Business English (5cr)

Objective

By the end of the course, you will be able to

- understand the business terminology common in printed or electronic brochures and independently produce such material;
- use the vocabulary, structures and style required, and communicate effectively through various media suited to the needs of the target group in question;
- discuss current business events both at home and abroad, including issues related to entrepreneurship, regional development, and SMEs;
- plan and implement engaging team-based oral presentations;
- write summaries of current business texts in English;
- retrieve written and online information, and present the information in a professional way; and
- take ownership of and responsibility for topical/thematic team discussions related to business.

Content

The principal contents of the course relate to the following:

- versatile texts dealing with business and economy, including topics like entrepreneurship, regional development, and SMEs;
- summaries of current texts in English;
- development and reinforcement of the specific English language skills needed in discussing topics such as personal finances and project management; and
- vocabulary, structures, and style in business writing.

Qualifications

This course is suitable for both degree and exchange students. In either case, a proven ability to study and work with others in English is required.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

1 You submit assigned coursework late on more than one occasion and clearly and consistently demonstrate significant difficulty understanding and following the lecturer’s instructions. Your participation in the scheduled course activities is sporadic and/or minimal, and results in you contacting the lecturer on more than one occasion for information already provided or readily accessible through the course Web site. The student’s involvement in pair and group work is such that he/she is seen as a liability (as reported in peer evaluations), and he/she does not meet his/her own learning goals for most of the course.

2 You complete all of the assigned coursework, but have considerable difficulty understanding and following the lecturer’s instructions (as demonstrated in the form of incorrectly completed work, late assignment submissions and the like). You often demonstrate a lack of preparedness for presentations, and receive marginal evaluations from other students. You do not meet your own learning goals for most of the course.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

3 You complete all assigned work and receives mixed, although mostly favorable, evaluations from other students. Your written and spoken English is understandable, but doesn’t clearly show signs of having studied, practiced and rehearsed the key business English terminology appropriate to the subjects in question. You meet your own learning goals for all or most of the course.

4 Your presentations are generally of high quality in terms of both written and spoken English, but don’t necessarily reflect an academically appropriate level of content investigation and/or research. Other students’ evaluations of your work are favorable, and you meet your own learning goals for the course.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

5 You consistently demonstrate the ability to present engaging, well-prepared presentation contents in clear and business-like English through a diverse range of communication channels. You are reported to be a top performer by other students in the class through peer evaluations, and meet or exceed your own expected learning goals for the course (as reported in your self-evaluation).

Materials

All course-related study materials are provided by the course lecturer through the course website.