UNIVERSIDAD DEL NORTE

INSTITUTO DE IDIOMAS

MISSION OF THE INSTITUTO DE IDIOMAS

Contribute to the well-rounded development and continuous professional education of citizens and to the teaching and learning of
languages. Respond with quality, relevance and creativity to the needs of students, teachers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and public
and private organizations in the region, country and Latin America. Use a wide range of educational programs, developed by experts
with academic and research interests.

1. IDENTIFICATION

NAME OF THE COURSE: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ENGLISH

LEVEL: IRE8: Capstone Course in International Relations
COURSE CODE: IGL 4978
NUMBER AND TYPE OF CREDITS: 3/2/3
DURATION: 64 HOURS
TEXTBOOK: SPECIALIZED MATERIAL
CEFR LEVEL: B2.3

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

This course is the capstone course of the 8-semester program of International Relations English. It uses academic texts,
film, and literature related to contemporary International Relations topics to continue to develop students’ language
skills.

Students during the course should be completing the B2 level of English which means that they will be able to do the
following:
understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in the IR
field; interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite
possible without strain for either party; produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint
on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages.

Students in this level will complete the APTIS English proficiency test, as well as working on a core project throughout
the semester.

Throughout the semester, students will work towards the creation of a research report on a topic of interest. During the
first five weeks of the semester, the class as a whole, will research information on Iran. This will be done via analysis of
media reports on the country, the reading of academic articles related to the country and the reading of Persepolis to
get a perspective from the world of literature. Relevant information will be synthesized from these sources, and a
research report will be constructed by the group as a whole. This joint construction of a research report will serve as a
model for the class as they embark on their own research focus. The next step involves the students in pairs choosing a
research focus. This may be similar to the model in that they may choose to select a particular country to focus on, or
they may choose to select a more specific focus. Students will repeat the steps from the Iran model in that they will
analyze media, academic, and cultural reports on their focus, with the difference being that on this occasion, the onus is
on the students to generate their own materials. An additional step in this phase requires the students to get in contact
with international groups or organizations in order to add another layer to their research. Once students have had
sufficient time to generate the necessary information, each pair will begin work on their research report which should
be submitted by the end of week 12. The final step of the project involves the students creating a short digital
presentation offering a distilled version of their research report in order to share their research findings with a broader
audience via social networks.
3. JUSTIFICATION

Proper management of an international language such as English is necessary so that a professional in International
Relations can function in an increasingly globalized and multicultural society. The internationalization of the relations
between the global communities has brought about challenges that every professional needs to face in order to be more
competitive. Among those challenges is adopting a language that facilitates communication - both personally and
professionally - with other cultures. The Instituto de Idiomas has designed this program for International Relations
English to contribute to the intellectual, cultural, and professional development of our students.

4. GENERAL OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course International Relations English 8, students will be able to:
understand extended speech and lectures and follow complex lines of argument related to the IR field; read articles and
reports concerned with IR problems and distinguish particular attitudes and viewpoints of the authors; interact with
spontaneity and fluency in discussions, provide detailed explanations and examples; write clear, well-organized, detailed
analyses which inform and give reasons to support a particular viewpoint.

5. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Reading and Listening:

 Identify main ideas and specific details, make inferences, and draw conclusions from academic texts, films, and
literature.
Speaking
 Discuss themes, supporting ideas with observations and specific examples.
 Participate in class discussions.
Writing
 Write a research report, citing sources.
 Synthesize information from various academic texts, films, and literature and write a response.
Content
 Identify themes in literature and film and relate them to relevant issues in International Relations.

6. EVALUATION

Continuous assessment takes into account both the cognitive process and the final product to obtain an overview of
student progress. Assessment for this level has been planned in order to provide opportunities for students to
demonstrate their progress during the course in the following way:

 Content and Language 15% Evaluation of content, reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary.
Assessment 1
 Content and Language 15% Evaluation of content, reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary.
Assessment 2
 Content and Language 15% Evaluation of writing (formal e-mail) and speaking (informal Q & A)
Assessment 3 abilities.
 Research Report 20% Formal research report covering perceptions on issue or country from
media, academic and cultural perspective.
 Final Product 15% Distillation of research report using a digital presentation.
 APTIS Exam 20% English proficiency exam covering four key skills.

