Course Catalogue

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This course is specifically designed for Year 4 students of Law. The course consists of a variety of language teaching (written and spoken), including translation into and from English, plus written exercises in the target language such as essay, summary, language analysis and spoken exercises such as presentation, dialogue and debate. Students also write a language project on a Law-related topic, chosen by the student in consultation with staff.

3 x 1-hour sessions weekly over both semesters as scheduled in MyCampus. 

Teaching will take place in weeks 1-5 and 7-11. Week 6 will be dedicated to guided independent study. 

For the language project, 4 formal supervision sessions will be scheduled, plus informal contact as needed. 

Grade C3 or better in Portuguese Language 2 (HISP2015 or PORT2002) plus a period of residence in a Portuguese speaking country and confirmed acceptance to Honours in the relevant programme.

PORT4004, PORT4005, PORT4007, PORT4008

None

1) Written language (30% of total mark) assessed by:

■ Assessed language homework exercises (1 best mark) (5%)

■ Examination: 2 x 2-hour in-person written language exams (April/May diet) (each worth 12.5%)

Spoken language (20% of total mark) assessed by:

■ 2 oral exams (15-20 minutes each) (each worth 10%)

3) Language Project (50% of total mark) assessed by an extended piece of writing (2,600 words) in the target language on a Law-based topic selected by the student and agreed with the course convener (25%) b. Reflective journal in the target language (400 words) (10%) c) viva in the target language (12 mins) (15%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which 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 course aims to:

Written Language 

■ improve students' stylistic skills in the production of grammatically accurate written work in the target language;

■ work with sophisticated examples of language usage across different registers;

■ consolidate the key skills required to write in the target language at an advanced level.

Spoken Language 

■ foster a thorough, accurate, and considered application of the target language in a spoken context;

■ impart an in-depth knowledge of aspects of language, literature and culture by means of conversation in the target language;

■ develop students' oral communicative skills with reference to a variety of intellectual and cultural topics connected with their academic programme;

■ develop students' oral communicative skills with reference to a variety of intellectual and cultural topics of general interest;

■ encourage students to work effectively and grow in their ability to take responsibility for their acquisition of vocabulary, appropriate lexical structures, and competent syntax.

Language Project 

■ build on the linguistic and cultural experience of the Year Abroad studying Law in a German-speaking country through providing the opportunity to undertake independent research on a Law-related topic chosen by the student; 

■ develop confidence and competence in producing a written analysis of the chosen topic in the target language; 

■ develop confidence and competence in discussing the chosen topic in the target language in a viva (oral exam) setting; 

■ encourage reflective engagement with the learning process by means of a written journal written in the target language. 

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

Written Language 

■ compose a linguistically accurate piece of writing in the target language, including use of appropriate grammatical structures, register and vocabulary;

■ use appropriate presentational and rhetorical skills in writing in the target language;

■ translate the content of diverse sources written in English and/or in the target language;

■ respond appropriately to passages written in a broad range of styles and registers in the target language.

Spoken Language 

■ produce oral language which demonstrates a thorough knowledge of grammatical structures, register, wide vocabulary, and ease of application of syntactical structures at a high level of difficulty;

■ discuss a variety of intellectual and cultural topics connected with their academic programme in an articulate fashion, demonstrating critical reflection and independence of thought;

■ discuss a variety of intellectual and cultural topics of general interest in an articulate fashion, demonstrating critical reflection and independence of thought;

■ demonstrate intercultural skills when using the target language in an oral mode;

■ interact with native speakers and professional speakers of the target language, developing interpersonal and presentational skills.

Language Project 

■ formulate a coherent research topic relating to an aspect of legal systems in the country of the target language; 

■ select and evaluate relevant bibliographic and other resources; 

■ articulate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the chosen topic, arguing and synthesizing clearly and coherently in the target language in formal written and spoken form; 

■ use a range of advanced syntactic, idiomatic and lexical structures in the target language in presenting the argument in written and spoken form; 

■ reflect on the learning process in writing and in oral discussion.

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