Graduate School of health and Medical Sciences

Speaking Academic English with Confidence
Provider: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Activity no.: 3779-25-00-01	There are 12 available seats
	Enrollment deadline: 10/10/2025

Date and time	10.11.2025, at: 09:00 - 20.11.2025, at: 16:45
Regular seats	12
Course fee	9,360.00 kr.
Lecturers	Morten Berg
ECTS credits	3.40

Contact person	Morten Berg E-mail address: mail@ikontext.dk

Enrolment Handling/Course Organiser	PhD administration E-mail address: phdkursus@sund.ku.dk

Aim and content This is a generic course. This means that the course is reserved for PhD students at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at UCPH. Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at the Graduate School, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. After the enrolment deadline, available seats will be allocated to the waiting list. The course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD students at NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee. Learning objectives The course enables the participants to: • improve their comprehensibility in conversation and presenting • understand the prevalent norms in English-language scientific communication • prioritize among materials for their talks • understand the causes of other challenges facing them in oral communication • feel more confident about speaking English in an international setting. As the pronunciation of a foreign language is strongly influenced by the speaker’s mother tongue, the course takes its starting point in raising the participants’ awareness of the differences in pronunciation between their own and the English language. The participants are guided in adapting those elements that may challenge their interlocutors’ or audience’s understanding. Pedagogical and cognitive issues are dealt with in light of what we know about how the spoken language is processed by listeners. The rhetorical norms of diverse cultures are also noted. The course prepares its target group for the Effective Speaking course also offered by the School. Participants are advised that this is a very intensive course requiring a sustained effort for lasting results. Content/elements • contrasting English and native language patterns: sentence stress, rhythm, intonation, etc. • identifying and unlearning native language patterns • the role of intonation in conveying importance to specific elements of the sentence • preparing notes for presentations • group and individual coaching on English sounds (segments) and intonation (sentences) • nonverbal elements: body language, contact with audience, etc. • own rehearsal of pronunciation • submission of three audio-recorded samples for feedback • developing and rehearsing five presentations Participants This course is aimed at learners of English who feel that their command of the spoken language puts them at a disadvantage in their academic career. Psychological and affective factors stemming from negative experiences may have led to apprehension about their proficiency in spoken English, typically aggravated by anxiety about public speaking in a foreign language. Marked differences between the pronunciation of English and the participant’s first language may also contribute to difficulties with acquiring a comprehensible pronunciation of English. Relevance to graduate programmes All graduate programmes Language English Venue Panum Form Plenary, group and individual work, feedback, articulation and voice exercises, audio- and video-recorded speaking and presenting tasks, exchange of speaking experiences Course director Morten Berg (cand.mag., English), owner at i kontext, mail@ikontext.dk Instructor Morten Berg Dates Nov 2025, weeks 46-47: Mon 10, Wed 12, Fri 14, Tue 18, Thu 20 Registration Register before 10 October 2025 Participants should check their KU email account (and its spam filter) three weeks before course start as they are expected to submit a sound recording before the course and provide input to the scheduling of group work. Course location To be announced Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.

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