Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaftliches Englisch 1
(English for the Visual and Applied Arts and Cultural Studies)

Peter Waugh
Tuesdays 12.00-13.30

The aim of this student-oriented course is to help improve the participants’ knowledge of the English language, in particular in the specialist field of the applied arts, and to enhance their general linguistic abilities through practical work on the following skills:

1) Conversation: discussion of art works, written texts, videos, projects and exhibitions. Assistance with vocabulary and pronunciation.

2) Reading: examination of a range of specialist texts relevant to those fields of the applied arts in which students are working, as well as general texts on the visual and applied arts, art history, art theory, literature and cultural studies. Assistance with vocabulary. Advice and correction will be also given in grammar and pronunciation.

3) Writing: short text production (free form) on set topics, art works, texts read, current projects (whether pursued at the university or outside), work in other courses of university study, exhibitions visited. Also abstracts, applications and CVs. Correction and evaluation of submitted work.

The course also includes possible visits to art and design exhibitions currently showing in Vienna, with a view to notemaking and subsequent text production and discussion.

The end-of-semester evaluation is based on a combination of class attendance and written work done at home, including one piece of writing on a special topic of the student's choice, to be given in towards the end of the semester.

A level of at least school English is required for this course.

Since new material is offered every semester, the course 'Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaftliches Englisch 1' (e.g. WS 2022)  may also be taken as a follow-up to 'Kulturwissenschaftliches Englisch 2', (e.g. SS 2022), otherwise naturally also as a first course, or separately, on its own, as a single-semester course.

The German title of the course has now changed from 'Kulturwissenschaftliches Englisch' to 'Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaftliches Englisch', but the concept remains the same, as does the English title of the course ('English for the Visual and Applied Arts and Cultural Studies')