28566 - Language and Cultural Mediation: English I (Second Language) (CL1)

Learning outcomes

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

This course aims to improve the student's listening, reading, oral and writing skills in English.

The aim of this course is to bring second language students to a post intermediate  level of spoken and written English, by developing lexis and familiarizing them with grammar required by B2 specifications.

LINGUISTIC MEDIATION

The course aims at strengthening students' oral skills in both Italian and English and at introducing them to dialogue interpreting.

The main objectives/expected outcomes are:

-         to improve oral comprehension in both Italian and English through selective listening aimed at memorizing and summarizing information;

-         to develop the ability to produce and reproduce oral texts in both languages;

-         to learn appropriate translation strategies to cope with various communicative situations and contexts and different registers and styles;

-         to expand vocabulary in both Italian and English;

-         to deepen knowledge of the culture(s) of English-speaking countries;

-         to think about ethical/professional aspects related to linguistic/cultutal mediation.

Course contents

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MODULE

The course will be taught by Prof. Antonini, Stockman and Hammersley and will take place in the first semester. The language module aims to improve language skills via a series of modular activities which will focus on:

i) the reading and analysis of a series of texts taken mainly from the field of current affairs

ii) listening comprehension and the oral and written reproduction of texts

iii) grammar revision

iv) the proficient use of monolingual dictionaries

LINGUISTIC MEDIATION MODULE

The mediazion module will be taught by Proff. Cirillo, Iacoviello and Rizzi in the second semester and will be divided into two parts:

• Module 1: listening comprehension exercises based on rephrasing from Italian into Italian, English into English, English into Italian and Italian into English; analysis and discussion of various audiovisual materials regarding cultural aspects of English-speaking countries;
• Module 2: simulations of interpreter-mediated exchanges between English native speakers and Italian native speakers in daily contexts (at the restaurant, at the airport, at the bank, etc.) and related vocabulary-building exercises.

 

Readings/Bibliography

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MODULE

Recommended reading will include
-  newspaper and magazine/journal articles

- Dizionario monolingue per l'apprendimento (eg. Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced  Learners)
- Dizionario monolingue per parlanti nativi (eg. Concise Oxford English Dictionary)
- Bilingual dictionary (eg. Sansoni, Zanichelli)
- Grammar: Collins Cobuild English Usage or Michael Swan, Practical English Usage

LINGUISTIC MEDIATION MODULE

Bibliographic indications will be provided during the course.

Teaching methods

At the beginning of the first semester students will be divided into three groups, according to their level of English proficiency. During the first semester each group will attend the Language module, as well as one lettorato.  The English Language module will include work in groups or pairs aimed at giving each student the possibility of exercising their written and spoken language skills. Students will also attend one lesson per week held in the language lab where multimedia teaching facilities will be used.

Lessons of the Linguistic Mediation module will take place in the second semester. The division into groups will not be based on the level. The Linguistic Mediation module will include exercises of different kinds, mostly in pairs or small groups. The main teaching methods will be dialogic lessons and role-plays.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of 2 parts:

b) a lab exam which will test listening and written skills;

c) an oral exam which will include:

•         the discussussion of one novel/film/current affairs news chosen from a list available at the end of the course;
•         a Linguistic Mediation oral exam comprising the mediation of a bilingual exchange and the discussussion of theoretical and practical issues concerning dialogue interpreting. Students' skills will also be tested during the semester. Further details will be available at the beginning of the course.

 

Teaching tools

Language labs, fotocopied texts, video, computer

Office hours

See the website of Rachele Antonini

See the website of Antonietta Iacoviello