Higher Education Studying at Masaryk University (1) 1. Work in groups. Sort out the cards with MU organizational structure items. To organize the items, use the type of information organizer you have on your group card. Make the chart on the reverse side of this handout. 2. Can you pronounce the following words? university, faculty, biology, science, scientific, geography, department, genetics, mathematics, chemistry, ecology, specialist, genomics, earth sciences, microorganism, physics, molecular 3. Find the intruder. Look at each group of words and indicate which one does not belong there. § consist of contain comprise continue § be made of be composed of be made up of be made 4. Find partners from the other groups who have the same colour of the card as you have. Explain your chart to the new group and then compare with their results. If you hesitate, consult the paper version of ‘www.muni.cz’ 5. Homework: Search ‘www.muni.cz’ and answer the questions concerning the university and faculty managements. a. Who is the current head of MU (official position, name)? b. Who are the academic staff of the rector’s office (official position, name)? c. Who is the head of the Faculty of Science (official position, name)? d. Who are the academic staff of the dean’s office (official position, name)? e. Who is the head of: Biology Section Institute of Anthropology Institute of Botany and Zoology Institute of Experimental Biology Studying at Masaryk University 2 Task 1: Listen to the text about Libor Novák, a student of Masaryk University in Brno. Libor Novák, a student talks about himself. Hello. My name is Libor Novák and I come from Jeseník, a small town with a population of about 10,000, in the mountains of northern Moravia but I’m currently living and studying in Brno. I study Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, which is very demanding but I am enjoying the challenge. I’m in the second year of a five year course which means that next year I’ll be able to start specializing by choosing options in those areas which interest me most. Before coming here I attended the grammar school in Jeseník where my favourite subjects were Mathematics and Chemistry. On the other hand, I found languages more difficult and had to put in a lot of extra work to pass my school leaving exams. At the moment I am living in the halls of residence in Komárov although next year I will have to leave and find a place to stay privately since there are not enough rooms for all the students who want them. I share a double room with another student from Jihlava called Radek Kašpar who studies Geology. He would have studied Physics if it had been possible but he didn’t get a high enough mark in his entrance exams. Task 2: Pavel Zemánek is a postgraduate student. You want to ask him some questions. Complete the questions. 1. Where ……………………………. from? 2. What ………………………………do? 3. What ……………………………... research ……….. ? 4. Why ……………………………... updating his C. V. ? 5. What ……………………………. like to do? 6. Where ………………………..….. living? 7. Who ……………… you……………………. to share a flat …………? 8. Why …………….... you …………………… to share a flat? Task 3: Read the text about Pavel Zemánek and answer the questions above. Pavel Zemánek is a postgraduate student. Hello. My name is Pavel Zemánek and I come from Znojmo although I have been living in Brno for five years. I am a postgraduate student doing research in ecotoxicology which is a field that is currently producing very interesting results. Soon my course will be finished and so I am very busy updating my C. V. and applying for jobs with companies who specialise in this kind of work. It would be nice if I could continue to work in this area after the completion of my course. At the moment I am living in a bedsit near the centre of town but soon I am going to share a flat with some friends in a suburb of Brno. This will make it cheaper since we will share the rent between us. Task 4: Role play: Open day at Masaryk University. Work in groups of four. Study your part following the instructions in the box. A (a potential student) Prepare questions on the studies at MU. B (a third year student of MU) Be ready to inform on your current studies. C (head of the department) Give an informational talk on your Department. D (a member of the administrative staff of the study department) Give information on the running of the faculty. Task 5: Fill in the gaps with the words below. assignment form play truant sit/take an exam course lecture revise fail staff-room enrol mark scholarship study pass seminar tutorial vacation 1. My daughter is in the fifth …………………………… of the local comprehensive school. 2. The teacher gave him a very high ……………………… for her essay. 3. If you get a ……………………………… to a school or university, your studies are paid for by the school or some other organization. 4. When he was a student at university he used to work during the summer ……………………… as a waiter. 5. A …………………………. is a prepared talk to a group of students given by a teacher at a university or college. 6. You don’t usually talk about homework at university. You use the word …………………………… instead. 7. The ………………….. is where teachers in a school relax and prepare their lessons. 