Students will be expected to have a knowledge of the English language of at least B2 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

The course aims to consolidate and develop an advanced knowledge of the English language (at C1+ level) in the context of political and economic international relations.

By the end of the course, students should be able to understand news reports from the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle and France 24 English on contemporary political and/or economic issues, and summarize their contents succinctly.

They should be able to communicate effectively in both written and spoken English. To this end, they will be required to prepare a report, write a proposal and make a convincing case for action in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.

The course covers the following topics.

·          2024: the year of elections, crises and change;

·          The influence of National Populism on various elections among the world’s leading democracies, such as India, the United States of America and the European Union;

·          The activities and limitations of international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank;

·          Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism and Marxism as theoretical frameworks for analyzing and resolving real and imaginary dilemmas in international relations;

·          Economic, political and diplomatic measures available to prevent the escalation of international crises.

(C) Grieco, J., Ikenberry, G.J., Mastanduno, M. 2022. Introduction to International Relations: Perspectives, Connections and Enduring Questions (3rd ed.). London: Bloomsbury Academic.;

(C) Eatwell, R. & Goodwin, M. 2018. National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy. London: Pelican.;

(C) Paterson, K. & Wedge, R. 2013. Oxford Grammar for EAP. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

There is no difference in the programme for attending and non-attending students.

Power Point presentations and exercises will be provided during the course.

PDF files containing the content of each lesson should be downloaded from the professor’s university webpage and onto the students’ computers a day in advance.

• Conventional lessons in the classroom, group work, audio-visual comprehension and web quests to find additional information online. The methodologies used include Register & Genre Analysis, Task-Based Learning and the Lexical Approach.

  
  

   

• In order to be admitted to the final exam, students have to produce two pieces of coursework: a report and a proposal, written according to the professor’s instructions. 

  The final exam is made up of two parts: a written test (50% of the final mark) and an oral one (50% of the final mark).

  The written part consists of a written summary of a 4-5 minute-long video-clip from a news broadcast taken from the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle or France 24 English.

  The oral exam will consist of a PowerPoint presentation in which all group members have to speak. The presentation should identify a specific problem, suggest a practical solution and make recommendations. For example, a Development Aid Project.   

  Assessment of both parts will take equal account of linguistic correctness, accuracy and adequacy of content.

  
  

  
  

  Task 1 – (coursework) a Report

   

  Criteria: 5 points=excellent; 4=good; 3=acceptable; 2=poor; 1=weak; 0=insufficient sample of language

   

  Grammatical accuracy - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Punctuation, spelling, capitalization - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Appropriateness of language - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Relevance and adequacy of content - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Presentation, organization, cohesion and coherence - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Adequacy and range of terminology and lexis - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

   

   

  Task 2 – (coursework) a Proposal

   

  Criteria: 5 points=excellent; 4=good; 3=acceptable; 2=poor; 1=weak; 0=insufficient sample of language

   

  Grammatical accuracy - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Punctuation, spelling, capitalization - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Appropriateness of language - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Relevance and adequacy of content - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Presentation, organization, cohesion and coherence - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

  Adequacy and range of terminology and lexis - 0-5 points - (8.5%)

   

   

  WRITTEN TEST - Video-Comprehension and summary

  
  

  Criteria: 5 points=excellent; 4=good; 3=acceptable; 2=poor; 1=weak; 0=insufficient sample of language

   

  Grammatical accuracy - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Punctuation, spelling, capitalization - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Appropriateness of language - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Relevance and adequacy of content - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Presentation, organization, cohesion and coherence - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Adequacy and range of terminology and lexis - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  
  

  
  

  ORAL TEST - PowerPoint Presentation

   

  Criteria: 5 points=excellent; 4=good; 3=acceptable; 2=poor; 1=weak; 0=insufficient sample of language

   

  Pronunciation and fluency - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Content - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Grammatical accuracy - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Adequacy and range of terminology and lexis - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  PowerPoint Presentation - 0-5 points - (16.5%)

  Communicative effectiveness- 0-5 points - (16.5%)

   

English

English