Learning reading skills and professional communication in foreign language at post-graduate courses of the Barnaul Law Institute of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs

The article is devoted to the problems of training post-graduates in their preparation for the candidate of sciences examination (PhD exam) in foreign language. The author notes the importance of linking reading instruction and professional communication. Reading in foreign language is a means of satisfying communicative and academic needs. Reading skills influence the development of professional communication. When selecting text material professional orientation of training is considered, which requires the use of legal, scientific, criminological, historical texts. The text is a theme and an act of communication; it contains lexical and grammatical material and serves as a model of native speakers' verbal communication. The key to the effectiveness of working over the text are communicative tasks for mastering all kinds of reading authentic literature and communication skills. These communicative tasks reflect the real situations of post-graduates' professional activities and are the means of controlling their speech acts. The time spent on practical classes is insufficient; therefore it is necessary to have a clear structuring and minimization of lexical and grammatical material by compiling a “minimum dictionary” and limiting the sphere of professionally-oriented communication. This is accomplished through selection of typical situations, the minimum of necessary communicative intentions taken into account.