INTENSIVE ENGLISH I - INTERNATIONALIZATION

COURSE SYLLABUS - SEM-I-2024

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Course code: 2026057

Group:
Academic credits: 4
Hours per week: 12 class hours and 1 hour of autonomous learning
Time allotted for this course: 180 class hours and 12 hours of autonomous learning
Schedule:
Classroom:
Professor:
Email:

2. RATIONALE

Intensive English I - Internationalization is designed for UNAL students that have a B1 level of
English according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This program
focuses on developing the necessary language elements not only for academic studies and
professional growth, but also for business, critical thinking, and Global Citizenship skills. It is
particularly taught for English Language learners who would like to pursue academic
exchanges or graduate studies abroad. At the end of the course, the students will have a B2- in
CEFR.

3. OBJECTIVES

3.1. General Objectives

This course strengthens pre-intermediate proficiency and confidence of the students in all
communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing and English usage) when
communicating in English on the following topics: climate, culture shock, movies, education
around the world, social media and Fake News, technology and business and laws, stereotypes,
social media, diseases as well as to reinforce their knowledge of cultural aspects of the English-
speaking world associated with these topics.

3.2. Specific Objectives

● Enhance confidence and empowerment when using the English language
● Become proficient in all skill areas, such as: Listening, Speaking Reading, Writing and use
of English
● Learn about the Culture from different English-speaking countries, such as: Australia,
Canada Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States of America and South
Africa among others
● Students will use an appropriate variety of the English language, based on registry and
genre, taking into consideration the audience, purpose, and context.
● Students will use non-verbal communication appropriate to the audience, purpose, and
context.
● Students will use appropriate learning strategies to widen their sociocultural and
sociolinguistic competences.
3.2.1. Specific Objectives by Skill

3.2.1.1. Reading (receptive)

Build up advanced abilities for reading, understanding, analyzing, and applying critical
thinking for highly advanced academic or scientific materials.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
● Identify the main ideas and important details in a text.
● Transfer information from charts, pictures, graphs, timetables, and advertisements
among other contexts.
● Understand the inferences and implied meanings found in certain texts.
● Deduce general information from specific information. For instance: Choosing a
heading for a paragraph or labeling different paragraphs from an essay.
● Identify writer's views/ claims/ intentions / attitudes / stated facts from a text.
● Identify true, false, or not given information on a text.

3.2.1.2. Writing (productive)

Develop abilities to plan, write and edit a clear and detailed summary, review,
argumentative paragraph, or essay on a wide range of subjects related to academic or
scientific topics.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
In order to empower students in their writing skills, students should be able to:
● Learn strategies to plan and write a summary, review or argumentative paragraph or
essay
● Learn strategies to write a summary and/or review of professional or literary works
● Learn strategies to write an argumentative paragraph or essay
● Use information in charts, pictures, graphs, timetables, and advertisements to write a
summary, review or argumentative paragraph or essays

3.2.1.3. Listening (receptive)

Understand English being spoken using authentic and adapted materials.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
In order to empower students in their listening skills, student should be able to:
● Understand conversations and monologues.
● Retain significant information and process the main details in any given situation.
● Understand talks and short conferences.
● Acquire the ability to draw conclusions from gathered information.

3.2.1.4. Speaking (productive)

Practice real-life speaking activities in the classroom where students can give detailed
descriptions and presentations on the following topics: climate, culture shock, movies,
education around the world, social media and fake news, technology, business, and laws,
using ideas, and examples to support their views.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 In order to empower students in their speaking skills, students should be able to:
● Develop their fluency, pronunciation, stress, intonation, and accuracy.
● Use words and phrases fluently without significant effort.
● Talk about the previously mentioned topics spontaneously.
● Relate a review of a book or film to other real-life situations.
● Develop clear arguments, expanding and supporting their points of view at film
releases, cine forums, debates, oral presentations, class workshops and class games.

4. METHODOLOGY

This course follows a communicative approach through content-based and project-based

learning. For Intensive English I, students will submit summaries of articles, reviews,
argumentative paragraphs, or essays, deliver presentations, as well as participate in debates,
class games, forums and workshops among others. They will also work on a project throughout
the semester. To fully accomplish this proposed project, students will be taught how to write
academic summaries and reviews and how to prepare a presentation. Moreover, they will be
given the guidelines and deadlines to complete and submit each task periodically.

5. RESOURCES

The main resource for this class is the modules created by Proyecto Explora UN Mundo
coordination (Universidad Nacional). Additional readings, audio passages and internet sources
that complement the aforementioned material is also welcome.

