English

English language and Introduction to Legal English - listening/audio-visual skills; reading comprehension; vocabulary accumulation and expansion; writing accuracy skills (in legal contexts); oral discussion and debating skills.Teaching is conducted in two separate but directly related lesson structures:- once-weekly large-group “Théorie” lecture, open to all (200+) second-year students. It is a mixed-level group, accommodating students from many different educational backgrounds and language abilities.- a series of weekly Exercise/TP lessons (usually one 2h lesson per group, given once each for the TP groups), which cater for smaller groups (60+ students each): effectively the total number of students divided into smaller groups. The TP groups are also mixed-level.

The overarching objective is to develop general communicative competence in English, with a focus on legal contexts and knowledge. Given the large number of students per class group, the course requires students to make a significant effort in both intensive in-class participation and extra-curricular self-study.Emphasis is placed on facilitating and familiarising students with different legal fields and concepts in the English-speaking world and on actively and intensively gathering new vocabulary which is specific to the following domains: Study of Law/Starting a law career; Contract Law; Tort Law; Criminal Law; Company Law; Commercial Law; Real Property Law; Litigation and Arbitration; International Law; Comparative Law (including aspects of Human Rights); and Judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, among other international jurisdictions. A further aim is to encourage students to make contact with the professional world of law in English-speaking contexts, through a group case study/research project which students conduct throughout the latter half of Q1 and submit mid-Q2 (6-8-page written report with appendices).Beyond the use of the variety of texts mentioned above, to stimulate reading ability, comprehension, and accumulate pertinent terminology, the course targets improvement of listening/viewing comprehension and follow-up debate, discussion and in-class presentations through law-based listening and a wide range of documentary/visual resources (developing note-taking skills).

Courses requiring this course

The teaching methodology is entirely interactive-communicative, with an open, informal dialogue between teacher and students, the core aim being to build confidence while communicating in a non-native language. The classroom language is always English. If explanations are required in French, these are given, although a collaborative approach to problem-solving is encouraged, with cooperation sought between student peers of different levels of ability. Some students can find this intimidating, but it helps to create the optimum environment for language learning in an easy-going context. While the Théorie course, due to the large numbers and the big auditorium context, naturally lends itself to a more traditional front-lecturing style, interaction is nonetheless encouraged and engaged in. The TP classes, conversely, are fully interactive, with students being stimulated to work in groups for short periods of the lesson, mix and change groups, report to the class/teacher on findings, volunteer answers to exercises, read texts aloud, debate questions, correct each other’s mistakes, summarise each other’s work, and so on.Throughout each lesson, the teacher endeavours to deal with the four main skills in language learning: reading, writing, listening and speaking (with the main emphasis on reading and listening). This means that each lesson is characterised by three or four distinct parts, the starting point for which may be a grammar diagnosis on a particular point that causes problems, a listening exercise from a legal context, a law-based reading comprehension, or a video explaining some aspect of English/US law. These starting points for language learning are based on the study of law pertinent to students’ interests and academic pathways.Additional to the above, much of the course is supported by digital and online material which is always available to students via the Virtual University.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Key legal-English language text books are used consistently, to supplement and give structure to the grammar/sentence-formation/terminology aspects of the course, notably:-Introduction to International Legal English, A. Krois-Lindner, M. Firth & Translegal (Cambridge UP)-Professional English in Use. Law, Brown & Rice (Cambridge UP)-Legal English (2nd Edition), R. Haigh (London & New York: Routledge – Cavendish)-The Legal English Manual, A. Wiebalck, R. Norman, C. von Zedtwitz, K. Weston Walsh, in cooperation with “Lawbility” (Helbing Lichtenhahn [co-published by C. H. Beck & Manz])-Legal English. How to Understand and Master the Language of Law, McKay & Charlton (Longman)-English for Contract and Company Law (2nd Edition), Chartrand, Millar & Wiltshire (Thompson)We also make frequent use of the following bilingual Legal EN/FR dictionary: Harrap’s Dictionnaire Juridique | Law Dictionary (Chambers Harrap/Dalloz);For grammar and Academic English, the following are referred to for self-study: English Grammar in Use, R. Murphy (Cambridge UP); Academic Vocabulary in Use, M. McCarthy & F. O’Dell (Cambridge UP).A rich and constantly updated supplementary reading list of websites and pertinent texts kept in the ULB Law Faculty’s Bibliothèque de Droit is supplied to students via the Virtual University early in Q1 and consulted throughout the course.

Contacts

Dr David A. Best (course coordinator and teacher of both elements of the course)

davibest@ulb.ac.be

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

-Vocabulary (and/or listening) and Reading Evaluation à la fin du premier quadrimestre.-Soumission d'un projet collectif (en groupe) sur une affaire judiciaire dans le monde juridique anglophone dans le courant du premier mois du deuxième quadri.-Evaluation finale en trois sections (Reading, Vocab, Writing) à la fin du deuxième quadri (hors session d'examen).

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

LANG-C2002 = 5 ECTSVocab (and/or Listening)/Reading Evaluation QI (déc-jan) = 1/5 de la note finaleTP projet de groupe (début QII) comportant la participation active aux cours = 1/5 de la note finaleEvaluation finale (Reading, Vocabulary, Writing) (mai) = 3/5 de la note finaleLa note finale est exprimée sur /20.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english