23995 - English Language of Fashion (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have a basic knowledge of the English language with special attention given to English for the fashion industry. S/he will know the field-specific terminology, will be familiar with the literature (books, journals, etc.) of this sector, will be able to produce a variety of texts related to fashion.

Course contents

Course contents

The course is intended for the first-year students of Fashion Cultures and Techniques (BA, bachelor degree). The overall objective of the course is strengthening students’ expressive and communicative skills, in particular, improving translation and critical reading of English texts on themes relevant to fashion. Linguistic and textual analysis of practical documents will be the main activity so as to help students understand specific texts on the fashion sector and fashion studies. The course envisages an introductory theoretical framework for English-Italian language pair (word building, false friends, morphosyntactical asymmetries etc.).

Lessons will be held in English and Italian.

Scholars and professionals of the fashion world are invited to hold “Special Lessons” that students have to attend.

At the end of the course a written test (partial) is envisaged.

 

Readings/Bibliography

FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED FROM A.Y. 2014-2015 ONWARDS

First-year students will be tested on basic English knowledge TEST DI INGLESE DI BASE (pls check section NEWS at teacher's website http://www.unibo.it/docenti/mariella.lorusso for further details.

Recommended text:

R. Murphy, L. Pallini, Essential Grammar in Use, Quarta Ed., Cambridge, 2016 (For students enrolled from A.Y. 2014-15 onwards)

CONTENT

Pronuncia

Tempi (presenti, passati, futuri)

Forma passiva

Duration Form

La struttura della frase e della domanda in inglese

Verbi

Verbi modali

Articoli, nomi, pronomi, ecc.

Aggettivi e avverbi

Preposizioni

Periodo ipotetico

Discorso indiretto

Costruzione delle frasi

 

FOR ALL STUDENTS (FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS and STUDENTS ENROLLED FROM A.Y. 2014-15 ONWARDS)

PLS NOTE:

students will be tested on the following texts and films for the final exam:

- Reader 2019(available at Cartoleria Tecnica, Via Dante, 30)

- Mary E. Ward, English for the Fashion Industry, Oxford, 2012

- Vogue On Gianni Versace, Charlotte Sinclair, Quadrille Publishing, London 2015 (Italian translation:- Vogue. Gianni Versace, Charlotte Sinclair, Atlante, Bologna, 2015)

- Dizionario della moda (inglese-italiano, italiano-inglese), Introduction: Wordrobe, il guardaroba delle parole della moda, Mariella Lorusso, Zanichelli, Bologna 2017

- two films to be chosen from the following list, only for those students who will not be able to attend the special lesson of Dec. 5 (9-11 am):

Film “Phantom Thread”, by Paul Thomas Anderson, 2018

Film “Yves Saint Laurent”, by Jalil Lespert, 2014

Film “The Devil Wears Prada”, by David Frankel, 2006

Film "Valentino: The Last Emperor", by Matt Tyrnauer, 2008

Film "The September Issue", Feltrinelli Real Cinema, 2009

PLEASE NOTE

Reader 2019: Recommended books for students who have difficulties in translating from English into Italian (the part of the Reader on the Brief History of Fashion and the descriptions of fashion designers and their creations; and the book Vogue on Gianni Versace):

- Italian translation: - Marnie Fogg, La Moda dalla A alla Z, Atlante, 2012 .

- Italian translation: - Vogue. Gianni Versace, Charlotte Sinclair, Atlante, Bologna, 2015

*******************

Further readings (not compulsory):

Michela Zio, Monica Camozzi, Parole di moda - da A line dress a Zuava, Milano, Hoepli 2011

Grammars:

R. Murphy, L. Pallini, Essential Grammar in Use, Quarta Ed., Cambridge, 2016

Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, or last edition

G. Marino, Grammatica della lingua inglese, Clubing Publications (2 vol.), Caserta 2011, or last edition

Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (intermediate), 4th Edition, Cambridge, 2012, or last edition

A. Amendolagine, N. Coe, M. Harrison, K. Paterson, Grammar Spectrum Essentials, for Italian Students, Oxford, 2013, or last edition

Martin Hewings, Advanced Grammar in Use, 3rd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2013, or last edition

Dictionaries:

Oxford Study per studenti d'inglese, Oxford University Press, Third Edition 2012, or more recent edition

Oxford Student's Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Third Edition 2012, or more recent edition

AS Hornby, OxfordAdvanced Learner's Dictionary, Oxford University Press (2010), or more recent edition

Electronic Dictionary , Sharp, Ragazzini, Zanichelli ed. (if still available)

Georgina O'Hara Callan, Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers, Thames and Hudson, London, 2008

Guido Vergani, Fashion Dictionary, Baldini Castoldi Dalai editore, Inc. New York. 2010

Teaching methods

Exercises associated to the course objectives are envisaged, in order to gain control of the comprehension and translation of the texts.

In the first part of the course we will focus on the linguistic analysis, critical reading and interpretation of texts with special reference to the organization and distribution of information within the text itself. Particular attention will be given to general principles and features of the specific discourse in order to provide students with the necessary tools to understand such texts. Some of the most important functional varieties of modern English will be examined.

The second part of the course will focus specifically on reading comprehension and translation, as such skills are considered to be the main objectives of the course.

