Course Catalogue

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This course develops knowledge of Business English as it is used in written business communication in order to support professionally orientated international post graduate students, for example, those studying within the Adam Smith Business School. The course focuses on Business English as it is used in a variety of key academic and professional written texts with a view to supporting on-course study and future employability. It further studies how to effectively produce some of those written texts and how they function in the wider inter-textual context of contemporary Business communication.

The course runs for 10 weeks in Semester 2. There will be 1 two hour session in each of those weeks.

Overall IELTS 6.5 or language proficiency at this level, with no sub-test less than 6.

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Two in-class practical skills assessment tasks, requiring students to complete a task resulting in a written text of a specific business genre. The first will be weighted at 40%, the second at 60%.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The writing tasks (100%) cannot be reassessed because they are connected to learning cycles associated with out-of-class preparation and in-class practice.

This course aims to:

■ Develop proficiency in the use of varieties of written Business English particular to professional business contexts

■ Develop knowledge of relevant written genres as inter-discoursal components of business communication

■ Provide structured opportunities for students to develop the practical skills needed to interact with and produce these written genres

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Write a defined range of business texts showing an understanding of genre features including organisational structure, vocabulary and register

■ Identify and use a range of Business English as it functions in written business contexts

■ Evaluate information from a variety of business texts to extrapolate relevant details and establish intertextual relationships

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.