90807 - LINGUA INGLESE LM

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to use and exercise critical thinking skills and intermediate grammatical features, punctuation conventions as well as appropriate vocabulary when responding to and composing texts/interacting in conversation.

Course contents

The course will focus on English language enrichment through the analysis and study of general sociolinguistics, cultural studies, communication practices in the mass media and the ways that events are framed with regards to Contemporary Issues in the United States. Moreover class lectures will be on both basic English linguistics and Cultural Studies.

*The course will be exclusively in English.

Readings/Bibliography

A specific bibliography will be provided during the course.

It is advised that students familiarise themselves with these texts and authors. Most of these texts are open source and can be found for free online or in the library. Other materials will be handed out during class and/or uploaded to the course’s Virtuale page. Students are asked to stay up to date on domestic and international current events and news stories generated from these events.

Chandler, Daniel (2007) Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge.

http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/

Dawkins, Richard (2006). The Selfish Gene (30th anniversary ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hall, Stuart. (1980). Encoding/decoding. Culture, media, language, 128-138. Retrieved from: http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~jdslack/readings/CSReadings/Hall_Encoding-n-Decoding.pdf

Herman, E. S., & Chomsky, N. (1988). Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. New York: Pantheon Books.

McLuhan, Marshall (1964) Understanding Media. London: Routledge.

Milner, Ryan. (2016) The World Made Meme: Public Conversations and Participatory Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Postman, Neil. (1986). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York: Penguin Books.

Said, Edward. (1979). On Orientalism. New York. Vintage Books
https://monoskop.org/images/4/4e/Said_Edward_Orientalism_1979.pdf

Shifman, Limor. (2014). Memes in Digital Culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 

Tyler, Tim. (2011). Memetics: Memes and the Science of Cultural Evolution. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. http://memetics.timtyler.org

Teaching methods

The course will blend theory and praxis dedicated to traditional lectures on past and current theoretical utilising audiovisuals with open class discussions/debates. Students will also be able to verbally express their ideas, researched opinions and present in front of an audience.

Opportunities to talk, present, listen, read, and write in lecture settings, conversation/debate and basic writing exercises all done in English.

*Due to the current SARS-COV-19 global pandemic, teaching methods are subject to change.

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend the online Modules 1, 2 on Health and Safety [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas].

Assessment methods

At the beginning of the semester students will take an English Placement Test (EPT) via Virtuale to assess their levels.

At the end of the course there will be a written exam. The written part will be on a topic covered in the course of the students' choosing.

Moreover, there will be two formats of the exam for the different english levels. These level will be self assessing.

Format #1 (EPT test Medium to upper level A2/B2+)
Format #2 (EPT test Medium to low level A1-A2)

For both attending and non-attending students

You will have a choice of:

Written

Format #1: Writing a 750-1000 word essay on a topic of the student’s choosing based off of material covered in class or on the classes website. The essay will be done at home then submitted via EOL/Virtuale. 

Format #2: Multiple choice test based on materials that can be found on the class's webpage. The test will be administered via Virtuale or EOL (TBD) in class. 

*More exam information will be provided during the course.

Marks
Upon passing the exam, the student obtains IDONEO.

Students who enrolled in the course before the academic year 2019-2020 will receive a numerical grade:
• 30L-30: Excellent performance demonstrating outstanding acquisition of expected knowledge, as well as linguistic proficiency indicating complete mastery of the target language.
• 27-29: Above-average performance, with minor errors or otherwise compensated by a more than sufficient demonstration of the required knowledge and skills.
• 24–26: Valid performance, but with some noticeable errors indicating partial acquisition of the required knowledge and skills.
• 21-23: Satisfactory performance but with significant limitations in the knowledge and skills to be acquired.
• 18-20: Performance meeting only the minimum criteria for the required knowledge and skills.
• < 18 Insufficient: Basic knowledge has not been achieved; the exam must be retaken.

Recognition of the course if in possession of at least a B2 certification

Students enrolled in the LM SOSS program who possess one of the certifications at least at the B2 level indicated in the equivalency table of CLA http://www.cla.unibo.it/idoneita-linguistica/equipollenza-dei-titoli-1 or a certification issued by a university language center or who meet one of the conditions listed below:

Hold the status of a native English speaker;
Have obtained a degree from an English-speaking university;
Have obtained a university degree entirely taught in English;
Possess an IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma, a High School diploma, or a GCE (General Certificate of Education) obtained in English (at least 50% of the course's teachings must be conducted in English).

Students can request recognition of the English Language LM course (90807) by sending a request via email to the Course Coordinator, Professor Barbara Giullari, copying the Educational Manager, silvia.antonioni2@unibo.it, and attaching a copy of the certification they possess. If the certification is older than 3 years, the course will assess with the English language teaching faculty member the opportunity for the student to pass a proficiency test.

Teaching tools

Course specific PPT presentations, documentaries, websites, podcasts, and social media applications. Assignments and activities will be carried out both in class and at home with a focus on enriching students' grasp and mastering the relevance of modern digital age communication.

Most if not all printed and audiovisual material used in class, as well as resources for the specific topics tackled in class, will be made available on the Virtual-IOL e-learning site. (see Readings/Bibliography)

Links to further information

https://virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=49514#section-12

Office hours

See the website of Anthony Dion Mitzel