• Cook Frances

COURSE ENROLLMENT:  Before enrolling, you have to do an online placement test and attend an oral placement interview. Then register for the course and the exam session (a two-step process) via MyUnifr. Detailed information on the language course enrollment procedure is on the Language Center website: https://www3.unifr.ch/centredelangues/en/courses/students/registration/

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR:  Students at the University of Fribourg who use English very well in most formal and informal situations, who do some of their academic work in English, and who need (or want) to improve their oral and written English for academic and other purposes.   You need to develop greater accuracy and fluency in using precise words (e.g. hallmark, underpin), complex or less-frequent structures (e.g. unreal conditionals, inversions), and to develop greater skill and nuance in, e.g., describing observations, recounting events and arguing positions.  

WHAT THIS COURSE FOCUSES ON:  The course aims to make your speech and writing clearer, more concise, more compelling, and more appropriate to given situations. The course also encourages you to use English more critically, creatively, regularly, and with greater enjoyment.  

METHODS: This is an interactive, hands-on, workshop-format English language course. Pre-assignments are a major feature of the course and will mostly be available via MOODLE.  They involve listening exercises, readings, writing activities, etc. that you have to do before coming to class.  We will do numerous language-focused exercises to develop your lexical repertoire and to add detail, precision, and complexity to your English. Regular interaction with interesting and engaging reading and listening texts of an interdisciplinary nature will provide a platform in which to develop both your speaking and writing skills. Throughout the course you will be encouraged to develop your critical thinking skills and to express your ideas more effectively and precisely. We will also explore and review key areas of grammar and vocabulary to gain a deeper understanding about what language to use in different situations. A focus on informal versus formal language use will help to heighten awareness of the latter for academic usage.

Assignments will allow you to practise describing observations, reporting on events and findings, and arguing positions from various perspectives. Typical assignments include oral presentations, small-group discussions, along with the writing of various short academic papers.

Assessment: Regular attendance is required. This course is graded on a pass or fail basis which takes into consideration regular attendance, active participation, focused attention (ie. you are not distracted by digital devices for personal reasons), timely completion of in-class and out of class assignments & presentations. The course involves approximately 3 hours of out-of-class work per week. A certificate of achievement can be requested from the secretary’s office upon successful completion of the course.        

Lecturer: Fran Cook      francescook@unifr.ch

Schedule: Thursday, 10:15 – 12:00

Room: 3.16  MIS 10, Language Center

Course: R021.0006     3 ECTS

Note: Start Date: Sept 19^th