This course is designed primarily for ERASMUS and other exchange students who are studying Applied Linguistics, Translation, and similar subjects. It is worth 3 ECTS points. The CEFR Level of the course is C1.
The course covers exactly the same content, at exactly the same pace, as "[spr] Written Expression (Intermediate)", groups 2 and 2, so students in fact have three alternative times at which they can take my Written Expression course (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.). The "[spr] Written Expression (Intermediate)" courses are designed primarily for non-exchange students, and are worth 2 ECTS points; most exchange students however need 3 ECTS points and therefore submit more work for assessment; gaining the extra credit point involves approximately one additional weekend's work.
The course begins with a genre-based introduction to functional linguistics and text production (4 to 5 weeks). This is followed by four writing tasks. The first, a factual description, is designed for practising paragraph structure and thematic development. The second task, based on a procedural text, involves switching between formal (nominalized) and informal style. The third task is an expository text -- a persuasive essay; this task, however, may in future be replaced by a group editing task, to encourage the avoidance of plagiarism. The fourth task is a formal report with recommendations for action.
Before each writing task, we analyse one or more texts of the same genre to establish what the relevant "text conventions" are. The day after each assignment is submitted, students receive their texts back with corrections and comments.
For further information, see:
http://www.spence.saar.de/courses/writtenexpression
ERASMUS and other exchange students may also be interested in my ERASMUS courses "Exploring English Grammar" (Mondays 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) and (subject to final approval, which is still pending:) "Vocabulary for Specialized Oral Communication"
(Monday 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.).
My B.A. course "[spr] Phonetics with Listening Practice (British)" (Tuesday or Wednesday 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) may also be of interest to some
Erasmus students, but the number of available places is limited. Preference will be given to students who are planning to complete their degree in Saarbrücken, and any Erasmus students wishing to take the course will need to pass an oral entrance examination first.
- DozentIn: Robert Spence