References:

BROWN, Douglas H. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. ISBN 978-0-13-304194-1.

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion Volume [online]. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing, 2020. ISBN 978-92-871-8621-8. Available from: https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/home

HARMER, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2015. ISBN 1447980255.

HOLDEN, Susan and Vinicius NOBRE. Teaching English Today: Contexts and Objectives. Scotland: Swan Communication Ltd., 2019. ISBN 978-1-901760-13-2.

Inovovaný štátny vzdelávací program [online]. Bratislava: Štátny pedagogický ústav, 2020. Available from: https://www.statpedu.sk/sk/svp/inovovany-statny-vzdelavaci-program/

NUNAN, David and Ronald CARTER. Cambridge Guide to Teaching Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 9780511667206.

TANDLICHOVÁ, Eva. Didaktika anglického jazyka. Bratislava: UK Bratislava, 2001. ISBN 80-223-1611-3.

Content of the state examination course:

Topic

1. Family & Society

2. Home & Housing

3. The Human Body & Healthcare

4. Transportation & Travel

5. Education

6. Humans & Nature

7. Free Time, Hobbies, & Lifestyle(s)

8. Meals & Eating Habits

9. Multicultural Society

10. Clothing & Fashion

11. Sport

12. Shopping and Services

13. Countries, Towns, & Places

14. Culture & Art

15. Books & Literature

16. Humans & Society

17. Communication & Its Forms

18. Mass Media

19. Young people & their world

20. Employment, occupations, & jobs

21. Science and Technology in service to humans

22. Role Models & ideals

23. Human Relationships

24. Slovakia

25. The Countries whose Language I’m learning

Conditions for successful completion of course:

All matters pertaining to state examinations (conditions of the examination, deadlines, assessment, examination board, participation) are set out in Article 15 of the Study Regulations of the Faculty of Arts. One component of state examinations in the MA teaching degree programme at the Department of British and American Studies in English Language Teaching Methodology, which takes the form of a didactic project (lesson plans based on the specifications below), by which the students have to demonstrate their ability to prepare a meaningful lesson plan and, in the course of its defence, to answer relevant questions from the theory of teaching and education.

The purpose of the state exams is to determine whether students are well-grounded in English language teaching theory and able to apply it appropriately in the Slovak educational environment. To that end, the student prepares two (2) 45-minute English language lesson plans (template available), with the understanding that one lesson follows the other. Students submit their lesson plans by the deadline set by the department. Any teaching aids that are part of their lesson plans, e.g. pictures, flashcards, etc., must be submitted as well.

At the exam explain the theory (or theories) upon which their lesson plans, activities, and assignments are based and their reasonings for laying the lesson out as they did. Examiners may ask questions concerning any aspect of the lesson plans and their objectives, as well as questions about the intended group of learners (i.e., aspects such as the characteristics of that age group, classroom management, and types of interaction). Use of professional terminology is expected.

Assessment:

Students are assessed on their knowledge of English language teaching methodology and theory as it relates to the components of and factors in their lesson plans. English language proficiency, as well the ability to provide explanations and give instructions appropriately, are also taken into consideration. Level C1 and above is expected.

The target students, their educational level, their level of language proficiency (according to CEFR), the group size, and all other variables need for the didactic project (i.e., lesson plans) are determined by lottery. The target group for the second lesson plan does not change, but the following variables can be changed by the student according to their own preference: time of the day, language skill, target language, and topic.

Variables

A. ISCED Level: Lower or Upper Secondary

B. Grade, Age, and CEFR Language Level

· Lower secondary: 5th-8th grades in a 9-year primary school 7th grade (12-13 years old); prima-tercia in an 8-year secondary school

· Upper secondary: 4-year program; 5-year bilingual program; vocational school

C. Size and Make-up of the Group

D. Day and Time

E. Target Language Skill: Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing

F. Topic (topics are listed below in the “Content of State Examination” section

Assessment coursework/final exam: 0/100%

Students must be proficient to at least CEFR level C1 to pass the state examination.

Brief outline of the course:

1. The student briefly presents (but does not read) their project to the members of the state exam committee.

2. The student responds in depth to comments and questions from the feedback received in advance.

3. The student responds to any additional comments and questions from the committee members in a discussion.

4. The student responds to related questions on the theory of foreign language teaching.

5. Non-public discussion and decision by the commission members assessing the defence of the didactic project (i.e., their lesson plans).

6. Announcement of the final assessment of the defence and didactic project.

0/100 (%)

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the state examination, students will have demonstrated the following:

· a basic knowledge of the psychological and linguo-didactic foundations of English language teaching, and the foundations of the theory of foreign language teaching

· a basic knowledge of various methods, approaches, techniques, classroom management solutions, forms of testing, and classroom activities appropriate for the teaching of all language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing

· the ability to appropriately use various teaching techniques and technology relevant to the content and/or teaching objective

· the ability to plan and organise lessons of English as a foreign language in accordance with government and EU policy (i.e., the updated National Curriculum and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

· the ability to develop teaching materials and curricula

· the skills to prepare and implement a an English language lesson in practice based on government requirements and teaching objectives

BAUER, Laurie: English Word-formation. Cambridge: CUP, 1996. ISBN 0-521-28492-9.

