This language practice course is your chance to use your English competencies to learn more about Anglophone cultures. We will improve your reading and listening skills using authentic materials from different English-speaking countries. You will practice your spoken and written English skills in our weekly group meetings, where we will discuss different topics related to Anglophone cultures. You will produce written texts in small in-class and take-home activities.
Which cultural topics we will talk about is dynamic: I will compile a list of potentially interesting topics together with you in the first week. My goal is to compile a list of topics that you find a) interesting, b) relevant for your later profession, and c) that are currently relevant or hotly debated.
Such topics may include:
- Politics in the US / UK
- Cultural histories of different English-speaking countries
- Culture shock
- School systems in Germany vs. the English-speaking world
- ...
We will draw on authentic English-language materials from online newspapers, social media, entertainment (music, movies, stand-up comedy, etc.), political and educational documents, and whatever you would like to analyse.
An important goal of the course is to get you to USE ENGLISH. In other words, I want you to READ, WRITE, LISTEN and SPEAK in English in- and outside of our seminar room. Participants are expected to show up regularly and to participate actively. |
