English B1 – Listening Syllabus 2016/17INSTRUCTOR Peter Cullen

e-mail: peter.cullen@uniurb.itricevimento: lunedì ore 8-9 DISTI 2° floor – corridor on the right, first door – and after class, and by arrangement via email.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONThis course is designed to integrate language learning with topics fundamental to the content provided in the business and economics courses offered in the Language and Culture for Business programme. Topics covered in this course look at the fundamentals of psychology, culture, language and communications and how these relate to business.

Students at the B1 level in English are NOT expected to purchase a textbook for the listening. Material for this exam is provided online through the blog www.cl4englishlistening.wordpress.com. Further material for independent study is listed at the end of this syllabus. Students are invited to test themselves via the resources on the blog, specifically the practice exams available on the page “resources”. Exam simulations will be held throughout the year.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING!!!! The topics for the final exam are generally treated during the lessons. Since language is a cumulative skill, the lessons are important moments in which students can practice their listening and speaking skills – specifically oriented toward topics that may appear on the exam. Coming to class will give students an idea of what the exam will discuss. Specific exam simulations will be held throughout the year. These will show the student EXACTLY how the final exam operates and will address the specific topics of the final exam.

Although not a regulation, it is fundamental that students come to class. Active linguistic skills such as listening and speaking require constant practice and exposure. It has been statistically proven that students who DO come to class perform better on the exams! There is also material for self-study at the Centro Linguistico d’Ateneo on Via Budassi and on the blog www.cl4englishlistening.wordpress.com. You may ask the secretaries there for the listening material for Doctor Cullen’s B1 listening course: this includes exercises as well as exam simulations and exams from previous years.

We will hold periodic exam simulations throughout the year. These are very useful experiences in which the student can see what a language exam in Lin-Az actually looks like and learn how these exams are structured. This important practice helps calm the nerves and produced better results!!! DO COME TO THESE!!!

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING!!!! The topics for the final exam are generally treated during the lessons. Since language is a cumulative skill, the lessons are important moments in which students can practice their listening and speaking skills – specifically oriented toward topics that may appear on the exam. Coming to class will give students an idea of what the exam will discuss. Specific exam simulations will be held throughout the year. These will show the student EXACTLY how the final exam operates and will address the specific topics of the final exam.

The B1 level (1st year) written exam is divided into 3 parts1. Grammar test (a variety of exercises including a brief translation exercise from English into Italian)-no dictionaries allowed !2. Reading Comprehension (no dictionaries allowed)3. Writing (about 150 words) (no dictionaries allowed)The average of the three parts will determine a final grade for the written exam which is worth a third of the total for English 2.

The other two parts of the B1 exam are:1. Listening + “accertamento linguistico”2. Corso monografico

The course will deal with a wide variety of topics, in order to prepare for the written exam, and the oral “accertamento linguistico”. For this part of the oral exam students must study all 8 units from The Business

2.0 B1+ Student’s Book (MacMillan Ed.) and be prepared to discuss and explain the topics from any of the units.

It is necessary, however, for students to participate and be responsible for doing homework, and studying topics which may not be covered during class. Those who cannot attend lessons should contact the teachers for more information.It is necessary to do practice tests during the year, beginning early in the year (during the first semester !), in order for each individual to focus on his/her weaknesses and work on improving these with help from the teachers. It is especially important for students to practice writing as a part of their homework since improvement in this area takes time and cannot be done in a short period. It is necessary to hand in work done at home and have it corrected by the teachers in order to make progress.As a university student, and a language student, YOU have the responsibility to organize your time for study and make use of the resources provided to you. Your teaching staff is available to assist you as much as they can. DO contact teaching staff via email or after class with any problems, observations or comments about the subject matter. Specific questions related to administration and university procedures may be directed to the Department’s student tutors. Their email is tutor.lingue@uniurb.it

MODULE 1 – Human learning and thoughtOBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:

1 Understand basic vocabulary and expressions related to basic topics of learning and thinking.2 Understand basics of question framing3 Understand basics of conversational turn taking, interjections and response/reply

WEEK 1TOPIC Intro to course and question; What is Learning?USE OF ENGLISH

Asking questionsVocabulary on learning: practice, time, barriers.Discussion – how do people learn things?

