Lectureship in English Language II

The students shall develop all four types of their foreign language competences: speaking, listening, writing and reading – with the purpose of improving their knowledge of general English, as well as their ESP* knowledge. Above all, the students shall develop their communicative competence. Special attention shall be devoted to developing the students’ oral presentation skills in a foreign language.

*ESP = English for Specific Purposes

Prerequisite secondary-school knowledge of the English language on the Matura Examination level. It is desirable that the students, prior to taking this course, attend the course English Language 1.

The students upgrade their knowledge of the general English language, previously acquired at secondary school and at the course English Language 1.
They practise selected grammatical structures, in particular:
• various types of dependent clauses;
• reported speech;
• prepositions;
• correct word order.
The student enrich their vocabulary in the field of humanities while focusing on collocations. They analyse selected excerpts from literary works and thus develop their critical thinking skills. They practise writing (they compose an essay on a selected topic). They are able to identify and distinguish between various registers in language.
They broaden their knowledge in the field of intercultural communication and learn about the target culture.
Besides developing all four linguistic skills – speaking, writing, reading and listening – the students develop their foreign language (oral) presentation skills.

Knowledge and understanding:
The students shall be able to appropriately use the grammatical structures discussed, as well as the newly acquired (professional) vocabulary. They shall be able to analyse excerpts from selected literary works in terms of language use and apply critical thinking to the topic discussed. They shall be able to compose an essay in which they discuss a professional issue. They shall be able to express themselves appropriately within their professional fields, taking into account the cross-cultural differences. Moreover, they shall be able to present selected professional topics to a general audience in an oral form.
The general objective of the course:
B2 level (according to CEFR – the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

• Carter, R. and M. McCarthy. 2006. Cambridge Grammar of English. A Comprehensive Guide – Spoken and Written English Grammar and Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Catalogue E-version
• O'Driscoll, J. 2003. Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (selected chapters) E-version
• Swan, M. and C. Walker. 2004. How English Works: A Grammar Practice Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press Catalogue

• Šabec, N. and D. Limon. Across cultures: slovensko-britansko-ameriško medkulturno sporazumevanje/Slovene-British-American Intercultural Communication. Maribor: Obzorja 2001. (selected chapters) E-version Catalogue

• excerpts from literary works (novels, poetry etc.).

• oral presentation 30 %
• final examination 70 %

Minimum 80-percent attedance at lectures and tutorials, as well as fulfilling other obligations assigned are prerequisites for taking the final examination.

Veronika Piccinini, English language lecturer, holds a BA (Hons) in English Language in Literature. Since 2005, she has been working at the University of Nova Gorica, where she has been teaching English (especially ESP – English for Specific Purposes) at various study programmes. She has gained her professional experience by teaching at various institutions on different levels of the educational system. She has received further professional training also in the U.K. and Austria (ECML – European Centre for Modern Languages, part of the European Council). She is particularly interested in the research of the methodology of teaching English as a foreign language, especially in creative language teaching. She has been presenting her work at conferences and published articles in Slovenia and abroad.

PICCININI, Veronika. Project work as a tool for enhancing the transfer of ESP knowledge into practice. Humanising language teaching, Jun. 2012, year 14, iss. 3. [COBISS.SI-ID 2416379],
PICCININI, Veronika et al. The linking verb be in English technical and literary texts and its equivalents in the Slovene translations. Vestnik, 2006, vol. 40, no. 1/2, pp. 109–120. [COBISS.SI-ID 618747];
PICCININI, Veronika et al. The Cambridge grammar of English in the ELT classroom: teaching selected features of spoken English. Humanising language teaching, Apr. 2012, year 14, iss. 1. [COBISS.SI-ID 2153979];
PICCININI, Veronika. Creative poetry writing. IATEFL newsletter: Slovenian branch, spring 2007, vol. 11, no. 41, pp. 9–10. [COBISS.SI-ID 631547];
PICCININI, Veronika. Exercise book for English practice sessions: English for undergraduate students of viticulture and enology. Nova Gorica: Založba Univerze, 2013. [COBISS.SI-ID 265623296];
PICCININI, Veronika. The importance of giving oral presentations in English. Proceedings of the International Language Conference on the Importance of Learning Professional Foreign Languages for Communication Between Cultures 2010, Faculty of Logistics, Celje, 23 and 24 September 2010. [COBISS.SI-ID 1677563].