- Docente: Louann Haarman
- Credits: 3
- SSD: L-LIN/12
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LS) in Employment, Markets and Environment (cod. 0253)
Learning outcomes
The course has two main aims: to improve and consolidate the
student's linguistic competence, particularly as regards reading
and oral skills; and to deepen and refine the student's critical
competence regarding the language of the media and politics. At the
end of the course the student will have the linguistic and critical
competence to understadn, analyse and comment a political or media
text typical of those studied in class.
Course contents
The course, which consists of 30 hours in class with the
professor and 30 hours of language work with a collaborator
(obligatory), is centered on political news and current affairs
with special attention to events relating to the American
presidential race and how they are represented in the media.
Starting from written and video material both previously collected
and updated during the course, the linguistic and discursive
features of selected media genres (news articles and editorials,
television news programs, political advertisements, political
interviews, debates between the candidates and their political
speeches) are presented, analysed and commented.
Readings/Bibliography
For the attending students: Reading materials will be
distributed in class.
For non attenders: A reader including newspaper articles, speeches,
transcriptions and other didactic material is available from
October 1, 2008.
Teaching methods
The method is interactive. In the first phase the professor illustrates the object of the lesson and the analytical tools under discussion via power point presentations and handouts. Students analyse the material presented and distributed, preferably in small groups, and intervene in class in the presentation of their group or individual tasks.
Assessment methods
The exam for attending students consists of:
- a language test based on attendance of the language
practice classes (written)
- a cloze test (written)
- a discussion of the contents of the course
For the non-attending student the exam consists of:
- a language test verifying B2 competence
- a cloze test
- a discussion of the contents of the course (a reader will be
available from October 1, 2008)
N.B. It is necessary to pass both written tests (language and cloze) in order to sit the oral exam.
Teaching tools
Language/IT laboratory; DVD/Video; software for the analysis of linguistic data; Power Point presentations
Office hours
See the website of Louann Haarman