UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES &
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Evening Courses
Dutch Level Proficiency
Prerequisite for entry
Successful completion of Dutch level 5+ at UCL CLIE, A-level Dutch, Certificaat Nederlands
als Vreemde Taal
Term duration
10 x 2-hour classes
Self-Study
40 hours in total
Aims and Objectives
The course is designed for advanced level students requiring the language for vocational
and professional purposes. The course comprises knowledge and understanding both of the
structure of the Dutch language and of its use in professional environments. It covers cultural
and professional contexts, negotiating and interacting, reading specialist texts note-taking
and debates as well as other related topics. These areas will be related to the students’
individual needs and interests.
Functions
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expressing specialised opinions, critical topic-related comments
debating, commenting, negotiating
suggesting, accepting, refusing
describing, defining, explaining
composing written pieces of information for different purposes
conducting presentations on a variety of specialist topics
summarising complex information from English to Dutch (and vice versa)
Course Content
Main topics/themes to be covered (selection from the following):
-
university system/professional qualifications
employment in business and industry
job applications and interviews
seminar papers and presentations
group debates
overview of the political and administrative structure of countries where Dutch is
spoken
demographic developments, gender roles and family life
the European Union and global affairs
UCL Centre for Languages & International Education
Evening Courses
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current affairs in Flanders, The Netherlands and other parts of the world where Dutch is
spoken (eg Dutch Antilles): political, socio-economic and cultural developments
arts (music, literature, film, art, cultural heritage)
Skills
Reading
-
reading for gist (skimming), scanning for specific information
in depth analysis of complex topics in major newspapers/magazines and specialised
publications
Writing
-
analysis and review of articles
summaries
critical comments
Listening
-
radio, TV, audio and video recordings, feature films
directed listening for specific tasks
presentations, summaries
Speaking
-
formal and informal discussions and debates
presentations
role-play
Linguistic Structures
Discourse Strategies
- analysing/comparing texts from various sources (different text types, styles and
registers)
- recognising and applying different linguistic registers in writing and in speaking
- preparing oral contributions for different audiences
- spoken versus written communication
Main aspects of these strategies
- structuring (logical structures)
- linking devices (lexical, grammatical)
- stylistic levels and their usage
- specialist vocabulary
Application of complex grammatical features and registers
Learning Resources
There is no textbook for this course.
Material for this course will be drawn from:
-
Written material from various sources such as De Standaard, De Morgen, NRC
Handelsblad, De Telegraaf, De Volkskrant, past exam papers CNVT, etc.
Authentic audio and audio-visual material such as News clips recorded from BVN
Belgian and Dutch films
Variety of internet sources
In addition there is some language learning material for self-study in the Self-Access
Centre.
UCL Centre for Languages & International Education
Evening Courses
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