Individual study: 82
Main teaching language: Inglés Secondary teaching language: Castellano
Lecturer: Email:

PRESENTATION:

This English course is structured around topics or themes that are directly related to the Media, and comes within the field of English for Specific Purposes, in other words the syllabus is designed thematically, working on skills, grammar and vocabulary relevant to each theme. There are four blocks or units: 1) TV, Social media and Film, 2) Advertising,Marketing and Business, 3) Journalism and 4) Photography. They have been chosen also to prepare you for subjects which will be taught in English throughout your degree programme.These blocks are structured so that you will gradually learn the language and contents necessary to complete the individual and group assignments, which will, in turn, help you prepare for the tests and the final exam. Attendance and participation in class are essential to ensure progress and successful completion of the course. A good balance of reading, writing, speaking and listening practice has been incorporated into the syllabus design.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES ACQUIRED IN THE SUBJECT:

General programme competences G01 Ability to analyse and synthesise.
G02 Problem solving.
G03 Ability to organise and plan.
G05 Use of Information Technologies.
G06 Knowledge of a foreign language.
G07 Teamwork.
G08 Interpersonal skills.
G09 Ethical commitment.
G10 Ability to work in an international context.
G11 Ability to apply knowledge.
G12 Ability to generate new ideas (creativity).
G13 Ability to undertake research.
Specific programme competences E01 Capacity and ability to fluently and effectively communicate orally and in writing in the native language; know how to exploit linguistic and literary resources that are most suitable to the different communications media.
E02 Ability to read and analyse specialised texts and documents on any relevant topic and be able to summarise or adapt them using language or vocabulary appropriate to the lay person.
E03 Capacity and ability to recover, organise, analyse and process information and communications for these to be disseminated, pursued or processed privately or collectively through different media and formats or in the creation of productions of one sort or another.
E04 Capacity and ability to seek, choose and prioritise any source or document (written, sound file, visual, etc.) of use in the creation and processing of information; likewise in the pursuit of effective communication or fictionalisation and entertainment.
E05 Basic ability to understand written or audiovisual news or communicative production in standard English.
E08 Capacity and ability to use the information and communications technologies and techniques in the various media or combined or interactive media systems (multimedia).
E09 Capacity and ability to use the information systems and resources and their interactive applications.
E10 Capacity and ability to discharge the primary journalism tasks.
E17 Ability to understand and analyse the social communicative situation in the Autonomous Region (structure, policies and working) in a Spanish, European or worldwide context.
E20 Ability to generate and disseminate the main media debates and events arising from the current situation, in accordance with communications strategies and interests of all sorts.
Learning outcomes R01 Study and analyse the main problems in English grammar and be able to measure formal/ functional correctness at CEFR B2.
R02 Understand topical texts in English as a result of the future communicator acquiring the abilities and skills required to be a solid reader and listener at CEFR B2.
R03 Focus the English learning from an inter-linguistics angle, contrasting it with the native language.
R04 Interact with others in English and take part in debates and conversations of all sorts at CEFR B2 level.
R05 Clearly and fluently present descriptions and arguments in English, adapting the style to the CEFR B2 level communications context.

PRE-REQUISITES:

This English course is a  B2 ( Upper Intermediate) level course. Even if you now have a B2 level, the course will give you many opportunities to extend your vocabulary, your knowledge of the Media and improve all of your language skills in areas that you have not studied previously. It is highly recommended that you have a high B1 level at the beginning of the course in order to be able to take full advantage of the course and work towards the B2 level required at the end of the degree programme. If you find it difficult to follow classes or do the English assignments, you should ask your teacher for help in tutorial sessions and/ or sign up for one of the General English courses offered by the ILM (Instituto de Lenguas Modernas). Your English teacher can advise and inform you about levels and timetables.

It is essential that all students read and follow the 'contingency plan' (medidas de adaptación por cuestiones sanitarias para alumnos) and assume individual responsibility for its contents, as well as accepting the consequences of not following these measures.

Students are required to make use of the programmes available for online sessions, PDU, Microsoft TEAMS and university email. During online sessions attendance and punctuality are as essential as during in-class sessions. 80% attendance is obligatory as is punctuality.

SUBJECT PROGRAMME:

Observations:


This year's course will be a hybrid system, that is 50% of classes take place in the real classroom, and 50% of classes take place online through TEAMS. Online classes are as interactive as those in the classroom, and as such students are expected to FULLY PARTICIPATE in class activities. These are not pre-recorded sessions but live classes. Any student not participating by not answering questions from the teacher, for example, will be marked absent from class. Subject contents, and the manner in which they are taught ( on/offline etc.), as well as the evaluation system may be changed at the teacher's discretion, and /or according to the constantly-changing health crisis. The hours below in class are for class J. Class I has 2 hours less in week 10 as there are no classes on Monday due to Semana Santa holidays (In total 66 hours in class instead of 68).

Subject contents:

1 - TV, Social media and FILM
    1.1 - Types of TV programmes
    1.2 - Social media and influencers
    1.3 - Film shots and angles
    1.4 - Storytelling
    1.5 - Film reviews and pitch session
2 - ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND BUSINESS
    2.1 - Advertising Techniques
    2.2 - Marketing
    2.3 - Business language
3 - JOURNALISM
    3.1 - The Language of the News
    3.2 - Examining and designing newspapers and news websites
4 - PHOTOGRAPHY

Subject planning could be modified due unforeseen circumstances (group performance, availability of resources, changes to academic calendar etc.) and should not, therefore, be considered to be definitive.


TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODOLOGIES AND ACTIVITIES:

Teaching and learning methodologies and activities applied:

Learning/ Teaching Methodology employed: A communicative approach will be used in class.  Students work in groups or in pairs, practicing oral English with the teacher and among themselves.  The use of this approach guarantees that the student uses grammar, vocabulary and language structures according to a B2 level.  Students are expected to participate in class in English and practice it with communicative learning activities. Classes will be developed using some texts and different pedagogical resources.  This methodology encourages students to learn in a more independent and responsible way.  Students are expected to study grammar and do the self-study exercises required each week.  During classes students are expected to talk in English and put into practice their knowledge.  Self-learning strategies will be taught in class to help students to develop a more independent way of learning. 

 

Participation: Because English class is the only place where you can practice listening and speaking, class attendance is crucial. Class activities are carried out entirely in English. You are expected to participate actively in class. Since one of the course objectives is to help students to interact in everyday situations in English, actual communication in the classroom will be emphasized. It is extremely important that you come well prepared to class. For the most part, grammar should be studied at home; a small percentage of class time is intended for grammar instruction and practice.  Group exercises will be done in class to incorporate the new grammatical concepts learned. If you have doubts or questions, these exercises may be discussed, or on a limited basis, reviewed in class. In addition, always remember to consult the teacher during office hours (or by appointment) when you are having trouble. The teacher will be happy to help you and she assign you specific exercises. 

 

Homework/ tasks: You are expected to prepare daily for class, reading and studying the corresponding assignments which are on the PDU and following the weekly activities on this syllabus. You will be responsible for checking the syllabus on the PDU to know by when activities need to be completed. The teacher will check that you have completed the exercises and she will correct and give feedack on written assignments and unit tests.

 

Academic expectations:  San Jorge University and the Institute of Modern Languages maintain a high standard of academic integrity among its faculty members and students. In becoming part of the San Jorge University academic community, you are responsible for honesty and independent work. Any student who takes part in any act of academic fraud will be seriously taken into account and his/ her grade will be considerably reduced. Dishonesty and/ or plagiarism includes, for example: using another person’s ideas without referencing appropriately; inventing a bibliographical reference or pretending to have consulted one; inventing research results without having done the research, etc. This inappropriate behaviour will be considered especially in relation to texts copied from Internet. ALL work must be your own work, without the help of others. Writing that may primarily be someone else’s work will not be accepted. To clarify what kind of help is admitted, refer to the following list.

 

YOU MAY: 

 

YOU MAY NOT:


Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will automatically result in failure (no second chances given!). It only takes one act of academic dishonesty to fail the entire course.

 

Courtesy
Everyone will be encouraged to participate in class and it is essential that full courtesy is awarded to your classmates. Intentional class disturbances (for example: using instant messenger programmes, keeping your mobile phone on in class, accepting a phone call during class, text messaging or listening to personal audio) will result in a penalty of absence from the class for those involved in the distracting behaviour. As a courtesy to your teacher and to your classmates, please make sure at the beginning of each class period that your mobile phones are turned off.

Assignments
All assignments must be typed. Double space your assignments and use Times New Roman size 12 and uploaded on time. Late or handwritten work will not be accepted.  All files must include the student’s full name followed by a hyphen and the title of the task. For example:

James Smith-Audiovisual Translation Task 1


Audiovisual materials must be sent in the format requested by the teacher or work could result in being awarded a 0.

Student work load:

Teaching mode Teaching methods Estimated hours
Classroom activities
Master classes 1
Practical work, exercises, problem-solving etc. 47
Debates 4
Coursework presentations 6
Films, videos, documentaries etc. 4
Assessment activities 6
Individual study
Tutorials 6
Individual study 56
Individual coursework preparation 14
Group cousework preparation 4
Compulsory reading 2
Total hours: 150

ASSESSMENT SCHEME:

Calculation of final mark:

Written tests: 30 %
Individual coursework: 25 %
Group coursework: 15 %
Final exam: 30 %
TOTAL 100 %

*Las observaciones específicas sobre el sistema de evaluación serán comunicadas por escrito a los alumnos al inicio de la materia.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND DOCUMENTATION:

Basic bibliography:

All materials needed will be available on the PDU.

Recommended bibliography:

HANCOCK, Mark. English Pronunciation in Use Intermediate with Answers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007
MURPHY, Raymond. English Grammar in Use: A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English ; with Answers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010
Redman, Stuart: English Vocabulary in Use, Intermediate, Cambridge,Cambridge University Press,2003.

Recommended websites:

Duolingo - a free website to improve your general English through levels with an app for a smartphone www.duolingo.com
CNN news www.cnn.com
Cambridge online dictionary -use for definitions and pronunciation http://dictionary.cambridge.org
Dictionary for spanish - English translation http://www.wordreference.com
BBC news http://www.newsbbc.co.uk
Aljazeera news website english version http://english.aljazeera.net
El Pais - English version http://www.elpais.com/misc/herald/herald.pdf
Excellent website - The Guardian newspaper (UK) www.guardian.co.uk
Exercises based on news article www.onestopenglish.co.uk
Grammar exercises to test yourself http://www.nonstopenglish.com
The Independent newspaper www.independent.co.uk
Language exchange - to write to native speakers and exchange language skills www.lang-8.com
Learning english website -lots of activities - BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml
Listening exercises website http://www.esl-lab.com
Live UK radio - music and news stations http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/
The Telegraph newspaper (UK) www.telegraph.co.uk
British Council resources for teenagers, with videos and more https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/


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