66639 - Specific Languages 1 - English (LM)

Learning outcomes

Lo scopo di questo insegnamento è quello di migliorare le capacità comunicative dei studenti e fornire loro una conoscenza approfondita di alcuni aspetti della lingua e della cultura inglese in modo che possano competere sul mercato del lavoro a livello internazionale. In particolare le lezioni frontali daranno agli studenti gli strumenti per riflettere in modo consapevole e critico sulle varietà specifiche dell'inglese in relazione al loro contesto di produzione e fruizione. Per raggiungere questo scopo si forniranno agli studenti conoscenze in ambito teorico sulla linguistica e la sociolinguistica e ci si cimenterà in lavoro di gruppo guidato dall'insegnante incentrato sull'analisi di testi autentici. Le varietà di inglese che verranno prese in considerazione in questo insegnamento sono rilevanti e strettamente correlate con lo scopo di questo corso di Corso di Studio e includono una tra queste varietà di inglese: il linguaggio del turismo, il linguaggio politico, il linguaggio giuridico e il linguaggio economico.

Le lezioni di lingua hanno lo scopo di migliorare le competenze linguistiche degli studenti. Si mira a fare conseguire agli studenti un livello di competenza dell'inglese pari a C2 in tutte le quattro abilità comunicative.

Course contents

This course looks at the language of tourism as one of the several varieties of the English language for specific purposes. The perspective to approach the language of tourism as specific language is threefold: a linguistic perspective, a contextual perspective focusing attention on the birth of modern tourism, or mass tourism, after the second World War, and one that from this moment traces the development of tourism and its discourse to the present day.

In the first part of the course the language of tourism will be analyzed in relation to other forms of English for specific purposes to define similarities and differences with the latter. The second part of the course will focus attention on the context in which modern tourist discourse begins. It will show that tourism develops as a form of consumerism, and its discourse has the aim of persuading the masses to buy a service that does not answer primary needs. In this perspective, the course will provide some reflections on the similarities between the language of advertisement, the cultural and linguistic techniques of propaganda and the language of tourism. In the third part of the course the dramatic evolution of tourism and its discourses that has taken place in the modern and contemporary period will be analyzed: from mass tourism to cultural tourism and eco-tourism, from travel writing, to pamphlets and to tourism on the web.

After this introductory part, examples of tourist discourse will be analyzed closely in seminars and group work. Multimodal texts, that is to say texts that include also visual images, will be a preferred choice in consideration of the importance and pervasiveness of images in tourist discourse.

Language Classes

Through the language classes, students will be able to put into practice analyses of discursive and communicative strategies/modalities in modern and contemporary discourse. They will be able to understand and produce various typologies of specific and specialist languages such as those of tourism, the media and institutions.

The classes aim, on the one hand, to consolidate and expand students' language skills, with particular emphasis placed on oral and writing skills. On the other, they aim to broaden critical reading skills of texts from the sectors.

The language classes will train students in argumentative and expository academic writing, involve class discussion on notions presented in written work. For exam preparation, emphasis will be placed on writing extended essays and academic essays in English.

Readings/Bibliography

Graham M.S. Dann The Language of Tourism. A Sociolinguistic Perspective, (CAB International 2001); chapters 2, 3, 4 e 7

Maurizio Gotti "The language of tourism as Specialized Discourse" in Palusci e Francesconi (a cura di) Translating Tourism: Linguistic/Cultural Representations, Trento: Università degli studi di Trento, 2006.

Sabrina Francesconi "Touring tourism discourses: the case of 'Scotland underground'" in O. Palusci, S. Francesconi (a cura di),Translating tourism: linguistic/cultural representations, Trento: Università degli studi di Trento, 2006, p. 57-71.

Gunther Kress e Theo van Leeuwen Reading Images. The Grammar of Visual Design(Routledge 1996)

Adam Curtis, The Century of Self, BBC 2010 (Video)

All books and articles will be available in the Departmental Library (Via Cartolerie, 5)

LANGUAGE CLASSES

Material for the course will be available  at

https://campus.unibo.it/  (James)  and in the copy shops in via Cartoleria

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, group works

Assessment methods

The exam consists in a written exam. The written exam is a 2000-2500 word dissertation. Students should discuss the topic with the teacher before starting working on it. Generally this has to focus on a tourist phenomenon/text. This dissertation should be handed in in the  department porterlodge on dates that will be notified on the almaesami page. Evalutation of the dissertation will take into consideration : appropriateness of grammar, syntaxis and lexis; 2. Students' ability to organize arguments and information in a clear way; 3. Use of specialized language; 4: appropriate use of critical material used in class. If it is not otherwise specified the dissertation must be handed in in written form not in a electronic format. This dissertation can be the product of a collective work (3 students max), in this case the length must 2500 words per student. The mark of the dissertation will be published on the teacher's site in the section "Contenuti utili". Those who wish to view their work can do so   during the verbalizzazione session

LANGUAGE CLASSES (WRITTEN EXAM)

For all students, those who attend and do not attend the language classes, the written exam will consist of a 500-word essay on a theme connected to topics dealt with during the course. The written exam lasts 90 minutes and is held once per exam session. Students have to pass the exam before being able to register their overall final mark on almaesami. The essay will be assessed at the C2 level of the Common European Framework from various aspects: appropriateness of argumentation relating to the topic; presentation (layout, spelling, punctuation); structure/organization (application of academic writing criteria, cohesion/coherence), and lexicogrammatical and discursive accuracy of the standard academic English required.

Teaching tools

Dynamic presentations in Prezi and Power Point Presentations will be used to show and explain in a clear way complex theories from linguistics and socio-linguistics that will be applied to the analysis of tourist discourse. Once a week seminars and group discussions will take place

Office hours

See the website of Monica Turci