Die Studenten erwerben im Rahmen dieses Moduls grundlegende und vertiefende Kenntnisse der englischen Grammatik sowie schriftliche Fähigkeiten in Form von Essay Writing etc., u.a. Grammatik; Vokabular; kommunikative Fähigkeiten; Leseverstehen; Essay Writing.

This course will offer a thorough overview of those areas of grammar that seem to cause students the most problems. The pace and level of the course will be suited to students' requirements and will place emphasis on communicativeness and understanding.
Leistungsnachweise, die zur Erlangung eines Scheins bzw. zu ASQ- Leistungspunkte führen, basieren auf im Laufe des Semesters ermittelten Kursinhalte. Daher ist für den erfolgreichen Abschluss eines Kurses die regelmäßige Teilnahme unbedingt zu empfehlen.

The course 'English Conversation' is a practical conversation course, which aims to improve students’ ability to communicate effectively and confidently in English. By exploring various contemporary topics of interest in depth, students will be taught the language they need to know to speak with greater fluency in a wide variety of situations. The main focus of this course is practical by encouraging conversation through group and pair exercises, debates, mini- presentations and discussions. Students are therefore expected to actively contribute to in-class discussions and activities. // Assessment will be based on participation and oral presentations.

Why is poetry so important to us? One reason may be that is sums up the complexities of human experience in a way that language in other forms cannot. Its condensed form allows us to focus directly on the emotional message and on our response, and helps us to understand and process our feelings.
This seminar is planned as an introduction to poetry and the various forms that it has – from the sonnet through to the ballad with many stops in between. The aim is to help you understand how they achieve their effect and how they contribute to our understanding of life and emotion. We will be looking at and discussing poetry from across the centuries, from Shakespeare to the modern day, from Britain to America.
You may even get a chance to write your own poems!
 

Most of us probably already know how bad nuclear war would be, but even those who lived under the shadow of the cold war have become used to thinking that the threat of nuclear war has diminshed over the last 30 years. Today, in the 2020s we are living in increasingly unpredictable times. So, where does that leave us? This course explores the risk that never really went away.

The course is based on Annie Jacobsen's book Nuclear War - A Scenario shows the specifics of a hypothetical chain of events in a nuclear attack - what could happen, how easily things can run out of our control, how bad the event and aftermath would really be, and how we are living on more of a razor blade than we imagine. The aim is to develop discussion and presentation skills

The course goal is thoughtful discussion and language development, but we will deal with serious and disturbing subject matter including:

• the threat of existential warfare
• mass casualties
• complex ethical decision-making. 

This language course is suitable for students who are already at an upper intermediate/advanced English level (CEFR B2+). It is primarily designed to support and build English language skills.

Assessment will be through some written coursework and a presentation during the course.
Participants must be prepared to take part actively in discussions. 

Kursmaterial wird vom Kursleiter gestellt.

A growing number of students have an immediate and specific need to acquire a deeper knowledge of their field in English.

Talking about the importance of EST may seem like carrying coal to Newcastle - we all know how important it is! Nevertheless this course is designed as an introduction to the functional use in this sphere of communication.

Basic ideas and problems will be covered as well as detailed questions and new developments and tendencies in the world of science and technology.  The course aims to extend students knowledge in specific fields and to revise basic language patterns.

Lehrmaterial: Skripte 
Zusatzmaterial (auch audiovisuell)

Medical English (“Wahlfach”) is designed to run on a weekly basis as a classroom course and is aimed primarily at students in the pre-clinical part of their studies, but does not exclude anybody else wishing to take part and to improve their knowledge of medical English. A course text will be provided containing such items as word fields, translations, doctor/patient interviews, anamnesis, text and listening comprehension and anatomy – and with possibly the odd bit of humour thrown in for good measure. Above all, the course aims at being both practical and communicative and students will be expected to take active part. Prerequisite for passing the course is a final written exam. Students passing the exam will then be eligible for their “Wahlfach”.

Sustainability is the buzzword of the day – and it is here to stay, playing an ever-bigger role in corporate, public and private life. How did the concept of sustainability develop? What environmental, economic and social challenges are we facing today? Are there any alternatives to economic growth? What are companies, political bodies and individuals doing to achieve greater sustainability? This English course is based largely on discussions and presentations.

Course assessment is based on a presentation, a short essay related to the topic of the presentation and classroom participation.

This language course is for students who are already at an upper intermediate/advanced English level (CEFR B2+). 

Everything we do affects the rest of the world, and what happens in the rest of the world affects us.

This course considers the challenges, changes, trends and pressing concerns that humanity faces, for example, population growth, social inequality, food and water security, consumerism, gender equality, human rights, climate change.

Students reflect on the difficulties in making sense of some of these issues and to what extent we can influence societies' responses to them.

The course aims to improve students' presentation and communication skills in English. Participants must be prepared to take part actively in the discussion and will develop a topic of personal interest for presentation. 

 This course is in-person with additional texts and exercises on the university Moodle learning platform

This course is aimed at psychology students (all levels) and anybody with an interest in psychology. Capped at 15 students, classes are largely based on games, discussions and presentations. Topics include roots of psychology, approaches and controversies. What determines personality and behaviours in social settings? How can mental disorders be treated? How are people adjusting to social, environmental and political changes? Beyond discussions and presentations, we will read a research article together. 

Assessment is based on a 15-minute presentation (40 %), classroom participation (30 %) and a 30-minute vocabulary test based on the glossary (30 %).

