Teaching

Courses in Managerial English are offered for both undergraduate (B.Sc.) and graduate (M.Sc.) students.

Graduate courses are taught as six-credit modules and currently include Business Ethics (winter semesters only) and Rhetoric for Managers (summer semesters only).

Undergraduate courses are taught at two levels:

• general level: English for Business - Language and Correspondence (6 CP); Talking Business (6 CP); Presenting and Persuading (6 CP); Working Across Cultures (6 CP)
• advanced level: Writing for Management - Professional Communication (6 CP)

General-level courses can be attended at any time after you have completed your first year of studies, and no particular order is required. To attend the advanced-level course Writing for Management, however, you must have completed English for Business .

Credits from Managerial English count towards the open (so-called 'profile') minor, and you can choose to attend one or more individual courses to build specific skills. Alternatively, you can complete all of them for a full 30-credit minor on the B.Sc. 'Wirtschaftswissenschaften' (see the entry on Managerial English as a minor subject below). The Service & FAQs section has some suggestions for how to select and sequence courses.

All courses are taught every semester and are open to undergraduate students of of our faculty who register for them via StudIP (see Service & FAQs for details on the registration procedure). Graduate students and students from other departments may be admitted selectively subject to availability of places.

All Managerial English courses are designed to enable you to communicate more confidently and successfully in English-language management situations. These situations are necessarily diverse, and what exactly you are expected to do in them varies. You may, for example, be asked to write an effective complaint e-mail, give a persuasive business presentation, chair a productive meeting, make a professional telephone enquiry, design clear presentation slides, compose an attractive CV and much more...

Two things about these situations do not vary, however. First, you will always need good English language skills, meaning the ability to avoid major mistakes in pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and grammar. Language skills are your building blocks. Second, you will always need good communication skills, meaning the ability to deal appropriately with the social and cultural norms that apply in management communication. Communication skills are your building plans.

Building a real house requires that you combine the heap of building blocks with a set of plans, and this is also true for Managerial English: One set of skills is not very effective without the other. What use, for example, is your mastery of the future perfect in the passive voice (as in "By this time next year, much progress will have been made.") if you are unable to 'do the right thing' in a job interview? Conversely, what good will it do you to design perfectly clear presentation slides if on the same slides you are unable to spell essential words correctly (is it "lose" or "loose", "quite" or "quiet", and "Polish" or "polish")?

Thus, courses in Managerial English are as much about learning to avoid major language mistakes as they are about becoming a better communicator. A 'better' communicator, though, is not a person who speaks and writes English that is entirely free of mistakes. Rather, it is a person who is (and not only comes across as) cooperative, realistic, persuasive, organized, clear, friendly, perceptive, trustworthy, open-minded and compassionate - professional, in short.

To improve both your language and your communication skills in Managerial English, active participation in class and extensive self-study are the keys to success. Even though all classes are interactive seminars and not lectures, you should not expect miracles from simply attending class once a week. Improving your skills requires continuous effort and practice outside of class.

What the courses in Managerial English have to offer is a non-threatening learning environment, some guidance and 'food for thought', room for discussion (and also disagreement), many practical examples and challenges, and - hopefully - some fun as well.

The Managerial English minor available as part of the B.Sc. Business Administration/Economics ('Wirtschaftswissenschaften') consists of 30 credits, all of which can be obtained from completing classes I teach at our faculty.

To earn the 30 credits required, you will need to complete

1. in no particular order: English for Business - Language and Correspondence (6 CP); Talking Business (6 CP); Presenting and Persuading (6 CP); Working Across Cultures (6 CP) at the general level
2. Writing for Management - Professional Communication (6 CP) - the advanced-level course, which can be attended only after having completed English for Business

This setup not only gives you maximum flexibility with respect to the order in which you can attend courses. It also allows you to attend several courses in the same semester. Be aware, however, that improving your language and communication skills will necessarily take time. You will not see lasting improvements if you rush through all courses in the minimum amount of time possible.

The following is a brief overview of Managerial English courses currently offered at our faculty. More detailed information is available from the respective module descriptions.

Undergraduate Courses

Talking Business (6 CP)

This general-level course introduces students to spontaneous spoken-language communication in the workplace. Participants will have ample opportunity to build business-specific vocabulary, improve their idiomatic English, and practice essential spoken-language skills - including social English and networking, running a workshop and professional telephoning. Assessment is based on running a workshop (40%) and a final examination (60%).

Presenting and Persuading (6 CP)

This general-level course enables students to become more effective presenters - both of business topics and of themselves. Participants will give business presentations and take part in simulated job interviews to build essential rhetorical skills, improve their techniques of delivery, and design more effective presentation slides. Assessment features a mock job interview (50%) and a final examination (50%).

Working Across Cultures (6 CP)

This general-level course enables students to become more effective intercultural communicators. Participants will study essential models of cross-cultural differences and learn how to apply them in diverse business and management settings. Case studies, simulations and team projects will help students increase their awareness of cultural diversity and become more adept at identifying and minimizing potential sources of intercultural miscommunication. Assessment includes an in-class presentation (40%) and a final examination (60%).

English for Business - Language and Correspondence (6 CP)

This general-level course helps students attain 'business-fluent' English-language proficiency, including how to avoid classic German mistakes and how to handle routine business correspondence with confidence. Participants will review those aspects of English grammar, spelling and punctuation with special relevance to business usage, and will practice their business writing and proof-reading skills. Assessment is based on an in-class presentation (30%) and a final examination (70%). This course is specifically built around the challenges faced by German learners of English: German language proficiency at CEFR level B2 or higher is required.

Writing for Management - Professional Communication (6 CP)

This advanced-level course encourages students to learn how to handle challenging writing situations with clarity, eloquence and grace. Participants will learn about key principles of writing style, text structure and visual design and apply them to memos, negative messages, CVs and cover letters, and other advanced business and management texts. Assessment is via two written tests (60%) and a take-home assignment (40%). This is an advanced writing course going beyond general-language proficiency: Prior completion of the English for Business course is required.

Graduate Courses

Business Ethics (6 CP, winter semesters only)

This seminar is targeted at advanced students who have an interest in learning about the ethical dimensions of business decisions. Using classic case studies, various moral dilemmas and extensive reading assignments, the course will challenge students to develop a more critical and thoughtful perspective on corporate and managerial decision-making. Participants will also practice how to use central ethical principles and analytical techniques in business decisions. Assessment involves an in-class presentation (40%) and a final examination (60%).

Rhetoric for Managers (6 CP, summer semesters only)

Given that a manager’s job is rhetorical by nature, this advanced seminar focuses on enhancing participants’ rhetorical skills. The course reviews the central concepts and principles of rhetoric and persuasion, and then encourages students to apply them in business contexts. Various simulations, debates and public-speaking exercises will help students learn how to speak clearly and eloquently on a given topic, give persuasive speeches and argue more effectively. Assessment is via an in-class speech (50%) and a final examination (50%).