Polish Intermediate 2 (MLT257)

Assuming a good A level in the language or equivalent, this unit aims to provide an initial preparation for a prolonged professional, academic or recreational stay in a country where the language is spoken and introduces the full range of linguistic and cultural skills required to engage in authentic and spontaneous interaction with native speakers.

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

• perform at Level B2- of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
• understand authentic speech, lectures and audio/video material of some length (including TV news, current affairs programmes, and films) developing a fairly complex line of argument or narrative provided the topic is reasonably familiar or predictable and the delivery not over-challenging
• understand articles and reports on contemporary society and matters of academic and personal interest in which the writer adopts particular attitudes or viewpoints, and read specially selected contemporary literary prose
• interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with native speakers in various situations, even unexpected ones, and deliver a presentation of an informative nature on a wide range of subjects related to their field of interest, accounting for and sustaining their views in a clear and unambiguous manner
• write reasonably complex argumentative texts (e.g. essay, report or letter) on a wide range of subjects related to their interests, passing on information, giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view, or highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences
• demonstrate an enhanced understanding of current cultural and social trends and associated behaviours in areas where the language is spoken so as to engage fairly easily with native speakers in most communicative situations
• demonstrate a strategic ability to study the language by themselves for specific purposes, assessing their longer-term language needs and cultural interests, setting themselves goals in relation to these, and using specialist tools as well as experimenting with a range of resources and techniques to achieve these goals
• demonstrate competence in a number of transferable skills such as IT skills, researching, presenting and analysing information, defending an argument and negotiating, intercultural and language awareness, autonomous learning, social media communication, etc.