LISTENING Video: How to Learn Anything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY

WEEK 2TOPIC Learning techniques and the brainUSE OF ENGLISH

Discussion: How do people learn things?How do YOU learn things? Preference and/or your brain

LISTENING Video: How to Learn a Language in 6 months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0yGdNEWdn0

WEEK 3TOPIC Science of learning 1: MemoryUSE OF ENGLISH

Presentation: The Biology of memory and implications for learningShort term memory and long term memory

LISTENING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0cnyqzqgkQ

WEEK 4TOPIC Memory v. ExperienceUSE OF ENGLISH

Discussion of happiness and what we attend to in life.Telling ourselves and others stories. Narrative skills.

LISTENING Daniel Kahneman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgRlrBl-7Yg

WEEK 5TOPIC Science and Learning: ConsciousnessUSE OF ENGLISH

Presentation and Discussion of the physiology of consciousnessIntent and Attention

LISTENING John Searle on Consciousness and Causality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCii726A4Jc

MODULE 2 – Cultures and languages

OBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:1 Carry a basic discussion about culture and relationships to language2 Make propositions and support points of view – agreements and disagreements.

WEEK 6Practice Simulation Exam

WEEK 7TOPIC Science of Learning 2: Physiology and LanguageUSE OF ENGLISH

Vocabulary: brain and compositional nature of expression, basic linguistic concepts

LISTENING Sereno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rconzwB422s

WEEK 8TOPIC Frames and Associative ThoughtUSE OF ENGLISH

ComparisonsPresenting conclusions, challenging conclusions

LISTENING George Lakoff – http://fora.tv/2008/06/20/George_Lakoff_on_The_Political_Mind Kanwisher

WEEK 9TOPIC Writing and InstitutionsUSE OF ENGLISH

Discussion: spoken v written formsFormals and informals

LISTENING John Searle (again!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D10lAx3wfDk

WEEK 10TOPIC Culture and nothing – cultural attention and expressionUSE OF ENGLISH

Language of time: calendars, hours, precision v accuracy, objects and universals

LISTENING Deacon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvFE1Au3S8U

MODULE Cultures and BiasesOBJECTIVESStudents will be able to1 Discuss fundamentals of what makes up a culture and discuss categorization2 Use language of identity: individual and group3 Express critique and analysis of contemporary western cultural systems

WEEK 11TOPIC Cultures and mental worldsUSE OF ENGLISH

Use of descriptors – adjectives, adverbs that describe groups.Language of comparison and analysis of groups

LISTENING East Asians v Westerners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoDtoB9Abck

WEEK 12 Practice Simulation Exam

WEEK 13TOPIC Social Intelligence and the wisdom of the crowd (note Francis Galton)USE OF ENGLISH

Language of morality: should, must, have to, don’t have to.Exercise: how much do I way?

LISTENING Bill Von Hippel on neuroscience of social intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2wIS8UejE

WEEK 14TOPIC Societies and networksUSE OF ENGLISH

Vocabulary of agency, groups, emergent properties, membership, responsibility

LISTENING Christakis on Sociology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wadBvDPeE4E

WEEK 15TOPIC Culture and CrisesUSE OF ENGLISH

Discussion: nations and history, frames and institutionalizationCulture and political debate

LISTENING Trompenaars on culture and biases https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmyfjKjcbm0

MODULE 4 Cultures and BusinessOBJECTIVESStudents will be able to1 Use basic vocabulary of business systems2 Relate business practices like management and marketing to language and culture3 Be aware of and identify listening strategies for video and audio comprehension

WEEK 16 Simulation Listening Exams 1 and 2

WEEK 17TOPIC Culture and economic behaviourUSE OF ENGLISH

Basic vocabulary for understanding business systems and the economy: exchange, trade, work, production, environment, social development