− English File Intermediate (Course Intensive 1)

− Tutoring sessions with monitors of the program

− Language Clubs in the Resource Centre

− Writing workshops

6. ASSESSMENT

The assessment of students’ work will be done both formative and summative. The percentages
of marked components are:
● Project: 25% (10% preliminary submission, 15% final submission)
● Portfolio: 25%
● Mid-term exam: 25%
● IELTS: 25% (15% mock test, 10% test preparation activities)

7. ATTENDANCE

Please note that course attendance is mandatory. Students are required to attend at least 90
percent of the course which allows for a maximum of 12 hours of absenteeism. Please consider
that attendance will be counted per hour, meaning that failing to attend a two-hour session will
be registered as two absences. Please remember that ONLY medical excuses from the Medical
Service Division of the University and written excuses from the Programs’ Coordination sent
to unmundo_fchbog@unal.edu.co will be accepted as valid in order to have the chance to make
 up quizzes, or exams. Students have 5 weekdays after the absence to send them to the mail
provided above.

8. COURSE CONTENT (Outline)

Week /Date Main Topic Objectives Academic Production Language Use

− Describe weather − Present simple

conditions and vs. present
Climate change. continuous.
Academic speaking:
2
1. Climate is − Explain different Organizing a − Weather
Changing ways to protect vocabulary and
presentation
the environment. expressions.
− Compare solutions − Action and non-
and plans. action verbs.

− First
− Identify how conditional.
people plan trips.
− Modal verbs
− Describe (possibility and
2. Culture cause/consequenc Academic writing:
3 ability).
Shock e relations. Expository paragraph
− Travelling
− Describe different vocabulary.
ways to avoid the
Culture Shock. − Idioms related
to nationalities

−
−
Describe plots and
Comparatives
stories.
and
3. Lights, − Compare cinema Academic writing: superlatives.
4 Camera, and TV Write a movie or TV − Cinema
Action! productions. show review on IMDB vocabulary.
−
−
Contrast reactions
‘-ing’ and ‘-ed’
towards certain
adjectives.
TV productions.

− −
5 4. Education Academic writing:
To compare Idiomatic
Around the Resume, CV, cover
World education letter expressions and
systems. phrasal verbs
−
(related to
To support
education).
personal ideas.
− Unreal
− To contrast
conditionals.
argumentative
 points of view.

− Describe positive − Verb pattern.

and negative
aspects of social − Indirect speech.

−
5. social media media.
Academic Speaking: Discourse
6 and Fake − Paraphrase pieces Using formal language markers.
News
−
of information.
Prefixes.
− Contrast informal
− Cybercrime
and formal
expressions. vocabulary.

− Analyse ethics in
technological
innovations. − Quantifiers.

6. Tech and − Describe elements Academic Speaking: − Tech and

7
Biz which are part of a Interviews business:
business. vocabulary and
expressions.
− Prepare for a job
interview.

− Describe parts of a
trial.
− Question tags.
7. Law and − Compare systems Academic Speaking:
−
8
Order of justice. Formal speaking -Crime
vocabulary.
− Compose a crime
story.

Book 2
− Understand what
stereotypes are.
− Explore local and Academic speaking: − Strong
1. Stereotyp
9 y 10 global stereotypes. How to give oral adjectives
es
−
presentations
− Discuss Articles
stereotypes in the
media
− −
11 y 12 2. Impact of Academic writing:
Understand the Social media
social Descriptive writing
−
media role of social
Modal verbs for
media.
possibility
− Explore concepts
on social media
and reality.
 − Discuss the
impact of social
media on mental
health.
− Understand how
climate change
relates to both past
and future
diseases.
− Explore the − Going in for a
3. Diseases
relationship checkup
12 y 13 of the
Future between the − Talking about
environment, similarities
disease, and
human rights.
− Discuss the effects
of the COVID-19
pandemic.
− Understand
− Comparatives,
immigration and
4. Laws its legislation in Superlatives
Academic writing:
14 y15 Around the USA and
Cause-effect writing − Future
the World Colombia. predictions
− Explore how laws − Mandates
change over time.

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Proyecto Explora UN Mundo (2021). – Intermediate Material. Universidad Nacional de

Colombia.
English File Student’s Book - Level Intermediate
Oxford Living Grammar - Level Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/
https://www.ielts-writing.info/EXAM/
https://ielts-up.com/index.html