Course details

Conversation through Hot Current Issues

JA3 Acad. year 2023/2024 Summer semester 3 credits

Current academic year

  • The conversation class opens opportunity to talk about social and scientific controversial issues occurring daily on TV and in newspapers, and makes students think more deeply about these matters.
  • The aim is to bridge the gap between the artificial classroom conversation and the natural, real-life discussion, and encourage students to talk about things which really matter to them on a personal, political and moral level.
  • Students are expected to give presentations providing basic information on the topic. They are intended to be used as springboards for the discussions.

Guarantor

Walek Agata, Mgr., Ph.D. (UJAZ)

Course coordinator

Baumgartnerová Alena, PaedDr.

Language of instruction

Czech, English

Completion

Credit+Examination (written+oral)

Time span

  • 26 hrs exercises

Assessment points

  • 60 pts final exam
  • 40 pts mid-term test

Department

Department of Foreign Languages (UJAZ)

Instructor

Walek Agata, Mgr., Ph.D. (UJAZ)

Learning objectives

  • The aim of the English conversation class is to involve students effectively and in a stress-free way in discussions so they could feel more confident when engaged in more sophisticated debates.
  • We want students to practise a range of speaking skills such as negotiating, persuading, expressing and defending opinions, giving presentations, and also proper using stress and intonation.
  • Vocabulary including slang and idiomatic expressions will be constantly extended and revised.
  • The key aspect is to motivate students to create the content of the classes by themselves.


Active participation in classes along with passing a written exam will show that a student is able:

  • To communicate with greater confidence when engaged in more sophisticated debates,
  • to use wider vocabulary based on the topics discussed including slang, phrasal verbs and idioms, 
  • to apply smoothly and carefully all common grammar rules during conversation (grammar tenses, relative clauses, time clauses, conditionals, passive voice, modal verbs)
  • to use proper stress and intonation,
  • to give well-structured, attractive presentation
  • to negotiate, persuade, express and defend opinions.

Why is the course taught

The course enables students to acquire professional vocabulary, language functions and language skills necessary for active participation in seminars, lectures and other activities in the information and communication technology sector.

Recommended prerequisites

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

The student signed up for the class is expected to be able:

  • To use general vocabulary from all common areas (family, home, food, jobs and career, health and sickness, travelling and transport, sports, hobbies),
  • to apply carefully grammar rules during conversation (grammar tenses, relative clauses, time clauses, conditionals, passive voice, modal verbs),
  • to speak clearly with certain error tolerance,
  • to understand very well classes taught in English

Recommended prerequisite: New Headway Intermediate 2

Study literature

Progress assessment

  • Semester tests ... 40 points. 
  • Final exam ... 60 points. 


The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year.

Exam prerequisites

  • Written test (40 points), it contains vocabulary,
  • presentation (45 points), speech (15 points)

To pass this course one needs a minimum of 50 % in all activities. 

Course inclusion in study plans

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