The course aims to develop general and operational abilities in English, as well as specific abilities as concerns the topics and specialized terminology contained in the textbook and the other study materials utilized; particular emphasis is placed on students' understanding and communicative abilities. 

 We will study objectives, functions, and ways of carrying out English in the specialized context of business-economics-commerce; the communicative environment and the roles of participants will be specified. 

The language level is B2 on the CEFR scale i.e., the upper intermediate level.  

In particular, the Course will address the language of presentation, publicity and marketing, and of economic-business terminology and concepts.  Furthermore present will be aspects of social media and the digital/multimedia world, as well as reflection on the topic of the 'globalization' of languages and communication which have obliged English to function as a lingua franca at the international level. Specifically, the course aims to explore techniques such as finding authoritative 'parallel texts' in English (online) and how to use terminology resources (also online) to bolster one's specialised language (economic-business-commercial) .

Note: The final exam of this course is preceded by a mandatory written test; after passing that students may attempt the last, oral, portion.          

                              The  textbook Units that students should study for the ORAL exam are divided according to the two groups present in the School of Economia; some students are taking the course to earn 6  credits, while others will complete more work and study more Units in the textbook to earn 8 credits.

  'Economic Analysis' students are enrolled in this class for 8 credits.

They should study and be ready to discuss the following Units/chapters of the textbook for their final oral examination:  

•  Units  3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20.

No prerequisite courses are necessary before attending the Business English II course. 

However - if your English (or your Italian) is not very strong - you are invited to take a remedial/refresher course in general English skills at the Centro Linguistico d'Ateneo (CLA - the official language learning structure at UniUrb).         https://www.uniurb.it/ateneo/persone-e-strutture/strutture-di-servizio/centro-linguistico-di-ateneo

These courses are offered in both semesters and are free for students enrolled at the Università di Urbino Carlo Bo.

Given that Business English II is offered in the second semester of the teaching year, IF NEEDED,  please try to attend a remedial English course at the CLA during the first semester; that way you can enter the class with a stronger level of general English.

Once you have attended a remedial/refresher course to strengthen your English: please contact the instructor of Business English II - Catherine Farwell - to decide together when you should try to take the final course written and oral exams.  

Knowledge and understanding: By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the most important lexical terms of the language of presentation and promotion, the field of advertising, and general concepts related to economic theory. Furthermore, they will be familiar with aspects of language specific to the multimedia world and will be able to reflect on the topic of "cultural diversity" and the "globalisation" of communication. To this end the students will be familiar with tools for recognising authoritative English-language business sites (parallel texts approach) as well as some authoritative tools (data banks) for specialised terminology.

 Students will also acquire skills with reference to understanding spoken and written language when the topics concern economics in general terms, in addition to the above-mentioned aspects. The language reference level is always B2 in the single European reference framework.

Applying knowledge and understanding: : The student* will be able to read and understand written and audio materials, and to respond appropriately when questioned on general content. He/she will also be able to understand written and audio passages corresponding to level B2 of the Single Framework, if the topics relate to economics and/or business/commercial aspects.

Making judgements:  students will be able to identify and analyse the information needed to understand both the general theme and the specific points of main importance in a written or audio passage.

Communication skills: :  students will learn to: read and understand the text and other materials presented and produce a written essay on the topic, and participate in a conversation at language level B2.
Learning skills: : Students will be able to apply the linguistic knowledge acquired in previous courses, integrating it with the specialist language (vocabulary and structures), together with the notions of content learned in the context of studies.

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in other words:

Knowledge and understanding: students will learn the most important terminology regarding the language of presentation and promotion in the field of business and advertising. Besides being familiar with the specific sector of multimedia and business, students will also study the language of “cultural diversity” and  globalization. They will acquire skills for understanding both the written and spoken language in general terms i.e., with reference to the topics studied. Students will be able to produce a written text and have a business conversation during the exam at B2 level of the Common European Framework. 
Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be able to read and understand written and audio material at B2 level, responding appropriately when questioned. 
Making judgements:  students will be able to use the language to interpret and analyse information both in general terms and in analysis of key points.  
Communication skills: students will learn to read and understand a variety of text types, both written and audio. They will develop writing skills for business communication and oral interaction at the B2 level.   
Learning skills:  students will be able to apply linguistic skills learned in previous courses, integrating specific lexis and structures to new content learned in their studies in the field of economics.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Attending students will be informed directly in the classroom about the possibilities of further activities to consolidate their business English; these are always held by prof. Farwell.  For example, the lecturer often organises support exercises to strengthen the skills of weaker students in the conceptual and terminological aspects of business English.

