Course details
English: Conversation
JA3 Acad. year 2012/2013 Winter semester 3 credits
TOPICS TO BE COVERED IN THE CONVERSATION CLASS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – WHERE DO WE GO? What are the main dangers of scientific advances? Will science end the world or save the world? What are the most important inventions / discoveries ever? Will machines rule the world? THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS What is (un)happiness? What makes us feel happy? Does it lie within us or outside us? Do you think some nations are happier than others? MONEY - THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL? Can you imagine living in a world without money? Would there be no poverty? How would the world be different if all the money was shared out equally among all people? Is money really the root of all evil? Are rich people more attractive? NOBODY NEEDS A GUN Gun massacres in schools. Why do people keep guns? Why do men love guns that much? Would you ever use a gun? CAR - A DANGEROUS WEAPON? Do we make way for cars or cars make way for us? What countries produce the best cars? Do you think the car a person drives is an extension of his/her personality? SPACE EXPLORATION - LIVING ON MARS FOREVER? Is everything perfect in the Universe? Is it worth spending so much money on space research? Is colonizing space essential? TELLING LIES Are we honest? How honest are we? Are we strong enough to face the truth? How to tell the truth? When to hide it? DEATH PENALTY Are you in favour of death penalty? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? Is capital punishment deterrent to crime? How many innocent people have died from the death penalty? NOT MY TYPE Biting nails, thin legs, bad complexion - what do you avoid in a partner? COMPUTERS - FOR BETTER OF FOR WORSE? How have computers changed the world? In which areas of our life is a computer vital? Does a computer give us a greater freedom? ADDICTIONS Alcohol, smoking, drugs, chocolate, shopping, football, sex - what are we hooked on? ART What is art? Does art change the way we think or feel? How would the world be different without artists? BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING Do we really care for freedom? Do you think that a surveillance society is a safe society? Do our parents respect our privacy? IMMIGRATION AND RACISM Why are we racists? Will racism ever disappear from the world? What are the benefits of immigration?
Guarantor
Language of instruction
Completion
Time span
- 26 hrs exercises
Department
Instructor
Subject specific learning outcomes and competences
Students will develop the ability to speak English fluently and confidently, especially in less formal contexts. The activities will also increase the students' sensitivity to the way conversations work.
Learning objectives
The aim of the English conversation class is to involve students effectively and in a stress-free way in discussions so they could feel more confident when engaged in more sophisticated debates. • We want students to practise a range of speaking skills such as negotiating, persuading, expressing and defending opinions, giving presentations, and also proper using stress and intonation. • Vocabulary including slang and idiomatic expressions will be constantly extended and revised.
Recommended prerequisites
- New Headway Intermediate 2 (BAN4)
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The prerequisite for this course is a higher knowledge at the BAN4 level.
Syllabus of seminars
Item has no outline.
Syllabus of numerical exercises
- Students learn about the aims of the course.
- Describing and giving reasons for one's aims in life. Finding solutions to a problem.
- Agreeing on a shared holiday. Ranking places for a sightseeing tour.
- Choosing someone for a job.
- Ranking objects.
- Memory, insight into the process of communication. Recognizing the functions of gestures in English.
- Ways of being polite in social encounters. Social behaviour in the target language.
- Problems people encounter when living in a new country. Assessing the progress of students in the course. A cross-cultural discussion about gifts and giving.
- To get students to share opinions. Sharing opinions on family. Telling each other about emotions.
- Promoting discussion about inventions. Showing empathy. Things students value in their daily lives. Discussing priorities for the future.
- Deciding on individual responsibility for a tragedy. A conflict situation in having to decide what to do.
- Discussing the role of secretaries at work. Planning a short holiday.
- To be announced.
Progress assessment
Active participation in seminars, semester tests with the pass mimimum of 50 % (= 20 points).
Controlled instruction
The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year.