ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 74.25 Hours of tutorials: 2.25 Expository Class: 18 Interactive Classroom: 18 Total: 112.5
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: English and German Philology
Areas: English Philology
Center Faculty of Law
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
From a linguistic-communicative perspective, this module aims for students to reach a B1 level of proficiency in English, as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Understand the main ideas of spoken and written texts related to the legal field, using appropriate comprehension strategies for each context.
• Express simple opinions and arguments on legal matters in both oral and written interactions.
• Orally present real or hypothetical legal cases with clarity and some degree of fluency, and analyse their implications.
• Write coherent and well-structured texts on technical-legal topics, such as brief reports, summaries, or professional emails.
• Use basic technical vocabulary from legal English and appropriate grammatical structures to communicate effectively in an initial professional or academic context.
The contents of this course (grammar, vocabulary, and oral and written comprehension and production skills) will be selected in accordance with the descriptors established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) for level B1 and adapted to the legal field.
Specifically, regarding grammatical aspects, the course may include topics such as the form and use of verb tenses, relative clauses, and the formation of direct and indirect questions, among others.
In terms of lexis, the course will address common vocabulary and expressions related to areas such as the legal system, legislation, tort law, competition law, and property law, among others. These topics will also be integrated into activities that develop listening comprehension, reading comprehension, oral interaction, and written expression skills.
With regard to written production, the course will review key notions of spelling and punctuation and will work on text-level coherence and structure.
CORE BIBLIOGRAPHY
MURPHY, R. (2019). English Grammar in Use: A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English. Cambridge: CUP.
BROWN, G. D. and S. RICE. (2007). Professional English in Use. Cambridge: CUP.
SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY:
CALLANAN, E. and L. EDWARDS. (2010). Absolute Legal English. Delta Publishing House.
KROIS-LINDNER, A. and TransLegal. (2011). International Legal English: A course for classroom or self-study use. Cambridge: CUP.
KROIS-LINDNER, A., M. FIRTH and TransLegal. (2008). Introduction to International Legal English: A course for classroom and self-study use. Cambridge: CUP.
MASON, C. (2007). The Lawyer’s English Language Coursebook. TOLES Legal
RECOMMENDED DICTIONARIES:
- Gran diccionario Oxford Español-Inglés/Inglés-Español. Oxford University Press.
- Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (Paperback). Harper Collins Publishers.
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR CONSULTATION AND SELF-STUDY:
Dictionaries (English and English-Spanish)
- http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ (English)
- http://www.lexico.com/ (English and English-Spanish)
- http://www.ldoceonline.com/ (English)
- http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ (English)
- http://www.wordreference.com/ (English and English-Spanish)
- http://www.learnersdictionary.com/ (English)
- http://dictionary.reference.com/ (various, English)
- http://sli.uvigo.es/CLIG/index.html (English-Galician)
- http://visual.merriam-webster.com/ (visual in English)
Synonyms, antonyms etc.:
- http://thesaurus.reference.com/
Grammar:
- http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm (with activities)
- http://www.englishpage.com/grammar/ (with activities)
Miscellaneous (grammar, vocabulary, activities, tests, reading, writing, podcasts...):
- English Test Net (http://www.english-test.net/)
- About.com (http://esl.about.com/)
- Easy English (http://www.easyenglish.com/)
- A4esl.org (http://a4esl.org/)
- UsingEnglish.com (http://www.usingenglish.com/)
- English Page (http://www.englishpage.com/)
- BBC Learning English (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/)
- British Council - Learning English (http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/)
- University of Victoria - Language Center (http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/index.htm)
Basic: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
General: CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4, CG5, CG6, CG7, CG8, CG9, CG10, CG11, CG12, CG13, CG14, CG15, CG16, CG17, CG18, CG19, CG20, CG21, CG22
Specific: CE11
For further information, the Verification Report is available at the following link:
https://assets.usc.gal/sites/default/files/plan/2021-09/Dereito_2013.pdf
The methodology of this course is based on a communicative and action-oriented approach, in which students play an active role in their learning process. The activities are designed to develop linguistic and communicative competence in the technical-legal field through authentic and meaningful tasks.