This is an introductory English for Biology course. Here we focus on biological vocabulary and communication skills with some grammar revision sprinkled in. Some of the topics dealt with will be the evolution of life and of scientific thinking, microbiology, ecology, neurology and genetics. This course is a good preparation for “English for Biology – Academic Skills”.

Assessment is via participation in classroom activities and a written test.

The focus of this course is on scientific writing and presentations in the context of biology. Students are introduced to the academic style and to common text formats such as essays, research papers and posters. In particular, we will look at the rationale, the structure and the language of research articles. Students will practice their presentation skills by talking about a paper of their choice. 
Assessment is based on this presentation, writing samples and participation in classroom discussions. If you do not yet feel up to this level, please take “English for Biology – Fundamentals” in preparation.

This discussion-based course looks at the interface of human health and wellbeing and a changing environment. We will lay some foundations in terms of physical, chemical and biological vocabulary and the functioning of the human body. We will discuss some current topics such as modern diets, the impact of rising temperatures on natural systems and the human body, vaccine scepticism, cutting-edge gene editing and alternatives to animal experimentation. Input will be through student presentations as well as some reading and listening.

Assessment will be based on this presentation, participation in classroom activities and a short vocabulary test.

After years of hearing about the future, the new world of working with AI has suddenly arrived. What do we do now? Is it business as usual? Is anyone's job safe? Will AIs be doing all the work while we enjoy life? This course starts to address some of these questions and introduces key ideas:

• What do we mean by AI?
• How do generative text transformers work?
• What can it do better than me? / What can I do better than it?
• How do we govern trust, liability, misinformation, IP and copyright?
• How are we going to handle ourselves? (homework just got a whole lot easier ;-))... or has it?)

In a world turned upside down, there are many questions and limited answers - bring your questions!

This language course is for students who are already at an upper intermediate/advanced English level (CEFR B2+).

An orally presented student-produced piece of research will form the basis of grade assessment, along with a written element. Further advice will be given during the course. Participants will need to take part actively in discussions with each other.

This course is in-person with additional texts and exercises on the university Moodle learning platform - registered participants will be automatically granted access to the Moodle course page.

This language course is suitable for students who are already at an upper intermediate/advanced English level (CEFR B2+). It is primarily designed to support and build English language skills.

The course aims to develop students' discussion and presentation skills and is based on the central thesis of Kaput: The End of the German Miracle by Wolfgang Münchau (2024) - namely that Germany is currently on the wrong track. Using reading, tasks and discussion, we wil consider the reasons why and historical influences for the key failings and weaknesses in Germany's current economic model, with regard to:

• Technological lag
• Energy dependency
• Chinese dependency
• Fiscal conservatism
• Skills shortages

The course is a language course designed for Economics (WiWi) students, but also open to students from across the university, who have an interest in business and economics topics. 

Participants must be prepared to take part actively in discussions with each other.

In our interconnected world, communicating across cultures can bring a range of business, political, and personal benefits as well as challenges.
This course underlines the importance of relativity and the value of introspection when it comes to evaluating cultural difference.
Using advanced English, you will explore dimensions of cultural difference, identify practical strategies for effective communication, and demonstrate critical thinking skills.
For more information, visit the Moodle course page.
 

Data is used to provide evidence, build arguments, and tell stories in business, the news, popular culture, sport, and even art. This course explores the data we encounter in the world around us and how we should responsibly and ethically approach, understand, and present it.

Engage with a range of data-driven contexts in an immersive English-speaking environment while developing your communication and critical thinking skills.

While this course is a complementary adjunct for those students engaging with data in a statistical or computing context, it is not a maths course! It is designed to be accessible to anyone who is curious about the numbers and information swirling around us every day.

This course is hybrid, with approximately half the time spent in face-to-face seminars and half the time spent working independently with resources available on Moodle. For more information, visit the Moodle course page.

At home, at work, and in our daily lives, we are all involved in negotiations, which can range from making simple transactions to addressing the complex needs and interests of different groups.
This course examines the theory and practice behind negotiation. You will learn strategies to navigate disagreement and find workable and effective solutions. In an immersive English-speaking environment, you will take your communication skills to an advanced level as you learn how to build rapport, why negotiations fail, and when to walk away. (You will also try to acquire monsters in a game secretly based on the economics of asymmetric information.)
This course is hybrid, with approximately half the time spent in face-to-face seminars and half the time spent working independently with resources available on Moodle. For more information, visit the Moodle course page.
 

In a global economy, English is the international language of finance, and understanding how companies operate to secure good financial health is crucial to understanding business more broadly.
This course will expand your English finance vocabulary; engage your critical thinking skills about topics such as accounting, controlling, budgeting, and financial reporting; and test your knowledge with interactive quizzes and a few short writing and speaking tasks.
You will engage in both the theory and the practice of finance in business, analysing companies’ financial documents alongside educational videos and explainer articles.
The course can be taken as an entirely autonomous self-study course using Moodle with the option to meet in person twice during the semester. There is also a short Zoom call at the end of the course. For more information, visit the Moodle course page. 
 

In both physical and digital spaces, we are inundated with messages trying to sell us things. Marketers and consumers push each other to navigate the attention economy with increasing skill and savvy. How do they do it, and what works?
This English course on marketing is designed to stretch your communication skills, particularly your speaking skills, while you engage in compelling themes and up-to-date content from the world of marketing.
You will explore some marketing theory and strategy, draw upon branding and campaign case studies, understand the different tactics available to marketers, and identify some of the key opportunities and challenges facing marketing today.
For more information, visit the Moodle course page.