Unit information: Czech Language (follow-on) in 2016/17

Unit name	Czech Language (follow-on)
Unit code	MODL30012
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Ms. Nahodilova
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Relevant core language unit at level I/5
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Modern Languages
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

To revise and deepen knowledge of Czech/Catalan language acquired in 2nd year, to practise and develop students’ oral, aural, reading writing and translation skills; to give students further linguistic skills and cultural background.

Aims:

• To introduce students to a significant body of knowledge of a complexity appropriate to final year level. The content matter will normally include one or more of the following: literature; social, cultural or political history; linguistics; cultural studies; film, television or other media.

• To facilitate students’ engagement with a body of literature, including secondary literature, texts, including in non-print media, primary sources and ideas as a basis for their own analysis and development. Normally many or most of these sources will be in a language other than English and will enhance the development of their linguistic skills.

• To develop further skills of synthesis, analysis and independent research, building on the skills acquired in units at level I.

• To equip students with the skills to undertake postgraduate study in a relevant field.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be more confident in their ability:

1. to produce accurate and fluent spoken and written language in a variety of registers;
2. to understand written and spoken language studied at a more sophisticated level and
3. to put their skills into practice during their time abroad.

Overall, students will attain a level comparable to B2/C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF).

Teaching Information

3 contact hours dedicated to the development of key skills. Mostly seminar based with some lectures for the delivery of grammar lessons. Ongoing e-learning tasks via Blackboard.

Assessment Information

One 3 hour exam (75%) plus continuous assessment (25%)

The exam assesses the three written skills. Continuous assessment tests the oral and aural skills.

25% - Translation - 100% exam

25% - Guided writing - 100% exam

25% - Composition - 100% exam

25% - Oral(70%)/Aural(30%) split - 100% continuous assessment

The four key skills are; ‘Composition’, ‘Translation’, ‘Guided Writing’ and ‘Oral/Aural’.

‘Composition’, assesses the students’ ability to communicate in the longer written form in the target language, which can include essay writing. ILOs assessed: i, ii

‘Translation’ assesses the students’ ability to translate accurately and fluently into and out of the target language. ILOs assessed: i, ii

‘Guided Writing’, sometimes also known as ‘Mediation into the Target Language’, assesses the students’ skills in reading comprehension and in expressing material in the target language (Czech) in prose form (including condensing, translation into the target language, rephrasing, asking them to respond to structured or guided questions related to a given text, etc). It may also assess students’ metalinguistic and lexical competence (i.e. grammar and vocabulary). ILOs assessed: i, ii, iii

‘Oral/Aural’ assesses the students’ verbal and listening skills, communicating verbally and in comprehension of the spoken language. ILOs assessed: i, ii, iii

Students would need to achieve a pass mark (40) in their overall language mark. Marks of below 40 in any of the four language skills would not prevent a student from progressing, as long as the overall average remained above 40.

Reading and References

Selection of dedicated material prepared in-house (SML).

Grammar texts and dictionaries as appropriate to language area.