English - Written Communication and Foreign Language Acquisition (BASF/BATV)

The part of the course called Foreign Language Acquisition is an introduction to foreign language acquisition and teaching. The foreign language learner needs to acquire a range of skills to be able to function in a foreign language - in writing, speaking, listening and reading. The aim of the course is to introduce the participants to central theories of communicative competence, language learning and language processing which may explain the complex processes involved in both using and learning languages in different contexts. We will explore the role of learner variables and learning factors and discuss different approaches to language teaching in the classroom. One of the aims will be to investigate how the teacher can create an optimal learning environment that takes a communicative approach to language teaching as a starting point, but which also enables the learner to focus on the language, pushing the language learning process forward. What type of learning activities can be introduced and what is the potential for language learning of using various forms of learner-centred tasks? Much empirical research has been carried out attempting to answer these questions. Therefore, participants will be introduced to a range of empirical studies, which employ different types of research approaches and tools. Through the reading of these studies, the course participants will develop the ability to discuss and evaluate the design of empirical research and the findings presented in the studies. The course will be conducted using a mixture of lectures, group work and discussions. Course material will be based on a course book and a number of research articles.

The part of the course called Written Communication serves as an introduction to both the fundamentals of academic reading and writing and the basics of grammatical analysis and linguistic variation. Reading, analyzing and writing academic texts are central activities for English students. This module offers the participants hands-on opportunities to improve these skills through the analysis of different text types, genres and registers coupled with the production of multiple drafts of their own writing and peer reviewing. The basic introduction to grammatical analysis and linguistic variation supports the participants’ ability to develop their reading and writing skills in English, whilst at the same time serving as the foundation for conducting more advanced grammatical and linguistic analyses later in the program. The course will be conducted using a mixture of lectures, group work and discussions. Course material consists of the newest edition of the compendium Elementary Sentence Analysis and Other Topics in English Grammar by Kim Ebensgaard Jensen supplemented with selected chapters from textbooks on academic reading and writing in English.