English for industrial design

Authentic ESP texts with specialized lexical, grammatical and discourse elements with a view to enhancing students’ comprehension of Industrial Design topics, and, therefore, develop linguistic skills necessary for: a) students’ participation in postgraduate courses and various European programmes (e.g. Erasmus programme etc.), and b) future professional career. Students are exposed to a collection of Industrial Design-related texts focusing on content rather than grammar, and they practise their skills via CALL-based exercises in the language laboratory.

Objectives

The course aims at helping students to: 1. identify lexical, grammatical and discourse items in formal ESP written and listening texts 2. demonstrate comprehension of ESP linguistic structures in authentic texts by activating previously acquired knowledge of Industrial Design topics 3. apply knowledge of the function of specific and specialized grammatical and lexical items in ESP texts in a variety of CALL-based exercises (e.g. filling in information in sentences, paragraphs, or larger and complicated ESP texts, matching information etc.) 4. assess and use textual information by producing short texts (reports, descriptions, instructions, comparisons of processes/machines etc.) 5. interpret and analyze information in diagrams, tables etc.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of English language at least B1.

Syllabus

Α collection of authentic Industrial Design texts. In detail, the following topics are included: 1. Industrial Design 2. Elements & Principles of Design 3. Materials I : Metals 4. Materials II: Plastics 5. CAD 6. 3D modelling 7. Prototyping 8. Brand Identity & Iconic Design 9. Manufacturing Processes • Grammar topics 1. Revision of tenses 2. Comparisons 3. Relative clauses 4. Passive voice 5. Infinitives & Gerunds 6. Participles