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Instructors: N.N.
Event type:
Seminar
Org-unit: Maschinenbau
Displayed in timetable as:
EfME SP
Hours per week:
2
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | 25
Requirements and recommendations:
There are no formal requirements for this course. It is recommended that you are willing to speak English and that you feel you can effectively communicate (this does not mean you need perfect grammar!). If you are unsure about your English, please contact the instructor.
Contact person:
Ms. Teresa Marie Behr
tbehr@mail.upb.de
Comment:
This course is designed to improve students' oral (spoken) and aural (listening) proficiency in English. The course is therefore focussed on having students speak and interact in a variety of formats -- informal discussions, formal presentations, debates, responses to presented content, and in spontaneous speech situations. If you do not want to talk (and to learn how to talk better), this is not the course for you. If you like to chat and are willing to participate in a non-traditional language seminar, then welcome!
In addition to practicing speaking, the course will offer targeted one-on-one pronunciation training (if necessary) based on a student's first language in order to improve their accent when speaking English. It will also offer some general tips and pointers for giving presentations and public speaking in a foreign language.
The course content is organized around the topic "Science Fiction, Pop Culture, and Technological Reality". Students will be asked both to read excerpts from longer science fiction texts (Brave New World, Ready Player One, or Philip K. Dick short stories, for example), as well as watching movies where technology plays a crucial role in the plot (Existenz, I, Robot, or Short Circuit, for example) and to use their knowledge of existing engineering technology to critically examine and discuss the reality and/or plausibility of the technological predictions/descriptions in these works. Students will receive 4 ECTS for completing this course; it is therefore expected that students will invest time outside of class to watch the assigned movies (showings to be organized through the English Film Club) and to read the assigned texts.
Important notes:
Students wishing to register for this course during the first registration phase should contact the instructor directly.
If there are any open places left over during the revision phase, students will be able to sign up directly in PAUL.
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