VB038 English conversation

Faculty of Informatics
Spring 2009
Extent and Intensity
0/2. 0 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Martin Dvořák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
PhDr. Ivana Tulajová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Ivana Tulajová
Language Centre, Faculty of Informatics Division – Language Centre
Contact Person: PhDr. Ivana Tulajová
Timetable of Seminar Groups
VB038/01: Thu 10:00–11:50 C511, M. Dvořák
VB038/02: Thu 14:00–15:50 C511, M. Dvořák
Prerequisites
VB001 Specialist English
It is only the students who have passed the VB001 examination that are allowed to enroll in the course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course strives to teach students to give a fluent academic paper on an IT-related subject and increase their potential to readily react to their audience's questions and comments. Special attention is paid to sentence connectors, pronunciation, persuasive force of the message projected, advanced grammar structures typical of academic speech, and other related areas.
Syllabus
  • Topics discussed: how to deliver a successful and persuasive paper, cryptography, operating systems, Web services, viruses and malware, Java, WIFI, and other IT-related topics
  • Grammar: Subjunctives, sentences with negative openings, mixed conditionals, sentence connectors, phrases
  • A paper on an IT-related topic is given every lesson.
Literature
  • SWEENEY, Simon. English for business communication : a short course consisting of five modules: cultural diversity and socialising, telephoning, presentations, meetings and negotiations., Teacher's book. 1. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, vii, 120 s. ISBN 0-521-44621-X. info
  • ELLIS, Mark and Nina O'DRISCOLL. Giving presentations. 1st pub. Harlow: Longman, 1992, 96 s. ISBN 0582064414. info
Assessment methods
Every student who wants to take an examination in this subject is required to give a paper at one of the semiars and submit a translation of an IT-related English text (1 page A4, double-spaced, handed in at least 3 weekdays prior to the examination) accompanied by their own English résumé of the passage (no longer than 10 lines) and the original English text (remember to enclose the bibliographical information!). The total length of the translation and résumé should not exceed 1 page (A4, double-spaced) and 10 lines and should not be considerably shorter.
The examination of the students failing to meet one or more of the requirements mentioned above will automatically be considered failed and such students will not be allowed to sit for its oral part! The oral part of the examination consists in a discussion of a specialized topic (that of the translation) as well as questions pertaining to the grammar and vocabulary areas dealt with in the seminars.
To be granted "requirements fulfilled" only, the students must give a paper at one of the seminars.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught each semester.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2002, Spring 2003, Autumn 2003, Spring 2004, Autumn 2004, Spring 2005, Autumn 2005, Spring 2006, Autumn 2006, Spring 2007, Autumn 2007, Spring 2008, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Spring 2010.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fi/spring2009/VB038