LISTENING How econ behaviour defines culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZ3XJgfOwI

WEEK 18

TOPIC Culture and consumption – emotions, shared emotions and emotional intelligenceUSE OF ENGLISH

Language of empathy, intro marketing language

LISTENING Innerscope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JXyhJYsFbQ

WEEK 19TOPIC Culture and managementUSE OF ENGLISH

Language of management: the job, careers, organization, leadership and direction

LISTENING Avon CEO Andrea Jung on management: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RjAfqKfWlw

WEEK 20 Simulation Listening Exams 3 and 4

RECOMMENDED READINGS1. Robert Boyd and Peter J. Richerson, The Origin and Evolution of Cultures(OUP, 2005)2. Terence Deacon, The Symbolic Species (W.W. Norton & Co., 1997)3. Terence Deacon, Incomplete Nature (W.W. Norton & Co., 2012)4. Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner The Way We Think (Basic Books, 2002)5. Chris Frith, Making Up the Mind (Blackwell, 2007)6. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013)7. Eric Kandel, In Search of Memory (W.W. Norton & Co., 2006)8. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Philosophy in the Flesh (Basic Books, 1999)9. Dario Maestripieri, Games Primates Play (Basic Books, 2012)10. Richard Nisbett, The Geography of Thought (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2005)11. John Searle, Making the Social World (OUP, 2010)

RECOMMENDED DICTIONARIES

BILINGUE: Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary / Oxford-Paravia Il Dizionario- English-Italian, Italian-English (OUP)

MONOLINGUE: Oxford English Dictionary (OUP)ONLINE BUSINESS ENGLISH DICTIONARY

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english

EXAMSLISTENING This exam consists of a brief (3 - 3.5 min) recorded text. You will listen to the text three

times with a pause of 3 min and 4 min between each listening. The question sheet consists of 5 open answer questions each worth 4 points and 5 true/false question each worth 2 points for a total of 30 points. This exam may be taken during any exam session of the academic year independently of the rest of the rest of the B1 written exam. All sections of the written exam must be passed by the end of the academic year in order for the student to register the completed mark.

ORAL EXAM This consists in a brief conversation about basic situations in life and then turns to specific language, culture and business related topics. The topics for the oral exam come from the readings in The Business 2.0 B1+ Student’s Book (red cover) (Ed. Macmillan, 2013). Students are expected to read the 8 chapters of this book. Discussion means conversation about the topic, not repetition of the content. This is valid for oral exams with any B1 instructor.

FOR FURTHER READINGUSEFUL LINKS Further reference of European Common Framework Requirements are listed in the

following pages.

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/cadre1_en.asp

The following websites are useful for the necessary independent study:

www.cl4englishlistening.wordpress.com – blog containing material directly related to B1 and B2 listening at DIST Uniurb. Also contains links to dozens of external resources for language, culture and business related topics.

www.engvid.com – website containing hundreds of instructional videos on many points of grammar, reading and listening strategies, composition, business language, and vocabulary building.

www.lcbenglish.wordpress.com – blog specifically with writing and style guides (see right-hand column)

www.ted.com – online presentations on many topics from culture and economy to politics, psychology, sociology and science. Often a resource and inspiration for language exams.

http://fora.tv/ - excellent site offering videos of conference presentations. Many in-depth discussions and presentations on the leading academic topics of our time.

http://www.economist.com – link to The Economist, UK business, economics and political society weekly magazine. Online audio and video is good.

USEFUL BOOKS Raymond Murphy: English Grammar in Use (Cambridge English)

Bill Mascull: Business Vocabulary in Use – Intermediate (Cambridge English)

Ann Baker: Ship or Sheep? 3rd Edition (Cambridge English) – a pronunciation course

Michael McCarthy, Jeanne McCarten: Grammar for Business (Cambridge

English)

The Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition (University of Chicago Press) – standard academic and professional manual on American composition style

New Oxford Style Manual (Oxford University Press) – standard academic and professional manual on British compostion style