License 2 Syllabus

Syllabus Semester I License 2012-2013

Important Information

Instructor:            Annika Gielen

Email:                     annika.gielen@univ-angers.fr          OR          amgielen@gmail.com

Class Blog:             englishclassdesk.blogspot.fr

Office Hours:       Room #503 IMIS-ESTHUA building  (by appointment)

Class Expectations and Grading Policy

·         Attendance – 5 %

Attendance is mandatory in accordance with the University of Angers standards as well as the IMIS-ESTHUA policy.  No absence is excused without a valid doctor’s note, transportation strike, or emergency.  You will lose points for not coming to class or for consistently arriving late.

·         Participation – 10 %

Participation, specifically speaking, is extremely important to learning English.  The more effort you put into your class the more you will get out of the class.  Participation includes individual and in-class assignments (both written and oral), your efforts pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and syntax, displayed level of comprehension and your ability to express yourself.

If you miss any classes*, be sure to check the blog to get the information!

*N.B. If you do not come to class it is likely that you will not pass this class, you will not have the information needed to answer test questions and you will lose automatically 15% of your grade.

·         CV in English– 20 %

You will learn how to correctly create a CV in English during the class and will be expected to write one for yourself for a grade.

·         Final Exam  – 65 %

This exam will cover all the subjects that we have learned in class throughout the semester.

Class Objectives

Purpose: Each class will have an introduction that will layout the goal of each course and the important points you should try and learn from the class.

Grammar and Vocabulary: Each class will cover some specific grammar points and vocabulary that will help you to complete the in-class activity or to discuss a topic.  This is not a grammar class so all grammar will be to help you to build on your existing knowledge. 

Expression and Conversation: The overall goal of this class is to improve your ability to express yourself correctly and with confidence.  It is important to participate as much as possible to improve your speaking abilities so that in your future job you will have the confidence to succeed.

 

English Resources

Anglophone Places in Angers

·         English Language Library / Bibliotèque Anglophone

60 rue Boisnet 49100 ANGERS    /   www.ellia.org     /  02 41 24 97 07   /   Tues – Sat: 1:00pm – 6:00pm

Library with a wide variety of materials in English including manuals to study for the TOEIC exam, bulletin board for language exchanges, tutors, private lessons and other various activities in English.  Sign up for the monthly news letter.  First year university students and foreign students – free / students L2 and up – 12€

·         My Favorite Place

4 rue l’Espine 49100 ANGERS   /  06 63 06 52 78

Café owned by an Irish woman in Angers.  Hosts weekly English conversation groups for students on Tuesdays from 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Dictionaries

www.dictionary.com   /  www.thesaurus.com : English-only resources

www.urbandictionary.com : modern slang dictionary for American English

www.wordreference.com : multi-language dictionary with forums for idiomatic phrases.  Extremely helpful resource complete with verb conjugations. 

Translators

N.B. DO NOT USE THESE FOR ASSIGNMENTS OR PROJECTS, I CAN TELL

http://translate.google.com

Finding Information

When looking for English-language resources on the internet, be sure to use websites in English or the English version of a website.  Ex: instead of using google.fr use google.com or google.uk. 

Wikipedia is not a reliable source; it is a good place to start.  In university assignments and projects, Wikipedia should not be your only source, you should have at least two other sources!  Remember: you are not allowed to copy and paste information from any website and use it as your own in your projects, this is plagiarism and is not expected.  For questions concerning plagiarism please feel free to ask me at any time.

Article databases and scholarly databases are a great and reliable way to find information. 

http://www.npr.org/collections/articles-databases

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat

Listening Resources

Free streaming information on the radio is a great resource to boost your oral skills:

www.npr.org – National Public Radio of the United States that covers all topics. (Podcasts, downloads and streaming)

www.bbc.co.uk/radio/ - Same idea but with the British accent and cultural aspects, the choice is yours!

Reading Resources

Blogs are an excellent and interesting way to practice your comprehension skills because you can find one about anything these days so there is sure to be one that interests you such as art, fashion, celebrity gossip, travel, politics, music, etc.   If you are really motivated you can even start your own!  I recommend following some blogs, if you aren’t already.   Don’t forget the class blog!

Video Resources

Watch your favorite television shows and movies in V.O.  Every bit helps, if you don’t know any shows I have some tourism based recommendations: No Reservations, An Idiot Abroad, or Globtrekker

These can be watched on:

www.natgeo.com

www.travelchannel.com

www.PBS.org