Learning outcomes

The course aims to deepen the skills acquired through the LELVB001 English 2 course (level B1 or higher).

The student will target the following English skills (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, hereafter CEFR):

  • Listening: C1
  • Reading: B2+
  • Speaking: B2
  • Writing: B2

Please refer to the CEFR's Companion Volume with new descriptors for more information on the different criteria and indicators that will be used for assessment.

 

Goals

Overall, it will be expected that the student masters the following B2-level English skills:

The learner will be able to:

  • develop a clear argument by highlighting significant points and relevant elements.
  • respond with ease and spontaneity to questions and arguments from others.
  • synthesize information and arguments from different sources and present them through an oral presentation.
  • understand and exchange complex information and opinions on a wide range of topics related to their field(s) of study.
  • use expressions (e.g. 'language chunks') to buy time to formulate their thoughts and maintain control of the conversation.

 

Content

The classes, conducted entirely in English, are designed to be primarily interactive in order to develop the productive skills (both oral and written) of the learners, focusing on topics and themes relevant to undergraduate students in History and Art History and Archaeology, while also addressing more cultural aspects of the English-speaking world. The more passive aspects of learning will be carried out through tasks such as course preparation, reading, and listening to be done at home.

A series of themes and skills will be covered, which may include (depending on the schedule, student interests, and availability of external speakers):

  • Participation in debates (i.e., roles, functions, argumentation)
  • Hypothetical structures (e.g., to discuss alternatives, counterfactuals…)
  • CVs and online presence (e.g., via LinkedIn) to develop a professional network
  • The United States of America
  • Monuments
  • Folklore
  • Scientific writing (including using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT)
  • Business history
  • Transmission of historical, artistic, and archaeological knowledge through various modes
  • Designing a guided tour of central Namur and practicing it on-site
  • Technical aspects of cinema; comparison between historical accuracy and cinematic representation
  • Creating a video capsule for popularizing historical, artistic, and/or archaeological knowledge
  • Participation in a researcher’s presentation with a Q&A session
  • Participation in an academic conference
  • Reading academic texts
  • Acquiring specific vocabulary related to history, based on one of the Secondary School Vocabulary Lists (SVL), and general academic vocabulary (AVL)

Among the course objectives are:

  • Active participation in interactive seminars with historical, artistic, and/or archaeological content
  • Presentation of a seminar (potentially organized in pairs) combining a personal presentation based on a research question with a series of oral activities for peers

The precise content of the lessons will be adapted according to the interests, needs, and suggestions of the students.

 

Table of contents

Please refer to the "Content" section for the various topics that might be covered.

There is no syllabus, but slides from the activities and additional vocabulary will be made available on WebCampus. The course coordinator will provide students with various documents according to the needs of the educational activities. The historical vocabulary list, which is an exemplified version of the History section of the Secondary School Vocabulary List (SVL), will be available at least in PDF format and may be available in other formats (Word/Excel) upon request to the course coordinator.

Exercices

Free conversation exercises (improvisation based on current topics) or guided exercises (e.g., role plays), aiming to expand vocabulary and develop strategies for expressing opinions and describing objects or ideas.

Occasional grammatical revisions based on difficulties encountered (e.g., tenses, false friends, subject-verb agreement). Correction of frequent errors among French-speaking learners.

Formative assessment in the form of productive tasks to be completed throughout the year; the grades obtained will be part of the continuous assessment.

 

Assessment method

Two marks out of 20 points will be given to the student during the year: a partial mark in January (according to Article 79 §1 of the Décret Paysage, which requires an assessment for all learning activities in the 1st term) and a final grade in June. Each time, several components will be taken into account, as outlined below.

The partial mark for January will consider the following elements:

  • Partial final evaluation (60%) in the form of a written exam (maximum of 2 hours), including the following types of questions:

    • Historical and/or academic vocabulary (depending on progress during Q1): e.g. sentence creation, fill-in-the-blank sentences…
    • Written production: responding to one or more reflective questions based on one or more topics covered in Q1, as well as on at least one new textual resource (reading comprehension) and one new audiovisual resource (listening comprehension).

  • Ongoing evaluation (40%) based on the following elements:

    • Attendance and active participation in class
    • Written productive task(s) completed at home or in class
    • Preparatory task(s) for the project on popularizing historical, artistic, and/or archaeological knowledge
    • Vocabulary test(s)
    • Oral presentation of the content of a research article in English and a mini-debate

Notes:

  • Failure to complete at least two productive tasks will result in a global zero for the continuous assessment. The same applies to a student who does not present a research article or fails to submit a preparatory task for the popularization project.
  • If the student is absent more than twice without a valid justification, they will receive a global zero for the continuous assessment.
  • A global zero for any part of the summative or continuous assessment will result in a global zero for the partial grade in January.

 

The final mark for June will consider several elements:

  • Partial mark from January (20%).

  • Ongoing evaluation (20%) based on the following elements:

    • Attendance and active participation in class
    • Written productive task(s) completed at home or in class
    • Production of a video capsule as part of the project on popularizing historical, artistic, and/or archaeological knowledge; if time allows
    • Vocabulary test(s)
    • Presentation of an interactive session based on a research question (contextualization, theory, potential answers) and management of oral interaction activities based on at least one framework game. This work should ideally be based on another task completed in the context of a pre-seminar or seminar course.

  • Final evaluation in the form of the following elements:

    • Written exam (15%) with a maximum duration of two hours:
      • Historical and/or academic vocabulary (based on progress during Q1 + Q2): sentence creation and fill-in-the-blank sentences
      • Written production: composing an argumentative text that will be a personal reflection on a topic proposed by the instructor.
    • Oral exam (25%): a 15-minute interview during which the student will need to express their opinion or argue about at least one topic covered during the year, including interactive sessions by other students.

Notes:

– Failure to complete at least two productive tasks will result in a global zero for the continuous assessment. The same applies to a student who does not present an interactive session or fails to submit a video capsule related to the popularization project.

– If the student is absent more than twice without a valid justification, they will receive a global zero for the continuous assessment.

– A global zero for any part of the summative or continuous assessment will result in a global zero for the final grade in June.

 

In case of failure at the end of the June session, the student may retake the failed part(s) of the assessment; the final grade in August will be weighted the same way as in June. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the instructor for feedback and instructions on how to proceed for the second session, particularly if the student had received a global zero for one or more deficiencies: they will need to complete the missing parts and compensate for absences through a task to be determined.

Note: students with specific needs who are unable to attend classes and/or participate in any part of the assessment under ordinary conditions must notify the Cellule d'Appui Pédagogique (CAP) and their academic councellor of their adaptation requests at the beginning of the academic year, who will pass the necessary information to the instructor to arrange reasonable accommodations. Late notifications will not be considered.

 

 

Warning: please note that passing for this teaching unit does not imply certification.

Sources, references and any support material

Resources :

  • Various news websites (p.ex. theguardian.com ; economist.com ; statista.com)
  • Audiovisual resources (p.ex. YouTube.com)
  • Lexical resources (p.ex. EAPFoundation.com)
  • Social media platforms (p.ex. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok)
  • Generative AI (p.ex. ChatGPT)

Supports :

  • WebCampus (slides, vocabulary…)
  • Teams
  • OneDrive



 

 

Language of instruction

Français