87900 - Communication In Institutional Areas

Learning outcomes

The student knows the types of texts and the fundamental issues of intra-, inter-linguistic and intercultural communication in an institutional setting. He/she is able to understand, analyse and (re)produce oral speeches used in several istitutional settings.

Course contents

The main aim of the course is to consolidate the linguistic and cultural preparation in Italian of interpreters who may work in different institutional contexts, including political, academic, corporate, healthcare, legal and public service settings. Starting from a definition of institutional communication, understood as the set of discursive practices through which bodies, administrations, organisations and public actors construct, convey and negotiate information, roles and responsibilities, the course will examine the main prototypical genres of institutional communication, with particular attention to oral genres: public speeches, communications addressed to citizens, political speeches, official statements, press conferences and interactions in public services.

Particular attention will be devoted to political language and to the main rhetorical, argumentative and pragmatic strategies used to inform, persuade, legitimise or delegitimise positions, build consensus and represent collective identities.

Part of the course will focus on comprehensibility and inclusion in institutional communication. Students will be guided in recognising the linguistic, textual and discursive features that may hinder the understanding of institutional texts, including features of bureaucratic language, and in experimenting with strategies for simplifying, reformulating and adapting discourse for different audiences, while respecting informational accuracy and the ethics of public communication. In the simplification activities, we will observe whether and how the use of different artificial intelligence tools can facilitate the production of comprehensible texts.

Depending on the interests of the class and the pace of work, the course may include thematic seminar-style sessions on hate speech and discriminatory language, gender inclusion in public communication, linguistic intercomprehension and plurilingual communicative practices in institutional contexts.

By the end of the course, students will be able to: i) critically recognise the linguistic, rhetorical and pragmatic features of institutional discourse; ii) analyse and reformulate texts and oral discourse with a view to comprehensibility and inclusion; iii) plan and produce a cohesive, effective oral institutional speech that is appropriate to the communicative context.

The Institutional Communication module is part of the integrated course Communication in Institutional and Specialised Contexts, which focuses on the intralinguistic, interlinguistic and intercultural analysis of different written and oral text types in institutional communication.

Readings/Bibliography

The material (slides and others) used in class is an integral part of the curriculum and is available on the VIRTUALE platform.

Readings
Lubello, S. (2016), “Usi pubblici e istituzionali dell’italiano” in Lubello, S. (ed.), Manuale di linguistica italiana, Berlino: De Gruyter (pp. 417-435).
Cortelazzo, M. (2015), “Il cantiere del linguaggio istituzionale. A che punto siamo?”, LeGes 26-2015/1 (pp. 135-150).
Petrilli. R., (2015), La lingua politica, lessico e strutture argomentative, Roma: Carocci Editore (cap. 1, pp. 11-44).

Other references will be shared with students during classes.

Further readings (not compulsory):
Cedroni L., Dell’Era T. (2016), Il linguaggio politico, Roma: Carocci Editore (solo par. 2.3, pp. 87-102 e cap. 3, Stili e funzioni del linguaggio politico, pp. 103-123.
Barone, L. (2007). “Metafore e vita istituzionale. Comunicati stampa e discorsi nell’Unione Europea”. In Bosisio, Cambiaghi, ecc. Atti del 7° Congresso AITLA. Aspetti linguistici della comunicazione pubblica e istituzionale, (pp. 155-176).
Vellutino, D., Zanola, M.T. (2015), Comunicare in Europa. Lessici istituzionali e terminologie specialistiche, EDUCatt - Ente per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario dell’Università Cattolica.
Vellutino, D. (2018), L’italiano istituzionale per la comunicazione pubblica, Bologna: Il Mulino/Itinerari (un capitolo a scelta tra I, II, III, IV).
Cedroni, L. (2014), Politolinguistica. L’analisi del discorso politico, Carocci Editore.
Cortelazzo, M., Pellegrino, F. (2002), “Trenta regole per scrivere testi amministrativi chiari”, Guida agli Enti Locali, n. 20, (pp. XXV-XXXV).
Sciumbata, F.C. (2017), Sono solo coincidenze? Proposte a Trenitalia per farsi capire (meglio) dai viaggiatori, Trieste: EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste.
Masieri D. (2018), "Euroletto italiano sull’esempio di alcuni articoli della Costituzione Europea", Italica Wratislaviensia, 9.2, (pp- 161-178).

Teaching methods

Lecturing, workshops, and practical work on texts.
Students active participation is requested.

Assessment methods

The examination will be aimed at assessing:
(i) the theoretical knowledge acquired on the principles of institutional communication;
(ii) the ability to analyse the characteristics of an institutional text;
(iii) the ability to identify difficulties in the process of interpreting an institutional text and to show appropriate resolution strategies;
iv) the ability to produce an effective and coherent institutional speech in Italian.

The Institutional Communication exam includes a practical test and an oral test.
The practical test will be divided into two parts:
-formulation of an institutional monological oral discourse lasting about 3 minutes on a subject assigned one week before the exam date;
-analysis of a short written text on communication in public administration contexts: understanding and proposal for simplification.

The oral test includes the discussion of the theoretical topics covered during the lesson and proposed in the reference essays (from two to four questions).
The last lesson will be aimed at clarifying the examination modalities through simulation exercises and collegial discussion of theoretical doubts.

Scoring:
-practical activities: 15 points out of 30.
14-15 points: fully satisfactory
12 to 13 points: good, with some areas for improvement
9 to 11 points: sufficient, although with gaps
<9 points: insufficient to severely insufficient

-Questions of theoretical investigation: 15 points out of 30.
14-15 points: excellent control of content, very good oral expression, reflection and reasoning skills.
12-13: good control of content, good oral exposition skills, reflection and reasoning.
10-11: fair control of content, fair skills of oral expression, reflection and reasoning.
<9: poor or severely inadequate control of content, oral exposition, reflection and reasoning skills

The following criterias will be taken into consideration during the evaluation:
-clearness of candidates' presentation and accuracy of terminology
-completeness in theoretical knowledge
-critical thinking capacity
-precision in carrying out practical activities.

Students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) or with disabilities that can affect their ability to attend courses are invited to contact the University service for students with disabilities and SLD at the earliest opportunity -- ideally before the start of the course: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students. The University service will suggest possible adjustments to the course work and/or exam, which must then be submitted to the course leader so they can assess their feasibility, in line with the learning objectives of the course. Please note that adjustments to the exam must be requested at least two weeks in advance.

Declaration on the Use of AI
Only for the completion of the second practical activity, the exam involves substantial use of AI. The quality of the final product remains, however, the responsibility of the student, who is expected to edit the work and ensure the accuracy of the content presented.

Teaching tools

PPTs, Internet, Videos, e-learning platform (Virtuale and Teams).

Office hours

See the website of Cristiana Cervini