BÁZLIK, Miroslav a Jolana MIŠKOVIČOVÁ. Pravidlá výslovnosti britskej a americkej angličtiny. Bratislava: Iura Edition, 2012. ISBN 978-80-8078-447-8.

BÁZLIK, Miroslav a Martin VOTRUBA. Gramatika angličtiny : Seminárne úlohy. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2011. ISBN 978-80-223-3086-2.

BÁZLIK, Miroslav a Martin VOTRUBA. Porovnávacia gramatika anglického a slovenského jazyka. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2008. ISBN 978-80-223-2449-6.

BLAKE, Jason. Writing Short Literature Essays: a Guide for Slovenian Students. Celje: Samozaložba, 2010. ISBN 978-961-245-898-0.

BOROŠOVÁ, Beáta. Segmental and Suprasegmental Phonetics and Phonology, British English. Bratislava: Comenius University, 2017. ISBN 978-80-223-4366-4.

CRYSTAL, David: The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. Cambridge

University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-53033-4.

GRAUZĽOVÁ, Lucia. Writing a Thesis in Literary Studies. Bratislava: Stimul, 2024. ISBN 978-80-8127-426-8.

HAMP-LYONS, Liz a Ben HEASLEY. Study Writing a Course in Writing Skills for Academic Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-521-53496-3.

KUBIŠOVÁ, Alžbeta, BÁZLIK, Miroslav a Martin VOTRUBA. Porovnávacia gramatika anglického a slovenského jazyka II. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2009. ISBN 978-80-223-2620-9.

KVETKO, Pavol: English Lexicology in Theory and Practice. Trnava: Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda, Filozofická fakulta, 2015. ISBN: 978-80-8105-639-0.

LACKO, Ivan. How to present perfectly, simply, and continuously: ideas (not only) for academic assignments and examinations. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2021. ISBN 978-80-223-5337-3.

LANČARIČ, Daniel: English Grammar in Theory and Practice. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2020. ISBN 978-80-223-4906-2.

LANČARIČ, Daniel: English Lexicology. Theory and Exercises. Numbrecht: Kirsch-Verlag, 2016. ISBN 978-3-943906-25-7.

QUIRK, Randolph a Sidney GREENBAUM. A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Harlow: Longman, 1990. ISBN 0-582-05971-2.

ROACH, Peter. English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-521-71740-3.

The requirements for a state examination (conditions, dates, assessment, examination board, participation) are set by Article 15 of the Study Regulations at the Faculty of Arts. One of the constitutive parts of the state examination within master’s study programmes is an examination in “English Studies“. Students in their final year choose one of the following two modules according to their preference and notify their choice to the Department of British and American Studies’s secretary by a deadline specified by the department:

• Literature module

• Linguistics module

LITERATURE MODULE:

• Within this module students will be expected to produce a literary research project on a topic they will choose by drawing lots in a manner and at a time specified by the department. The topics are general, for example, freedom, injustice, trust, etc., and they are changed at regular intervals.

• Students will submit their literary research project in the form of a voice-over Power Point presentation to the department’s secretary by a deadline specified by the department, usually 5 days before the date of the state examination. The presentation must include research questions, a thesis statement, and Works Cited (as specified below).

• The project is required to have a clearly formulated thesis statement related to the topic selected and be argumentative in character. It has to analyze at least 2 primary sources (preferably texts that the students have studied; at least one of them has to be a book) and use at least 4 secondary sources (two of them must be in book format; web sources may be used only as additional material).

• Students will be expected to offer an analytical view of the selected primary literary texts; therefore, their project needs to be based on an analytical thesis statement. A good thesis statement offers an interpretation of a literary text, is debatable (i.e. someone might disagree with it), but it can be supported by textual evidence.

• At the defence of the project, students will be expected to respond to questions related to the analyzed literary texts and to their literary, cultural, and historical context. The projects will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• coherence/structure: 20 %

• language: 10 %

• presentation skills: 10 %

• analysis/argumentation: 20 %

• context knowledge: 20 %

• adequate work with sources: 20 %

Students will be awarded an automatic FX if they fail to meet one of the following criteria:

• their projects do not meet the minimum requirements of the assignment, i.e. their projects are not related to the topic they have chosen, they are not based on a thesis statement, and they are not argumentative in character,

• they do not speak a C1 level of English,

• they do not use primary and secondary sources as required (number, reliability),

• they do not refer to the primary and secondary sources listed in their Works Cited.

