- Docente: Gaia Aragrande
- Credits: 9
- SSD: L-LIN/12
- Language: English
- Moduli: Gaia Aragrande (Modulo 1) Simona Vasile (Modulo 2)
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Italian Culture and Language for Foreigners (cod. 0983)
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from Sep 26, 2024 to Nov 08, 2024
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from Nov 13, 2024 to Dec 20, 2024
Learning outcomes
Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of the linguistic and discursive aspects of the English language from both a synchronic and diachronic perspective. Students will gain experience in text and critical discourse analysis. Through practical exercises, students will improve their language skills to go as near as possible to the C2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference, enabling them to effectively interpret the socio-linguistic and cultural codes of the individuals involved in a communicative relationship.
Course contents
"Lezioni frontali" - Lectures
The lectures will focus on the analysis of different text types (instructional texts, newspaper texts, blog entries, academica abstracts). The aim is to let students familiarise with different styles of the English language and gain the theoretical and methodological tools to analyse them.
MODULE 1
Module 1 of this course offers an in-depth linguistic and cultural exploration of the English language, referencing principles of discourse analysis (Foucault, 1972; Schriffin, 2001; Baker, 2006; Formato, 2022), critical discourse analysis (Halliday, 2004; Van Dijk, 2001, 2020), conceptual metaphor theory (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980), framing theory (Entmann, 1993, 2004, 2007), and representational theory and visual grammar (Van Leeuwen, 2008; Kress, Van Leeuwen, 2020). This section will follow a bottom-up approach, presenting students with case studies exemplifying the linguistic theories at hand. The materials will include written texts of various types as well as audiovisual texts in English. Through the analysis of written and audiovisual texts, students will engage with the complex structures of the English language from both a linguistic and cultural perspective.
MODULE 2
Module 2 of this course will focus on academic English paying special attention to pragmatics (Thomas, 1995; Clark, 1996; Verschueren, 1999; Mey, 2001; Rose and Kasper, 2001) aimed at the analysis and writing of abstracts in English (Manninen, Turner and Wadsö Lecaros, 2020) through the use of corpora.
Topics of pragmatic nature will be examined, such as irony (Rosales Sequeiros, 2016), politeness (Kádár, 2017), and cohesion, mainly focusing on discourse markers (Schiffrin, 2001) and punctuation, intended to consolidate the specific communication skills of the English language. By means of hands-on activities and the use of corpora, the course will provide an overview of the main features of academic articles oriented towards the production of an abstract in English.
"Esercitazioni" /LANGUAGE CLASSES
Language classes are aimed at strengthening the students' language skills and at deepening their knowledge of the English language in terms of discourse and grammar. Thanks to the language classes, students will be able to practice their passive and active language skills in English and to improve their speaking and written ability to produce a text in English. Following is a list of topics that will be dealt with in class:
Readings/Bibliography
The course bibliography will be provided later; no preparation is required to attend the lessons.
Teaching methods
Lectures and workshops. Students are encouraged to actively participate in the classes.
Assessment methods
LEZIONI FRONTALI - LECTURES
The two modules of the lectures will follow the following method of assessment:
- MODULE 1 - an oral exam aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired during the course through an oral presentation of a case study supported by slides. The student will prepare a short case study using one or more theories covered during the course, modeling it, at their discretion, on the examples provided during the lessons. The student will choose independently the topic and the text(s) to analyse in their case study. The course convenor will however be available in case of doubts and clarifications. The presentation of the case study should be a maximum of 10-12 minutes, and the student should then be prepared to answer some questions from the instructor. The total duration of this part of the exam will be a maximum of 15-17 minutes.
- MODULE 2 - a take-home exam where the student will have to write an abstract in academic English following the instructions that will be provided during module 2 of the course. The topic for the abstract will be the same as the one chosen for the case study. The abstract will have to be submitted to the professor by the deadline that will be published on Virtuale.
ESERCITAZIONI - LANGUAGE CLASSES
The assessment of the English language classes component consists of an oral exam focused on the course topics.
The final score will be the sum of the scores obtained in the aforementioned questions.
Please be reminded that you will be able to get your grade in your transcript once all the exam parts are sucessfully completed.It is not allowed to reject one of the three marks, if you are not happy with your final grade you will need to take the whole exam again (this includes all three assessments). Be also mindful of the fact that a passing mark of any exam component will be valid for 12 months.
The final grade consists of the weighted average of the three tests: the two lecture tests and the language classes test, each with a value of 1/3.
Teaching tools
Slides, handouts, videos.
Office hours
See the website of Gaia Aragrande
See the website of Simona Vasile