Academic Year/course:
2024/25
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
28955 - English for rural and agri-food engineering
Syllabus Information
Academic year:
2024/25
Subject:
28955 - English for rural and agri-food engineering
Faculty / School:
201 - Escuela Politécnica Superior
Degree:
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
ECTS:
6.0
Year:
4
Semester:
Second semester
Subject type:
Optional
Module:
---
1. General information
The aim of this subject is for students to improve their oral and written communication skills in English (oral interaction, listening comprehension, reading comprehension and written production), reaching at least level B1 of the MERL (European Framework of Reference for Languages). The contents are specific to the thematic areas of agri-food engineering, from which the particularities of academic and professional English will be introduced.
These approaches and objectives are aligned with some of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, of the Agenda 2030 (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/) and certain specific targets. Specifically, the learning resulta of the subject will contribute to some extent to the achievement of the targets of SDG 4, Quality Education.
2. Learning results
Understand both general ideas and details of spoken discourse (especially lectures and conferences) and interact in English on the topics covered during the course with the accuracy and efficiency that correspond to this level.
Expose to the class with fluency, clarity and grammatical and terminological precision some aspect of their specialty itinerary that they have prepared in advance.
Comprehend globally and in detail different types of informative or argumentative documents written in English, general and scientific-technical, on topics related to the degree, being able to locate or deduce relevant information from them.
Write messages and texts about their specialty in English with acceptable degrees of accuracy and textual and terminological coherence at an intermediate level, using appropriately the conventions of each type of text and the most recurrent grammatical structures of technical communication.
As indicated above, these learning results are aligned with targets of SDG 4, Quality Education.
3. Syllabus
1. Past, present and future of agriculture
2. Soils, plants and climate
3. Main food crops and ornamental plants
4. Weeds, pests and diseases
5. Livestock
6. Farms and agri-food industries
7. Machinery and facilities
8. Sustainable farming
The different topics will focus on aspects related to English morphosyntax, scientific-technical and professional discourse, and specialized lexis.
4. Academic activities
- Theoretical-interactive activities to introduce each aspect of the program (forms, meanings and uses of structures, etc.) grammar, terminology and rhetorical-textual elements through exercises based on observation, reflection, inference or classification (1.2 ECTS).
- Individual or group practical activities (1.8 ETCS). Here it is worth mentioning tasks related to intensive reading of texts, linguistic and discursive analysis, reformulation of contents, listening and viewing with comprehension and analysis tasks, mini-debates, oral presentations, group interaction.
- Practical sessions for individual exercise of communication skills (3 ECTS).
These activities will contribute to achieving the targets of SDG 4, Quality Education.
5. Assessment system
Final written exam (80%) with the following sections:
a) Reading comprehension: 20%
b)Listening comprehension: 20%
c) Use of English: 20%
d) Writing: 20%
Oral production/interaction test: 20%
To evaluate the tests, lexical-grammatical, phonetic-phonological, pragmatic-discursive, sociolinguistic and strategic aspects appropriate to the level of the subject will be taken into account. Thus, all sections contribute to the evaluation of the targets of SDG 4, Quality Education.
To pass the course, the student must obtain a final grade equal to or higher than 60% of the total score, and a grade of no less than 50% in each of the subsections (a-d), as well as in the oral exam. If the grades obtained by a student do not meet these requirements, they will not have reached the minimum level of demand and will not pass the subject. If the final grade is equal to or higher than 5 but lower than 6 out of 10, the report card will reflect a score of 4.5 (fail).
The detailed assessment system will be explained in the presentation of the subject.
Success rates in previous years: 2020/2021: 63,64%; 2021/2022: 94,74%; 2022/2023: 100%
6. Sustainable Development Goals
4 - Quality Education