The course "Introduction to Integrated Language Studies" provides an introduction to the practical study of the English language at university level. Class work will include practical language sessions, written homework items, a referenced essay, and a set of electronic grammar assignments to be completed throughout the semester.

Students will be given the opportunity to develop both their receptive and productive language skills. This will involve listening practice (including many varieties of English); reading and writing (covering a variety of genres relevant for university work); and speaking, with special emphasis on communicative effectiveness and academic register. The homework and class exercises will also lead to a diagnostic evaluation of English proficiency and advice for further self-study.

Assessment for the course is via a portfolio on a pass-fail basis. You must pass all the portfolio items in order to pass the course.

Materials for the course will be provided via Stud.IP, and students will be given suggestions for grammar reference works and dictionaries at the start of the semester.

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LANGUAGE AIMS

During the course, students will work towards achieving the following advanced-level competencies according to the Common European Framework of Reference:

Listening
-Understanding extended speech, lectures and news reports, even those containing complex lines of argument, in both standard dialects and other varieties of English.

Reading
-Understanding long and complex factual and literary texts; appreciating distinctions of style.

Writing
-Expressing ideas in clear, well-structured text; expressing points of view on complex subjects at some length with a(n academic) style appropriate to the reader.

Speaking
-Expressing ideas, accounting for and sustaining opinions and taking an active part in discussions fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. (Note that speaking plays a larger role in the second half of the course.)