The teaching methodology used aims to enable students to integrate theoretical concepts (lexis and register) with practical skills: learning to produce different types of texts for advertising and PR inn English. As students have different levels of English, a further aim is to include learning activities which are accessible and useful to all. The course also aims to enhance student involvement in the learning process and an active attitude in the classroom.

The course is organised into 2 blocks: Writing for PR and Writing for Advertising, which are then divided into specific topics. Specialist vocabulary is introduced at the beginning of each topic, together with examples of texts from the register in question and the techniques used for producing them are studied so that they can then be applied by students in the production of their own texts. In addition, related questions such as street and guerrilla marketing, social media and ad-busting are looked at.

All the pieces of written work produced require students to acquire knowledge and strategies involved in writing texts in English and the tasks are carried out in pairs or small groups.

The focus of the course is written English but activities involving speaking, reading and listening have also been included.

The course is taught in English and the level is B2 / upper intermediate (equivalent to Cambridge FCE)

Topic 1 Aspects of PR. An introduction to PR: PR definitions, what the work consists of, & vocabulary; PR case studies: Johnson & Johnson, Perrier, & Tesco’s; social media for PR
Topic 2 Writing for PR I. Press releases and advertorials.
Topic 3 Writing for PR II.: Writing articles (general). Feature articles and blogs, twitter and social media.

Topic 4 Aspects of marketing. An introduction to marketing. Marketing concepts and vocabulary. Marketing a product or service. Street and guerrilla marketing. Writing promotional texts (persuasive language).
Topic 5 Aspects of advertising An Introduction to advertising. Advertising concepts and vocabulary. Brands and branding. Ad-busting. (With the collaboration of Christian Fàbregas, marketing professional).
Topic 6 Analysing and creating advertising. Deconstructing print advertisements. Writing advertising copy for print advertisements. Writing slogans and taglines.

ECTS Credits

A Technique for Producing Ideas. Webb-Young, J. McGraw-Hill 2003
English Grammar In Use with Answers: A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English (Third edition). Murphy, R. Cambridge University Press 2004
Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence into Magic. Hegarty, J. 2010
Ogilvy on Advertising. Ogilvy, D. Vintage Books 1983
Pocket Oxford Spanish Dictionary.  Oxford Dictionaries 2009 (or any bilingual Spanish-English or Catalan-English dictionary)
Professional English in Use: Marketing. Farrall, C., Lindsay, M. Cambridge University Press 2008

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learnenglish
http://www.britishcouncil.org
http://www.behindthespin.co.uk
http://www.brandrepublic.com
http://www.campaign.co.uk
http://www.lousywriter.com
http://www.prospects.ac.uk
http://prweek.co.uk
http://www.publicityinsider.com

Activity 1: a press release
Activity 2: a feature article or an advertorial
Activity 3: a promotional leaflet or a press advert

Grades will be awarded for the quality of the work (register, creativity, presentation) as well as for the level of English.

Written exam: vocabulary exercises; analysing a press advert or commenting on a text about a topic previously studied; writing a text from among those studied on the course.

Retake under the Continuous Assessment System
Requirements: students with final grades between 4.5 and 5 out of 10 qualify for the retake.

Producing 2 texts from among the registers studied, to be chosen by the lecturer: a text promoting a product or service / a press advert / a feature article / a blog post / an advertorial.

Completing a vocabulary exercise.
Grades will be awarded for the quality of the work (register, creativity, presentation) as well as for the level of English.

60%

40%

Producing 2 texts from among those studied chosen by the lecturer.
Completing a vocabulary exercise.

This course complements and is the continuation of English: Writing. Its main aim is to integrate theoretical knowledge, both previously acquired and new, with the practical skills of understanding and producing the spoken language. Further aims deriving from this are as follows:
- To provide students with language models (structures and lexis used in Business English) suitable for different professional situations related to the advertising and PR sectors (mainly business meetings and presentations) and opportunities to practise different types of interaction and talk about topics related to professional and non-professional life (Social English). - To improve students’ ability to understand the spoken language.
- To foster students’ ability to use language functions effectively: to express and ask for ideas, opinions, wishes; to negotiate, to solve problems, and so on.
- To help students to develop verbal communication strategies.
- To improve grammatical accuracy, fluency and pronunciation. A large part of the course is devoted to fluency activities which are carried out in pairs or groups and involve discussions of topics previously suggested by the students
- To increase students’ awareness of the cultural factors associated with the need to communicate effectively with professionals from around the world, with special emphasis on the Anglo-American model of verbal interaction.
- To encourage students to become as involved as possible in their own learning process.
- To foster students’ autonomy as well as the ability to work in groups.

To achieve these aims the course has been divided into 2 blocks, which are:
i) business meetings.
ii) presentations.

Each block contains specific learning activities which are directly related to the topic dealt with, as well as more general activities which continue throughout the course: talking on the telephone, social English and grammar and lexis.

The methodology used is very active and all the learning activities require a high level of participation from students, so attending classes is recommended. The standard of English is B2 / upper- intermediate (equivalent to Cambridge First Certificate in English).

Introduction to business meetings.
Key vocabulary.
Opening a meeting: setting the agenda.
During the meeting: expressing your opinion; expressing agreement and disagreement; interrupting; the importance of turn-taking.
Closing a meeting.
The important of cultural factors and cross-cultural communication.
Social English.
Talking on the telephone.
Fluency activities.

Introduction: how to give effective presentations (and how not to).
Basic techniques: the start; the main body (structuring your ideas; signposting); the finish.
Powerful techniques to connect with the audience: repetition, the rule of three, mantras, etc.
Questions from the audience and effective strategies for answering them.
Solutions to problems with numbers and strategies for presenting large numbers
Social English.
Talking on the telephone.
Fluency activities.

ECTS Credits

Business English Frameworks: Emerson P. (Cambridge University Press, 2002)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/subjects/english.shtm
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-english-gateway
http://iteslj.org/links/TESL/Lessons/Role_Plays/
http://prositeseslflow.homestead.com/businessenglish.htm
http://www.thehub.com
http://www.inc.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit2meetings

Perfect Your Presentations: Shipside S. (Dorling Kindersley, 2006)
Presentations in English: Williams E. J. (Macmillan, 2008) www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/ http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/articles/index.plpage=7;read=1388
http://www.communication.howstuffworks.com
http://www.peo.cambridge.org/
http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/?display:923347923-14775.txt

Role-play of a business meeting, recorded on a CD or memory stick

A team presentation U, recorded on a CD or memory stick Grade will be awarded on the basis of the quality of the presentation and the attention paid to register, as well as the level of English.

Written exam containing vocabulary and language structure exercises; an exercise based on a text about a topic previously studied; analysis of  the partial or full transcript of a presentation.

Retake under the Continuous Assessment System
Requirements: students with final grades between 4.5 and 5 out of 10 qualify for the retake.

1


2

A 3-minute presentation (the topic is to be chosen by the student and related to advertising / PR) using the techniques studied. 

The presentation is to be recorded and given to the lecturer on the day of the written exam.

Written exam: grammatical concepts, language functions and lexis; writing the script of a presentation on a topic related to advertising / PR chosen by the lecturer The grade will be awarded in function of the of use of the correct register as well as the standard of English.

60%

40%

A short presentation on a topic chosen by the student and related to advertising / PR. The presentation is to be given on the day of the exam and will be recorded by the lecturer.