MA PROGRAMME

ESP

SEMESTER 1

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is a three-semester course that enhances communication skills through exposure to socio-political topics. Semesters Two and Three also provide practice in written communication appropriate to research/scholarly setting (preparing a research proposal). Classes will be run as discussions and language workshops in which students are expected to actively participate.

COURSE TOPICS

  TopicTests[1]
 1Sept-OctUnit 1.Fix Modern Society50-minute test (after 07.10)
2Oct-NovUnit 2. -Ism Schism.50-minute test (after 11.11)
3Nov-DecUnit 3. Faith Today80-minute test (after 09.12)

MATERIALS

  1. The materials are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EgCdjfJ_BwXs_S0_E0n8PZIfdgoc77tF?usp=sharing

Make sure you come to class with a copy of the relevant material.

  • Some of the exercises (mainly vocabulary and revision) are to be done at learningapps.org.  Your teacher will provide you with instructions. The application does not provide the correct answers, but you may correct your mistakes yourselves doing the tasks again, as many times as is necessary. If the score is still below 100%, discuss the questions you failed with your teacher in class. Later your knowledge of these tasks may be assessed by your teacher orally or in writing.

In case of any technical issues, write to mamedova.a.o@my.mgimo.ru

CLASS POLICIES

  1. As upper-level students, you are expected to come to class prepared, which means that you have done the reading, the writing, and the thinking necessary to meaningfully participate in class.
  2. Attendance. Your attendance of each class meeting and active participation are required.  You must be present for the FULL class period and make a meaningful contribution to the class for that day.  Be prepared to study seriously. If you miss a full class or part of a class, you are still responsible for the classwork, homework, and other assignments.  Students who stop coming to class will find their monthly and FINAL grades negatively affected. If you are LATE for or MISS 11- 15% of classes your grade will be reduced by 5%; if you are late for or miss 16-25% of classes — by 10%; if you are late for or miss more than 26 % of classes — by 20% off your final rating.  These rules do not apply to properly documented serious reasons for being late for/away from classes.

INFORMATION FORSTUDENTS TAKING THE EXAM: YOUR SEMESTER RATING MAKES UP 20% OF YOUR OVERALL RESULT FOR THE EXAM.

  • Submission procedures: All assignments are to be submitted in hard copy. Assignments submitted by e-mail will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.
  • Extensions. Every time you receive a written task, discuss the deadlines with your instructor. No extensions will be granted unless students have serious reasons beyond their control that are adequately documented – for example, a medical reason supported by an official medical certificate. Assignments from other courses scheduled for the same date, computer, traffic or traveling issues, work commitments and other similar reasons DO NOT constitute acceptable reasons, so please plan accordingly.
  • Late/non-submission penalties: Late work will be penalized. The late submission penalty is 10% per each late class or  per each paper. Translation exercises and other papers submitted after the topic has been covered are NOT accepted, which lowers the monthly grade by 10%; failure to submit relevant assignments for TWO topics results in the failure of the entire course. You will receive an F; you will have to submit those assignments by the appointed time and take an oral test during the re-sit exam period, i.e. AFTER the winter/summer break. Failure to submit written assignments brings your mid-term ratings below 70%, thus depriving you of an opportunity to receive a waiver of the oral credit test. Make sure you have written all the tests during the semester.
  • Academic honesty. Plagiarism is “the process of taking another person’s work, ideas, or words, and using them as if they were your own” (Macmillan English Dictionary). Gleaning information from the Internet and passing it off as your own (e.g. in an essay or research proposal) is also plagiarism. Learn to paraphrase or document your sources properly! Cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Master’s Program Office; the overall grade for the semester will be reduced by 20% (even if this is your FINAL grade for the Master’s Course).

Cheating at the test, i.e. unauthorized use of information, another student’s help, materials or devices, is penalized by reducing the mark for the test by 25%.

  • Conference.  If the need arises and time permits, your instructor will discuss your progress or any other question you may have outside of class time. If you have a suggestion for improving the learning environment in the classroom, please let them know.
  • Bonus. Your instructors have discretion about adding up to  5%   to individual students’ final rating, depending on your  performance, contribution and diligence during the term.

REQUIRED TASKS:

1. two papers: summary/survey/rebuttal (may vary from group to group)

2. Russian-English translation exercises and corrections of mistakes

3. three progress tests (including the final test)

4. three TED talk tests (may vary from group to group)

5. at least one individual PowerPoint presentation + participation in the team project

6. participation in at least one round table discussion/debate

EXAM (for groups with English as 2nd foreign language): 80-min written test, 2-min impromptu talk.

CREDIT TEST (for groups with English as 1st foreign language): 80–min written test;

oral credit test (for those whose academic performance rating is below 70%): questions on the studied topics, oral summary, impromptu talk.

NB

in the 2nd semester students can be regrouped according to their performance in the 1st semester

GOOD LUCK!

[1] Dates are subject to change depending on the chemistry and circumstances of the class.

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