Objectives and competences
Objectives of this course are:
learn key terminology and concepts from the fields of logistics and transport,
acquire skills to retrieve and report (orally or in writing) general information from the fields of logistics and transport,
develop listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills to be able to understand and interpret discipline specific information,
further develop presentation skills,
develop techniques and strategies for self-learning.
Students will gain these competencies:
understand and use terminology from the fields of logistics and transport,
understand and summarise longer audio and written sources from the fields of logistics and transport,
orally or in writing communicate information from the fields in logistics and transport,
prepare and deliver independent and systematic presentation in English.
Content (Syllabus outline)
The course develops business terminology and communication in the framework of the following topics: history and development of logistics, careers in logistics (career paths in logistics, recruitment and applying for a job), retailing and logistics transport (the role of transport in logistics and the main characteristics of road, rail, air and water transport, sustainable transport) and city logistics.
Business correspondence focuses on: writing a covering letter, CV, and thank you letter, taking part in a job interview and business phone calls, preparation and delivery of a presentation.
Grammatical structures revised in the framework of the above mentioned topics include: tenses (Past Simple and Continuous Tense, Present Perfect Tense, Present Simple and Continuous Tense, ‘Will’ and ‘Going to’ Future Tense), comparison of adjectives and adverbs, relative clauses, and modal verbs.
Learning and teaching methods
Lectures: students understand the theoretical frameworks of the course. Part of the lecture course is in a classroom while the rest is in the form of e-learning (e-lectures may be given via video-conferencing or with the help of specially designed e-material in a virtual electronic learning environment).
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
Knowledge and understanding:
On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
recapitulate and extract the main ideas of shorter complex written and spoken sources from the fields of logistics and transport,
communicate general and discipline-specific information fluently and effectively,
give a clear, concise, and well-structured presentation in English,
autonomously and critically use business English dictionaries and other discipline-specific resources,
apply the acquired terminology and communication skills in their studies and the business environment.
Intended learning outcomes - transferable/key skills and other attributes
Transferable/Key skills and other attributes:
development of skills and expertise in the use of knowledge in a specific professional working area,
ability to become an autonomous learner,
ability to apply information technology,
ability to work in groups.
Readings
Brown, L. (2019). The only business writing book you'll ever need. W. W. Norton & Company.
Downes, C. (2008). Cambridge English for job-hunting. Cambridge University Press.
Duckworth, M. (2003). Business English grammar and practice. (New ed.). Oxford University Press.
Duckworth, M., & Turner, R. (2008). Business result. Upper-intermediate. Student's book. Oxford University Press.
Gadsby, A. (Ed.). (2010). Longman business English dictionary. Longman.
Grussendorf, M. (2009). English for logistics. Oxford University Press.
Additional information on implementation and assessment Successful presentation of a chosen topic and completion of e-quizzes is a prerequisite for entering the exam.
Written exam 60%.
Preparation (e-lectures) and execution (a-lectures) of a presentation on a chosen topic and other coursework and homework 40%.