The grading scale used in the International Relations English program is as follows:
 The student met the full objectives of the course.
4.6 to 5.0 EXCELENT
The quality of work was optimal.
The students met with the full objectives of the course.
4.1 to 4.5 VERY GOOD
The quality of work was very good.
The student successfully completed the objectives of the course.
3.6 to 4.0 GOOD
The quality of work was good.
The student acceptably met the objectives of the course.
3.3 to 3.5 ACCEPTABLE
The quality of work was admissible.
The student barely reached the objectives of the course.
3.0 to 3.2 SATISFACTORY However, the deficiencies in the quality of work do not require
repetition of the course.
The student did not achieve the objectives of the course.
Below 2.9 DEFICIENT

7. METHODOLOGY

To achieve the objectives, the course emphasizes the development of language skills through authentic materials and
content. The course is divided into four modules of strategic issues in International Relations with a focus on human and
environmental rights, and the materials used allow students to develop contextualized linguistic competence. The
activities are designed to maximize opportunities for meaningful interaction in the form of discussions and oral
presentations, group work, activities, reading and writing expository texts, etc.

With the help of current technology, the classes provide ample exposure to authentic written and spoken texts on
subjects relevant to international relations, which allows students to acquire other skills and competences in the area.

8. CLASS BREAKDOWN

Content Date
Introduction and review Week 1
Focus on Iran Weeks 2 - 5
Focus on Iran Weeks 2 - 5
Focus on Iran – Research Report on Iran Week 5
Research Ideas Week 6
Research work Weeks 6-10
Research work Weeks 6-10
Research work Weeks 6-10
Research Report Writing Week 12
Creation of research summary products – APTIS Weeks 13-14
Creation of research summary products – APTIS Weeks 13-14
Reflection on research – APTIS Weeks 15-16
APTIS Exam Final Exam Week

9. CLASSROOM GUIDELINES

 Plagiarism is defined as the using of another person’s ideas or words without explicitly crediting that person. All
sources for your work must be documented carefully with appropriate quotation marks and/or citations.
Consequences of plagiarism include failure of the assignment, failure of the class, and/or disciplinary action by the
university, including possible expulsion. Please make sure that you do your own work.

 Students may be asked to demonstrate their command of content and skills of their own work.
 Class sessions begin on the half hour. If students arrive more than 15 minutes late, they can stay for the class, but
the absence will be counted. Official class time is the Colombian government’s official time, available at
(http://horalegal.sic.gov.co/).

 The professor has established office hours, and the official means of communication is the class email within
Blackboard. Students should e-mail the teacher to express any concerns or questions, to set up an individual
meeting with the teacher, or to reach the teacher for any reason.

 Computers and other PDA devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) are expected for successful completion and
participation in this course. Utilities used for personal reasons should remain off and unused during class.

 The teacher will return grades within a reasonable time and allow students ample opportunity to review their
graded materials. Students are responsible for keeping track of their own grades, and for timely contesting of any
graded event with which they are dissatisfied for any reason.

 For students to make up any graded event, a valid excuse should be presented within 8 days upon returning to class.
Failure to do so will result in a zero for that graded event.

 After presenting a valid excuse, make-up graded events should be completed within 10 days of the original date of
the evaluation. The teacher has the right to ask students to submit to the Supletorio system for making up key
graded events. Homework cannot be made up.

 Learning to use a language is a constant process; therefore, class attendance is essential. If a student misses more
than 12 hours of class, he/she will not be able to take the final exam and will receive a 0.0 for that exam.

10. SUGGESTION AND COMPLAINT PROCEDURE

If students have a suggestion, query, or complaint about any issue related to the normal development of the course,
they should follow the guidelines below:

1. In the first instance, students should raise and discuss concerns with the course professor, and every effort will
be made to resolve them.
2. If the issues are not resolved, students should use the “Buzón de Sugerencias” located in the reception area of
Bloque i1 or on the website of Uninorte.
3. The suggestions, queries, or complaints will receive an answer within a maximum of 30 days.