Teaching

Lectures

Save for the introduction of new laws (EXAMPLE: anti-covid measures),  lessons for this course will be taught - and attended - in person at the building named 'Palazzo Battiferri', which houses the Scuola di Economia in Urbino.

Innovative teaching methods

In addition to the traditional teaching methods adopted in this course,   techniques such as searching for authoritative 'parallel texts' in English (online) will be introduced, as well as how to use reliable terminology resources (also online) for specialised language (economic-business-business). In addition,  several text translations will be carried out with authoritative machine translation sites, in order to make the students* understand both the potential and the shortcomings of sites using Machine Translation (MT).

CLIL methodology is used in this course (content and language-integrated learning); in this approach L1 Italian-language students are allowed to ask questions or make observations in that language in cases where they lack understanding of the content expressed in English.  Additionally, clear communication is more important than flawless communication.

Attendance

Attendance is not obligatory but strongly encouraged.

Note:

Students who have decided not to attend lessons in person, but who study the course materials on their own (in Italian: so-called Non Frequentanti) must procure the course textbook listed above and prepare to take a written exam (Prova Scritta) and a final, oral exam (Esame Orale).

Non attending students should consult the Business English II Course Webpage (Moodle – Blended Learning) and read/practice with the supplementary materials uploaded there.

Course books

The official course textbook is:

• Business Benchmark - Upper Intermediate - Student's Book.   Guy Brook-Hart with David Clark /2nd Edition - BEC Edition)  B2 - Cambridge University Press - 2013.

Students who follow lessons - in person or online - do not need to purchase any of the other Business Benchmark texts in the same series.

• The instructor will post on Blended Learning (the course webpage) an exercise manual in pdf form to practice business letters.

Assessment

Evaluation of Learning 

Written test: reading comprehension exercise with a business topic  - a business writing exercise  - a listening comprehension exercise with a business topic.

Oral exam - final portion of the course evaluation process: students will discuss  with the instructor the required Units of the couse textbook:  Business Benchmark Upper Intermediate Vantage

• Passing the written test is a prerequisite to taking the final oral portion of the evaluation process.  Once students pass the written test, their pass mark is held for 1 year.  On any exam date thereafter, students may take the oral exam.   Upon written request it is possible to take both the written and the oral portions on the same exam day; however, students should request permission to do so by email - ahead of time, please.  

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Students who have decided not to attend lessons in person or online, but to study the course materials on their own (in Italian: so-called Non Frequentanti) must procure the course textbook listed above and prepare to take a written exam (Prova Scritta) and a final, oral exam (Esame Orale).

Non attending students should consult the Business English II Course Webpage (Moodle – Blended Learning) and read/practice with the supplementary materials uploaded there.

Attendance

 Non-attending students are kindly requested to contact the instructor , to let her know that they intend to study and prepare for the written and final oral exam as non-attendees:   (email) catherine.farwell@uniurb.it

 

Course books

For the name of the course textbook: please see the textbook details for attending students. The text is the same, as are the Units to be studied for the final evaluation process (written test on one day – followed by an oral exam on a subsequent exam date).

Assessment

For a detailed description of the learning evaluation process please see the details above (in the section for attending students). 

The final evaluation process is the same for all students: whether attending or non-attending.

 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Those who already hold a European language certificate or an authoritative international certificate (such as the TOEFL) are advised to contact the school's Teaching Commission when enrolling in the Master's degree course to find out whether they can obtain CFUs (university credits) for these documents. Sometimes it is possible to substitute an examination from among those of your choice in the second year of study at the Magistrale a Economia with such CFUs.

Those who earn an authoritative English language certificate during the course of their studies may ask if an abbreviated programme for the Business English II examination is possible.

The University of Urbino Carlo Bo is home to the certification exam for academic English "TOEFL"; please consult the page on this title on the Centro Linguistico d'Ateneo (CLA) page.

Equally important is the value of these qualifications in the job market.