LINGUISTIC MODULE:

The final State Examination in English Linguistics is an oral examination conducted in English. The set questions should give the students who choose this module the opportunity to

• demonstrate the ability to present analytically the linguistic phenomena in question and their role at the corresponding language levels;

• demostrate how they master synthetic interpretation and relevant argumentation in the phenomena’s systemic contexts and communication functions;

• demonstrate the ability to come up with their own findings and observations alongside the subject matter;

• demonstrate the ability of contrastively evaluating the language situation in comparison with Slovak;

• in case of thematic relevance of the given question, to demostrate the ability to exemplify the theory on the means of expression in the written text, which will be provided to the student before the beginning of the preparation for the exam.

The evaluation criteria of the linguistic module presuppose the answering of questions at a level that corresponds to the graduate’s profile of the given study program, and are as follows:

• a thought-through and clear concept of an answer;

• the meeting of the above requirements in relation to the question;

• coherence of speech;

• appropriate CEFR level (approx. C1).

As part of the state examination, the student randomly draws from the questions that have been announced in advance by the department.

Students must be proficient to at least CEFR level C1 to pass the state examination.

The state examination in English Studies will be focused on the knowledge and skills that students have acquired during their studies in courses in linguistics, literature, but also in courses on history, culture, translation, and ELT methodology. Students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to present their knowledge and skills in given fields, with a particular emphasis on their ability to creatively interpret and place them in mutual relations, in an academically adequate form, using a cultivated advanced English.

0/100 (%)

Upon a successful completion of the state examination, students

• have basic knowledge in English literature or linguistics,

• have detailed knowledge about a selected historical and literary period and socio-cultural context or selected aspects of all language layers,

• are able to work with theoretical sources and apply theoretical knowledge in analyzing literary texts or language discourses,

• are able to critically analyze, synthetize, and argue,

• have a command of the target language that corresponds at least to C1 CEFR,

• have good presentation skills.

Primary and secondary literature according to courses taken.

The student presents his/her knowledge of the history of German Austrian and Swiss literature (authors and works according to a detailed list published on the department's website) in the form of an oral examination. The student presents knowledge of German phraseology in the form of an oral examination.

A student may take the state examination a) after obtaining at least the number of credits necessary for the proper completion of studies after obtaining credits for successful completion of state examinations, b) after successful completion of compulsory courses, compulsory elective courses and elective courses in the composition determined by the study programme, c) after fulfilling the student's obligations arising from Section 71, paragraph 3, letter b of the Higher Education Act, d) if there are no disciplinary proceedings against him/her. Successful completion of the subject of the state examination is one of the conditions for successful completion of the study programme. The subject of the state examination shall be evaluated by the State Examination Board with classification grades A to FX. The marking of the state examination or part thereof is decided by consensus by the examination board. If the Board of Examiners fails to reach a consensus, the marking of the State examination or part thereof shall be decided by vote. In accordance with the wording of the Faculty's study regulations (VP 5/2020, Art. 15), the framework dates for state examinations are set by the Dean and with the Faculty's study schedule. Departments are obliged to publish their state examination dates on the website at least 5 weeks before the examination. The student shall register for the state examination via the academic information system at least three weeks before the date of the examination. A student is entitled to one regular and two make-up examination dates. The regular examination date is the one for which the student first applied on the date set for the national examinations. If a student has been awarded a grade of FX in the regular state examination, the student may take the make-up state examination dates (a) on subsequent state examination dates in the relevant academic year, or (b) on state examination dates in any of the following academic years in accordance with section 65(2) of the Higher Education Act. If a student is unable, for serious reasons, to attend a state examination date for which he or she has registered, he or she shall be obliged to apologise in writing to the chair of the examination board in advance or, at the latest, within three working days after the date of the state examination or part thereof if there were serious obstacles preventing him or her from apologising in advance. If the student fails to appear for the state examination or part thereof on the specified date without an excuse, or if the chairman of the examination board does not accept the student's excuse, the student shall be marked with a grade of FX for that date of the state examination. The student must achieve a pass mark of at least 60% in all parts of the state examination.

1. The student shall attend the registered date of the state examination according to the schedule set by the department.

2. The student presents knowledge of the history of modern German, Austrian, and Swiss literature and his/her own reading experience with selected works according to the list of works published on the department's website. This part of the state examination is carried out in the form of an oral examination.

3. The student is able to make a structural, semantic and pragmatic analysis of the selected phraseology on the basis of an authentic text and to describe it also in terms of lexicography and contrast; this part of the state examination is carried out in the form of an oral or written examination.

0/100

The student has an overview of selected works of modern German, Austrian and Swiss literature and is able to place them in the context of the overall work of the authors and the broader socio-cultural discourses of the period. Emphasis is placed on one's own reading experience and ability to interpret a given literary work. The student is proficient in the basic theoretical knowledge of German phraseology and can demonstrate active phraseological competence.