Course Rationale 

(​​Learning to speak an additional language is a powerful, life-long tool for communication throughout international locations and cultures.   The study of language empowers learners to engage successfully in the target language in meaningful interaction, both orally and in writing, with members of other cultures and contexts. This course connects with the broadest aspects of humanities, other language courses and place based learning, and in doing so the course stretches the learner to actively participate in “Language and World Engagement.”  Language and culture are interconnected, granting opportunities for learners to compare one’s own culture, one’s own learning, and one’s own language or languages. 

When learning in a targeted language is centered on language acquisition, culture, connections, communities, and comparisons, the results can include deep and powerful knowledge that informs and builds communication from the simplest survival interactions to complex international negotiations.  Therefore the course is organized into: 

Language 

Language acquisition provides a system to develop linguistic tools that allows individuals to manipulate language to share meaning.  Listening and viewing texts supports acquisition and understanding of a new language, which gives learners tools to share their experiences and perspectives through stories. Students can be empowered to learn a new language if it is motivated by their own passions and interests.  Language acquisition enhances learners' ability to analyse how language works, to compare languages, and to reflect on how they learn languages.  

Communication

Language learning enables communicative competence through interactions with others in a world that focuses on staying connected.  Through formal and informal speaking, listening, reading, and writing students can express concepts, thoughts, feelings, facts, and opinions according to one’s wants or needs.  UWC can offer local authentic learning experiences for students to share communication with native speakers and support service partners in the target language.       

Intercultural understanding

Acquiring a new language permits us to explore our identity and culture from a new angle in order to gain multicultural competence.  Language learners can improve their multicultural competence by taking their own culture as a starting point and reflecting on it.  Therefore, the end goal is not to act like a native speaker, but to become an intercultural speaker.  Intercultural competence can be developed through the exploration of intercultural attitude, intercultural knowledge, skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovering and interacting, and critical cultural awareness skills or political education.  Language gives students access to new worlds and different ways of thinking.  By reflecting on other cultures and making comparisons to self, students develop a deeper understanding of their own identity.  

Course Aims

Acquire an increased complexity of language in order to communicate in authentic, real-life situations.

Develop interpersonal skills through creative collaboration.

Explore different cultural perspectives and practices in order to foster intercultural understanding. 

Make connections to authentic communication opportunities.

Promote a sense of how the connection between language, identity and culture shapes students’ own and others’ identities.

Eligibility

Previous study of the language as a foreign language is a requirement. This course is not suitable for beginners, near beginners or fluent-advanced users. Native-fluent users should contact the head of department to discuss alternatives.

The course is designed using three concurrent strands:

• understanding of the world through literary works

• understanding of the world through non-literary texts

• understanding of authors’ craft

By interacting with conceptual questions about literature, students come to understand how literature – in the form of short stories, novels, dramas and poetry – engages people in the causes and effects of human conflict.

More broadly, students develop their critical thinking about language and its power in influencing the way people think and feel in a range of different real-life contexts. As a result, students learn to become savvy consumers of media as well as articulate communicators, who can form cogent arguments. With a strong focus on the ability to analyse and discuss the author’s craft, students come to understand how the choices authors make can express emotions, communicate ideas and shape perceptions.

Some of the units students study throughout the course include:

• storytelling

• narrative, morality and empathy

• language and rhetoric

• language and representation

• literary inquiry

A range of literary forms and non-literary text types are often integrated throughout the units.

Students are encouraged to read widely, both for their own enjoyment and to further their awareness of the ways in which English can be used. The department’s flagship is the literary magazine, Element, which showcases a diversity of writing from a range of grades, culminating in an evening where students have the opportunity to present their work to an audience.

Successful completion of this course awards students the UWCSEA French: Language and cultures certificate.

Internal assessment

Internal assessment of student attainment in UWCSEA Courses is reflected on students' UWCSEA High School Transcript and contributes to the UWCSEA High School Diploma.

UWCSEA is accredited by both the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

• Attainment is reported using the UWCSEA 7-1 attainment grading scale.

• Approaches to learning are reported using the UWCSEA ATLs (Self management, Communication and Collaboration)

Assessment at UWCSEA is holistic and so the attainment grade and ATLs will be based on a range of formative (ongoing) and summative assessment tools. The common summative assessments allow for standardisation.

More information on UWCSEA Assessment Principles can be found here.

More information highlighting the similarities and differences of assessment in UWCSEA courses and IGCSE's can be found here.