23951 - English II Part I

Learning outcomes

This 40 hour, 6-credit course (English II, Parts I and II) has two main aims: to consolidate the student's linguistic competence, particularly in the fields of listening comprehension and speaking, and to provide the analytical tools necessary for the development of a critical approach to media discourse, including an awareness of ideological 'messages' often implicit in the language of media texts. At the end of the course the student will have the linguistic and critical competence to understand, analyse and comment a media text typical of those studied in class.

Course contents

This course deals with the representation of current events in the press (principally in newspapers published on the Internet) and on television, both as single news items and as breaking news. Students will analyse and compare news articles published in selected English language newspapers and broadcast on 24-hour news programs (BBC World, Sky UK, Fox and CNN) as well as on national British and American networks (BBC and CBS). In addition to news of current affairs, the course will deal with the linguistic and pragmatic features of political interviews and televised debates between the American presidential candidates, in order to highlight the significant differences in the linguistic and communicative strategies realised in the news bulletin (where the text is conventionally written-to-be-spoken) and in the interactive and spontaneous context of interviews and debates.

Students will prepare and present in class examples of the different genres studied (news reports, television news programs, interviews, brief debates).

In addition to the content course described here, students may attend a weekly lesson giving further practice and instruction in the improvement of speaking skills.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students : Reading materials will be distributed in class.

For non-attending students :

L. Haarman / P. Walsh.  Between the lines and pictures: News on Television and the Internet
Readings for students of Political Science Prof. L. Haarman (SP, SVIC)

The reader is available from the Copisteria Broccaindosso.

Also see "Verifica" (non-attenders).

Teaching methods

The method is interactive. The topic of the lesson and relevant analytical tools are presented using Power Point, photocopies (e.g. transcriptions of the news items) and video clips. The students analyze the material presented and distributed, preferably in small groups, and present their individual or group reports to the class for further comment and discussion. Active participation in class is fundamental for the attending student.

Assessment methods

For attending students:
The final examination for attending students consists in a cloze test to verify language competence and an oral discussion on the contents of the course. Students will be asked to analyse a television text utilizing the tools and methodology presented in the course. The exam will take place in the week following the last lesson.

For non-attending students:
The examination consists of a written test on the reader:

L. Haarman / P. Walsh. Between the lines and pictures: News on Television and the Internet.
Readings for students of Political Science

Prof. L. Haarman (SP, SVIC)

The reader is available from the Copisteria Broccaindosso.

The examination consists in a cloze test on two passages drawn from the reader (30 minutes) and two open questions on the reading materials (40 minutes). The answers must be formulated in English. Students may consult a bilingual or monolingual dictionary. For an example of the cloze test and sample questions, see the PAIS page of the professor (Materiali online).

Teaching tools

Language/IT laboratory, DVD/Video, Power Point presentations, access to Internet in class

Office hours

See the website of Louann Haarman