78667 - English for Specific Purposes 1 (LM)

Learning outcomes

The global aim of this course – which includes lectures and language classes - is to improve students’ communicative skills and provide them with a sophisticated knowledge of selected aspects of the English language and culture in order to allow them to compete for jobs in the international sector . More particularly, lectures will enable students to think critically about specific varieties of English in connection with their context of production and of reception. This aim will be achieved by providing students with theoretical knowledge taken from linguistics and sociolinguistics, as well as through close readings of real texts. Specific varieties of English taught in this course are aligned with the aims of this degree and may include two or more of the following varieties of English: the language of tourism, the language of politics, legal English and the language of economics. Language classes aim at improving students’ linguistic competence; over the two year period students’ knowledge of English should reach the level C2 according to the European framework in all four abilities. These classes will work in connection with the lectures to improve students’ writing skills in particular.

Course contents

LEZIONI FRONTALI

This course explores the lexical, semantic pragmatic and discursive characteristics of the language of tourism, which here is seen as a multimodal language that uses both words and images. Firstly it considers the thorny issue of the language of tourism as language for special purposes. It is precisely this issue that will show the impossibility to see the language of tourism as one entity. There is not one language of tourism but several of these whose characteristics are connected with and change depending on the historical, political, social and economic context in which it develops. From the grand tour described in travel and epistolary writings by famous writers, to the developments of mass tourism and commercial guide books and to the recent fragmentation of the tourist market and the development of alternative forms of tourism that has been possible by digital communication.

Part of this course focuses on texts that will be read closely in order to analyse the socio-linguistic strategies they employ. This analysis provides the starting point for some practical activities that include the writing of tourist texts in English and the translation of tourist texts from Italian into English.

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 [main textbook]

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. (Chapter in book)

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.(chapter in book)

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

 

All books and articles will be available in the Departmental Library (Via Cartolerie, 5) and/or in the materiali didattici on line

 

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 one of the following:

1. an essay and a twenty minute presentation in class. The topic of the presentation has to be agreed with the teacher and will developed in the essay

2. an essay and a twenty minute oral exam. The topic of the essay has to be agreed with the teacher and will be discussed during the oral exam

3. Project and a twenty minute oral exam. This consists of a short brochure in English (not longer than 3000 words). The content must be original that is to say it has to focus on a place or cultural event that has never been talked about in English. Alternatively  students can write an original English translation of a brochure. The final evaluation will consider  students' ability to produce or translate tourist text in a correct, fluent and idiomatic English.

The essay is a 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. The evalutation of the dissertation will take into consideration: grammar , syntaxis and lexis; students' ability to organize arguments and information in a clear way; use of specialized and academic language;  appropriate use of critical material covered in class. This dissertation can be the product of a collective work (3 students max), in this case the length must not exceed 5000 words. This dissertation should be sent in attachment to me on dates that will be notified on the almaesami page in doc or docx format.

 

 

LANGUAGE CLASSES (WRITTEN EXAM) Prof. James

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 and accessible 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