The course consists of a series of interactive workshops aimed at positioning students at the center of their own learning. The objective of the course is to help students to acquire greater communicational competence in advanced English, particularly with regard to political, commercial and management/leadership negotiation. Great attention will be paid to the development of communication and critical ability through a practical, cresative and flexible approach, applied to global politics and management.

Upon completion of the seminars it is envisaged that the students will have progressed in the following four areas:

Professional language and skills development, applied communication competence, skills, best practices, digital literacy

Expected outcomes of the course

Increased communicative competence and confidence

Students should exhibit greater confidence, accuracy and fluency in both oral and written contexts. This should arise from comprehensive practice of their expression and comprehension skills, an enhanced and more natural vocabulary (including the use of compound forms, qualifiers, idioms, buzzwords, neologisms, expressions and specialist terms related to Politics and Management, etc.), reduced errors (such as false friends), a greater dexterity in the use of applied high quality formal language, better pronunciation (a more natural rhythm, clearer tone and intonation) and especially greater speed and improved ability in translating into English. They should be particularly adept at time and space management, and at dealing with specific business contexts such as panels and meetings. They will also have created a personal system and reference book for their use of English, be aware of and use many of the best resources on the internet, and have incorporated many self-learning strategies to further their improvement.

Increased knowledge and awareness

The participants should benefit from the common exploration of a broad range of key factors, concepts, issues, skills and tools related to the new post-industrial business world (with the accelerating convergence of business, technology and design). The emphasis is on building their distinctive cultural suitcase of knowledge in addition to the specific field of politics and management, built upon know-how and influences, with a particular focus on the latest trends and developments, innovative ideas, technological and behavioural changes, design thinking, problem-solving, potential niche markets and areas of opportunity.

Development of best practices and a strong personal narrative

The focus lies firmly on the students to take creative control of their own education by adopting best practices such as a heightened curiosity and the broadening of their fields of interest and knowledge, self-learning techniques, smart independent research activity, peer-to-peer cooperation (including the sharing of recommendations and study tools), self-learning techniques, smart independent research activity, the sharing of recommendations and study tools, self-assessment and peer assessment, active participation in all tasks, and by offering ongoing feedback and suggestions.

A central focus of the course is on developing and refining the students’ personal narrative (origins, family and childhood, development of values, passions, talents and skills, their plan), which is fundamental for communication in the international sphere. This is enhanced through exploration and practice of storytelling (key values and tips, an emphasis on design as well as content, a specific lexicon, concepts such as onlyness and originality, memorability. Every student will also have worked on perfecting their resume, cover letter and interview technique throughout the course.
Digital literacy

Apart from an analysis of developments and opportunities in the digital sphere and the exploration of established and emerging resources, each student is asked to provide an original two-minute personal brand video relating to their personal narrative.