The following methodological strategies will be used:
• Task-based learning, which enables the integrated development of oral and written skills through the resolution of real situations from the legal context (reading contracts, writing reports, presenting cases, etc.).
• Collaborative learning, through pair or small-group work that fosters interaction and active use of the language.
• Analysis of authentic materials, such as simplified legal texts, video excerpts, or professional documents, to familiarize students with the language used in their field.
• Simulations and role-plays, in which students can practice professional situations (negotiations, interviews, case defense) in a safe and guided environment.
• Use of ICT, including digital platforms, multimedia resources, and autonomous learning tools to support language practice beyond the classroom.
Metacognitive reflection on the learning process will be encouraged, as well as student autonomy in developing their linguistic competencies.
In both the regular December/January session and the resit session in June/July, students’ achievement of the course objectives will be evaluated through a combination of methods, as detailed below:
FIRST SESSION (December/January)
Grade distribution:
1) CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT (20%) – oral and written tasks completed individually or in groups, either in class or via the virtual platform. This is broken down as follows:
1.1. Written production task: 10%
1.2. Oral production task: 10%
2) FINAL EXAM (80%), consisting of:
2.1. Reading comprehension test (20%), to be held on the official dates set by the faculty.
2.2. Listening comprehension test (20%), to be held on the official dates set by the faculty.
2.3. Writing test (20%), to be held on the dates announced throughout the semester.
2.4. Speaking test (20%), to be held on the dates announced throughout the semester.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1) To pass the course, students must achieve a minimum overall score of 5 out of 10, with no less than 4 out of 10 in each of the four skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking). If the minimum is not achieved in any skill, the course will be failed, even if the total average is 5 or above. In that case, the grade recorded in the official transcript will be 4.5.
2) Students who do not attend the final exam will receive a grade of NP (Not Present), even if they have completed all continuous assessment tasks.
3) Students who fail to submit continuous assessment tasks will forfeit the corresponding percentage of the final grade.
RESIT SESSION (June/July)
Grade distribution:
2.1. Reading comprehension test: 20%
2.2. Listening comprehension test: 20%
2.3. Writing test: 30%
2.4. Speaking test: 30%
Students will only need to retake the skills they did not pass in the first session. A minimum of 4 out of 10 is required in each skill. To pass the course, the total score must be at least 5 out of 10. If the minimum is not achieved in any skill, the student will fail the course, and the grade recorded will be 4.5.
STUDENTS WITH ATTENDANCE EXEMPTION
Students officially exempt from class attendance must take a final exam that will count as 100% of the grade, distributed as follows:
2.1. Reading comprehension test: 20%
2.2. Listening comprehension test: 20%
2.3. Writing test: 30%
2.4. Speaking test: 30%
To pass the course, students must achieve a minimum of 4 out of 10 in each of the four skills. If this is not achieved, even with a final average of 5 or above, the recorded grade will be 4.5.
IMPORTANT WARNINGS
1) Due to the nature of oral tasks, these may take place on a different date and time from the official written exam. This date will be announced in class and will be considered official. Students are responsible for ensuring their availability for oral exams.
2) EXAM DATES WILL NOT BE CHANGED, EXCEPT IN DULY JUSTIFIED CASES.
3) In cases of academic dishonesty, the provisions of Article 16 of the Regulations on the Assessment of Academic Performance and Review of Grades will apply:
“Any form of fraud in an exercise or test required for the evaluation of a subject will result in a failing grade for the relevant session, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings. Fraud includes, among others, the submission of plagiarised work or work taken from publicly accessible sources without reworking or reinterpretation and without proper citation of the authors and sources.”
Estimated study time and personal workload required to pass the course: 75 hours
Raquel Pereira Romasanta
Coordinador/a- Department
- English and German Philology
- Area
- English Philology
- raquel.romasanta [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: Intern Assistant LOSU
Tuesday | |||
---|---|---|---|
12:00-13:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | English | Classroom 2 |
Wednesday | |||
11:00-12:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | English | Classroom 2 |
01.22.2026 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Assembly Hall |
06.10.2026 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 16 |