ENGLISH LANGUAGE

1-5 module, 2002 / 2003

Course designers:
Ms Marenkina O. (coordinator), Ms Burdonskaya R., Ms Salistra V., Ms Lyapunova E.

Aims. The program is designed to meet the requirements of NES where English is the language of instruction. It means that students are supposed to acquire professional economic terminology as well as to master their study skills necessary in the School, i.e. to learn to:

• - read efficiently scientific literature in Economics;
• - listen to lectures of visiting professors who operate in English and take adequate notes;
• - write papers, reports, essays, resume, C.V., statement of purpose, business letters;
• - give oral presentations on research subjects(predominantly Economics) and participate in discussions;
• - develop speaking skills for social contacts.

Content. The program is provided for the students whose language proficiency is at intermediate,upper-intermediate and advanced level,i.e. those scored 500 or above on the entrance English examination which is modeled after the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

English course is obligatory for the students in the first year and is offered in two sessions:

a) Pre-session Intensive English Course (10 days,6 academic hours per day)

b) In-session English Course (6 academic hours per week,120-250 academic hours according to the level of students’ language proficiency)

Exams are held during academic year as the program is covered.

Pre-session English Intensive Course.

The purpose of the course is to prepare new students for the academic year,to ease their adaptation to the English-speaking environment at NES. The program is split into three main parts:

- English for Specific Purposes (Economics).

Aims: to introduce students to the contents of Economics, to familiarize students with authentic texts written in the language typical of the subject, to help students practice the skills needed to study the subject via English. (10 days, 2 ac.h.d.) Valeria Salistra,Elena Kumanina

- Study Skills.English for Academic Purposes.

Aims: to develop skills in listening to lectures,note-taking,improving reading effeciency,building-up vocabulary. (10 days,2 ac.h.d.) Regina Burdonskaya,Elena Tolstikova

- General English (communicative functions).

Aims: to improve speaking and listening skills to be able to communicate with English-speaking professors. (10 days,2ac.h.d.) Olesia Marenkina, Natalia Yakovleva

Courses in Study Skills and General English are obligatory, ESP is designed mostly for the students who do not possess any knowledge in Economics.

In-session English Course. At the end of Pre-session Intensive Course, students are streamed into two sub-groups: Intermediate and Advanced. Further studies of the target language are intended to develop writing and oral presentation skills for academic purposes and improve spoken language .A total of 180-340 academic hours of English instruction is offered.

Advanced students are required to take courses during the 1^st year in:

-Giving Oral Presentations

Aims: to systematically present and practice language and techniques to give effective oral presentations on scientific and professional subjects and participate in discussions. (3ac.h.w. - 60 academic hours) Regina Burdonskaya

- Academic Writing

Aims: to enable students to express themselves coherently in writing in the target language for academic purposes (essays or reports). (3ac.h.w.- 60 academic hours) Valeria Salistra

At the end of the 1^st year advanced students must take two in-class exams: to write an essay,with choosing a topic from the list provided by the teacher, and give a home-prepared fifteen-to-twenty minute oral presentation followed by a general class discussion. According to the results of the exams, students receive their final grade.

After covering Pre-session Intensive Course, two courses within In-session English Course and self-study in the Language Lab, advanced students fulfil the program of approx. 180 academic hours.They may continue their studies in the Language Lab or attending elective courses in the target language(mentioned below).

Intermediate students are offered more extensive program in the 1^st and 2^nd academic years.They are obliged to enroll in the course comprising:

-General English

Aims:to develop skills in speaking ,listening,reading and writing, studying communicative functions of the target language. (3ac.h.w.-78 academic hours ,1^st year) Olesia Marenkina

-English for Economics

Aims:to develop skills in reading Economics,improve general-scientific and scientific vocabulary (3ac.h.w.-78 academic hours,1^st year) Elena Kumanina

-Giving Oral Presentations

(3ac.h.w.-48 academic hours ,2^nd year); Regina Burdonskaya

-Academic Writing

(3ac.h.w. - 48 academic hours, 2^nd year); Valeria Salistra

-Self-Study in the Language Lab is considered an integral part of training English and is graded at the end of the course.It covers an audio-course (Economics and Business English) in the language of figures and data and facilitates the fulfilment of home assignments in other ESP courses. (approx.40 academic hours throughout academic year); Olesia Marenkina

Class-in exams in General English (exam) and in English for Economics (exam) are held at the end of the 1^st year; in Academic Writing and Giving Oral Presentations are held at the end of the 2^nd year year, when intermediate students receive their final grade,having covered the program of approx.340-350 academic hours(including Pre-session Intensive Course).

All students are encouraged to use the facilities of the Language Lad for self-study to keep up their proficiency in English.

In addition to the regular in-session courses, elective courses are offered:

Career English designed to instruct students to write resume,C.V., statement of purpose, job application letters etc. ,and Pre-Course to help pass TOEFL and GRE exams., Doing Economics in English.

Final grade in English is averaging of the grades in the following courses:

• -Academic Writing (48-60 ac.h.) - exam
• -Giving Oral Presentations (48-60 ac.h.) - exam
• -General English (78ac.h.-intermediate) –exam
• -English for Economics (78 ac.h.-intermediate) - exam
• -Self-Study Course in Language Lab (20ac.h.-advanced;40ac.h. - intermediate)

Final grading assumes to add or subtract 0.3 score according to;

• -how regularly the student attends class sessions;
• -whether the student turns in home assignments when scheduled.

English language program designed for NES, provides comprehensive training, as it incorporates four essential language skills:reading,writing,speaking and listening, placing special emphasis on traditionally ignored skills as listening and writing. Such an integrated approach enables NES students to implement their knowledge of English directly in the School as well as to have the necessary background to further practice and extension of the target language.

List of basic materials in use:

1. Economics. Ch. Yates :Prentice Hall,Inc.1992
2. Study Skills. M.Wallace: Cambridge University Press 1991
3. Understanding & Using English Grammar. В.Аzаг:Prentice Hall Regents 1989
4. Spectrum 4,5,6. Donald R.H.Byrd:Prentice Hall Regents 1986
5. Developing Reading Skills. Grellet:Cambridge University Press 1989
6. Giving Presentations. M.Ellis:Longman 1992
7. Academic Writing. R. Jordan:Nelson 1990
8. English Grammar Practice. L. Alexander:Longman 1992
9. Learn to Listen,Listen to Learn. R.Lebauer:Prentice Hall,Inc. 1988
10. Headway Upper Intermediate. Lohn & Liz Soars:Oxford University Press 1987
11. Presenting Facts and Figures.D.Kerridge:Longman 1992
12. Functions of American English.Leo Jones&C.von Bayer:Cambridge University Press 1983
13. Effective Presentations. J.Comfort:Oxford University Press 1995