8. A …………………… is a lesson in which a teacher at a university or college discusses a subject with a group of students. 9. She went on a …………………………………. to learn about word-processing. 10. A ………………………… is an individual lesson given by a teacher to one or more students. 11. I can’t come out tonight, I’m afraid. I’ve got to ……………………….. for a test. 12. This course is very popular. If you want a place on it you’d better ……………………. today. 13. She went to university to ……………………………………..mathematics. 14. He was very upset when he ………………………………. his exams, especially as he thought he had done so well. 15. We are going to …………………………………. the Cambridge First Certificate examination at the end of the month. 16. To …………………………………..means to stay away from school without permission. 17. She was extremely intelligent and found it very easy to …………………………. all her exams. British and American Universities Task 1: Can you name some famous British or American Universities? What do you know about them? Task 2: Read the text on British University Qualifications and complete the chart. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | University degree | Length of the course | Abbreviation | |------------------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------| | | | | |------------------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------| | | | | |------------------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------| | | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ British University Qualifications British universities offer a number of different undergraduate and postgraduate degree awards. The commonest undergraduate degree is called a bachelor's degree. The best known bachelors' degrees are the BA (Bachelor of Arts) and the B.Sc (Bachelor of Science). A bachelor's degree usually marks the completion of three or four years of undergraduate study. There are four divisions of the bachelor's degree award: o first class honours (I) o upper second class honours (II i) o lower second class honours (II ii) o third class honours (III) o pass A postgraduate degree is called a master's degree or a doctorate (doctor's degree). The commonest masters' degrees are the MA (Master of Arts) and the M.Sc (Master of Science). Master's degree programmes usually involve one or two years of postgraduate study. Most departments in British universities also offer the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D). This degree is usually granted after three or more years of postgraduate study (depending on the individual student), and involves some original research. People who have been awarded a doctor's degree can be called "Doctor" (instead of Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms). Every British university produces undergraduate and postgraduate prospectuses with precise details of every degree awarded in every department. The name given to a degree award varies. For example, people who have been awarded a BA degree from Oxford or Cambridge University can obtain an MA degree simply by paying a fee. Some universities do not award any BA and MA degrees, and others do not award any B.Sc and M.Sc degrees. In some university departments the name of the degree gives a more precise indication of the subject specialism - an undergraduate degree in Music, for example, is sometimes called a B.Mus. http://www.warwick.ac.uk/EAP/bulletin_board/tests/index.html Accessed 26.9.2005 Task 3: Admission to universities in Britain. Listen to the tape and then decide which of the statements are true and which are false (T/F) 1. Each university has a separate entrance exam. T/F 2. National school – leaving exams are called A levels in Britain? T/F 3. The students choose the universities and the courses they are interested in by looking at prospectuses. T/F 4. The prospectuses are available only in the school careers offices. T/F 5. UCCA stands for Universities Central Council on Admissions. T/F 6. The students apply directly to the universities themselves. T/F 7. You can apply for admission to more than 5 universities. T/F 8. The academic year starts in September. T/F Based on ‘Study Speaking’, T.Lynch, K.Anderson, CUP 1992 Search the internet, find a foreign university which provides information in English and answer the following questions. Be ready to present the university to your colleagues. 1. What is the name and location of the University? 2. What is the official position of the head of the University? 3. What is the structure of the University? (faculties, colleges, schools) 4. What degrees does the University offer? 5. What and why would you like to study there? 6. How much will you have to pay as an international student. 7. How, when and where will you apply for admission? 8. Are there trimesters or semesters? When do they start? Task 4: Work in pairs. One of you is a Czech student (giving information on MU), the other is a British student (giving information on the university from the internet). When finished, swap the roles. Ask your partner about: § the age people go to university § the admission to a university (entrance exam) § the degrees you can obtain, the length of courses § the course fee, scholarships § the beginning and organization of an academic year § the kind of lessons you have § assessment § accommodation § etc.