The Moodle e-earning platformis made available to assess “Test di base” (basic knowledge of the English language, B1 level) and “Prima Parte” (special terminology and ‘noun strings’) three times a year.

Assessment methods

STUDENTS WILL HAVE TO PASS TWO EXAMS:

1) TEST DI INGLESE DI BASE (BASIC ENGLISH TEST)

2) LINGUA INGLESE DELLA MODA (ENGLISH FOR THE FASHION INDUSTRY)

******************

1)TEST DI INGLESE DI BASE

FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED FROM A.Y. 2014-2015 ONWARDS

First-year students will be tested on Basic English grammar (B1 level).

Students can choose to take the TEST DI INGLESE DI BASE in written (advisable), or oral form. This test is valid for 3 years.

a) written

the test will be available through the University Moodle e-learning platform.

Test duration: 30 minutes

Number of questions: 20. To pass the test 12 questions must be answered correctly.

Type of questions: true/false; multiple choice, etc.

If students fail, they will be asked similar grammar questions during the oral exam.

Once students are enrolled, they can access the University Moodle e-learning platform, find all the information they need and start practicing at https://elearning-cds.unibo.it

There are three dates in a year to take the written test:

14-12-18 (only Test di Inglese di Base) (Red Lab)

7-02-19 (Test di Inglese di base and Prima Parte) (Red Lab)

11-04-19 (Test di Inglese di base and Prima Parte) (Red Lab)

b) oral

Students will be asked basic grammar questions, similar to the ones contained in the written test.

If students choose to take the exam in an oral form they can take it any time there is an exam for "Lingua Inglese della Moda - orale" (almost every month).

* The purpose of this test is to evaluate basic English grammar.

2) LINGUA INGLESE DELLA MODA

FOR ALL STUDENTS

The oral exam is divided into two parts. The FIRST PART (50% of total evaluation) consists in translating noun strings on clothing from English to Italian and vice-versa. If students pass this part, it is possible to continue with the exam and do the second part (on the same day). The second part of the exam consists in questions about the course contents, and reading and translation from English into Italian of a selected passage.

The FIRST PART can also be taken in a written form. There are 3 dates available in a year:

The first date of the FIRST PART (called PROVA IN ITINERE) will be held at the end of the course (DECEMBER 18th 2018), the other two dates (called PRIMA PARTE di Lingua Inglese della Moda) on FEBRUARY 7th and APRIL 11th 2019.

Students have the opportunity of deciding whether to take the FIRST PART of the exam written, or oral. If the written part of the exam is successful, it is possible to take the second part on a subsequent date.

It is possible to take the WHOLE EXAM in an oral version, or take the FIRST PART written, and the rest of the exam oral on another date.

PROVA IN ITINERE and PRIMA PARTE have the same characteristics and consist in a translation from/to English of sentences and technical terms relevant to the fashion industry (noun strings).

Students who pass this FIRST PART will not be asked "noun strings and technical words" during the oral exam. Students who do not pass the FIRST PART will have to take both parts of the exam orally.

The final mark is the average obtained by the mark of the Mid-course assessment and the mark obtained by the rest of the oral exam.

The written test is valid for one year.

As indicated by the teacher, all students can sign up for this exam on Almaesami and on University Moodle e-learning platform.

(please check section 'Avvisi/News' at teacher's website for details on time and location)

*During this exam the major skills to be evaluated are:

• wide knowledge of technical terms;
• comprehension and translation of texts relevant to fashion.

Those students who show a solid command of the English language and an equally appropriate awareness ofthe issues covered during the lessons, are able to use these critically and who master the field-specific language of the discipline will be given an excellent mark.

Those students with a lesser degree of linguistic competence who demonstrate a mnemonic knowledge of the subject with a more superficial analytical ability, a correct command of the language but not always appropriate, will be given a lower, ‘fair' mark.

A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability that is not always appropriate may pass the exam but will only do so with a low mark.

Students who display knowledge gaps in the subject matter, inappropriate language use, lack of familiarity with the literature in the programme bibliography will not be given a pass mark.

A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability that is not always appropriate will be awarded a pass mark.

Knowledge gaps in the subject matter, inappropriate language use, lack of familiarity with the literature in the programme bibliography will not be given a pass mark.

In summary, the written test of the FIRST PART is scheduled in the following dates:

 

18-12-18 (only Prova in Itinere / Prima Parte) (Red Lab)

7-02-19 (Test di Base and Prima Parte) (Red Lab)

11-04-19 (Test di Base and Prima Parte) (Red Lab)

***IMPORTANT***

After the end of the course (Dec. 18th 2018) those students who have passed the BASIC ENGLISH TEST will be able to take the FIRST PART of "Lingua Inglese della Moda" (noun strings+tech. words) on the same day. Both tests will be written and will take place in the computer lab (Moodle e-learning platform).

PLEASE NOTE:

Approximately every month there will be an exam of Lingua Inglese della Moda and it will be possible to take the complete exam (Basic English Test + First Part (noun strings/tech. words) + Rest of the program) in an oral form.

IMPORTANT:

Please, make sure that you have paid your university fee, otherwise the computer lab system will not give you access to the written tests

 

Teaching tools

PC, video/dvd projector, overhead projector, tape recorder

Office hours

See the website of Mariella Lorusso