Profile
English language tutor at the University of Bologna since 2019 and CEL since 2021, Dott.ssa O'Sullivan has worked in the Department of Political Sciences, the Department of the Arts, and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Italian and Music at University College Cork (UCC) in 2013. She won an international scholarship in 2015 to undertake a Master 1 in Didattica e Promozione della Lingua e Cultura Italiane per Stranieri from the Università Ca' Foscari. Following that, she was awarded another international scholarship from the Ministero degli Affari Esteri (MAECI scholarship) to complete a Master's in Italianistica, Culture Letterarie Europee, e Scienze Linguistiche at the University of Bologna. In August 2019 she obtained her Cambridge CELTA qualification to teach English to speakers of other languages.
Her research interests include English language teaching, language and identity, discourse analysis, language policy and language rights with particular emphasis on the promotion and protection of minority languages (in particular, the Irish language).
In 2018 her research on the relationship between language, politics, and identity in Northern Ireland was awarded funding by the University of Bologna to carry out research at University College Cork as part of her Master's.
Since 2013 she has been collaborating as an English teacher with various educational institutions in Bologna. In addition to teaching English, she also works as a Cambridge speaking examiner (levels A1-C1).
Education
2016-2019: Master's Degree in Italianistica, Culture Letterarie Europee e Scienze Linguistiche from the University of Bologna with a thesis entitled The Acht na Gaeilge Debate: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Strategies of Legitimization and the Discursive Construction of National Identity in Political Discourse in Northern Ireland.
2015-2016: Master in Didattica e Promozione della Lingua e Cultura Italiane per Stranieri from the University Ca' Foscari, Venice. She completed a thesis entitled An Analysis of English Speakers’ Problems with Learning Italian: Phonetics, Orthography, and Morphology
2011-2012: Erasmus year spent at the University of Bologna
2009-2013: Bachelor of Arts in Music and Italian from University College Cork
Scholarships and funding
2018: Funding awarded by the University of Bologna to carry out research on her thesis entitled The Acht na Gaeilge Debate: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Strategies of Legitimization and the Discursive Construction of National Identity in Political Discourse in Northern Ireland
2016-2017: MAECI International Scholarship awarded by the Ministero degli affari esteri to undertake her Master's studies
2015-2016: Scholarship awarded by University Ca' Foscari to complete a Master in Didattica e Promozione della Lingua e Cultura Italiane per Stranieri
2013: Scholarship awarded by the University of Milan to partake in a summer school in Italian language and culture
Certificates
2019: CELTA certificate in teaching English
2017: Certificate in English Language Assessment from the University of Cambridge
2016: Certificate in Lesson Planning and Classroom Management from the University of Cambridge
2014: CILS certificate (C1) in Italian language from the University for Foreigners, Siena
Teaching Experience
09/2020-ongoing
English Language Expert at Liceo Galvani, Bologna
- Preparing students for the Cambridge CAE exam and Cambridge IGCSE (Liceo classico internazionale)
- Preparing students for the esame di stato (English language and literature)
- Preparing students for the Cambridge PET exam
09/2019-ongoing
English Language Tutor at the University of Bologna
Department of the Arts:
- Lingua e traduzione inglese (BA in Drama, Art and Music Studies)
Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures:
- Esercitazioni di lingua inglese (BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures, BA in Asian Languages, Markets and Cultures)
- Esercitazioni di lingua inglese (Master's Degree in Italian Language and Culture for Foreigners)
Department of Political Sciences
- Lingua inglese A-E (BA in Political and Social Sciences)
- Lingua inglese F-L (BA in Political and Social Sciences)
07/2019-ongoing
Cambridge Writing Examiner (Key)| Cambridge Assessment English
- Approved as a Cambridge Writing Examiner for Key (A2)
10/2017 – ongoing
Cambridge Speaking Examiner and Exam Invigilator| British Services & Cambridge Assessment English, Bologna
- Examining speaking abilities for Cambridge English exams (Flyers, Movers, Starters, Key, Preliminary, FCE, CAE)
01/2020 – 06/2020
English Teacher| Liceo Fermi, Bologna
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing high school students Fermi Secondary School for the Cambridge First Certificate exam
English Teacher | British Services, Bologna
Outsourcing of English teaching for the British Services (Bologna) involving the following positions:
01/2020 – 06/2020
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing high school students at Sabin Secondary School for the Cambridge Preliminary exam and the First Certificate exam
11/2019 – 06/2020
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing high school students and teachers at Belluzzi-Fioravanti Secondary School for the Cambridge Preliminary exam and the First Certificate exam
02/2019 – 05/2019
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing high school students at Manfredi-Tanari Technical and Professional High School for the Cambridge Preliminary exam
02/2019 – 05/2019
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing third-year students at Argelato Middle School for the Cambridge Key for Schools exam
03/2019 – 04/2019
- Planning and teaching English language and culture courses students at Gandino-Guidi Primary and Middle Schools, with particular emphasis on developing their oral abilities
02/2019 – 04/2019
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing third-year students at Crevalcore Middle School for the Cambridge Key for Schools exam
03/2019 – 12/06/2019
English Teacher | Istituto Malpighi, Bologna
- Cambridge exam preparation course: preparing fourth and fifth-year secondary school students for the Cambridge Preliminary for Schools exam.
02/2017-07/2017 & 02/2018-07/2018
Business English Teacher | Bologna Business School
- Teaching business English courses (English for marketing) to support students on the Master in Business Administration course (MBA) as well as those on the Master in Sales and Marketing
03/2018-06/2018
Italian Teacher (DULCIS internship) | University of Bologna (CLA – University Language Centre)
- Teaching Italian language and culture courses to international students at the language centre of the University of Bologna
- Creating and publishing authentic didactic material for teaching Italian in a university context (available at https://foco.usal.es [https://foco.usal.es/] )
07/2016 – 06/2017
English Teacher & Translator | My English School, Bologna
- Teaching English courses for adults (A1-C2) using a blended approach
- Teaching exam preparation courses (Key for Schools, Preliminary, First Certificate, CAE, and IELTS)
09/2014 – 09/2016
English Teacher | Inlingua, Bologna
- Teaching a range of English courses for adults (A1-C1), as well as Cambridge exam preparation courses (Young Learners, Key for Schools, Preliminary for Schools, FCE, CAE) and IELTS preparation courses.
28/03/2016 – 16/06/2016
Italian Teacher (internship)| Academya Lingue, Bologna
- Teaching Italian language and culture courses (B1-B2) as part of the internship required by my Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Promoting Italian Language and Culture to Foreigners
17/11/2014-16/02/2015
Cambridge First Certificate Teacher (contract work)| Enrico Mattei High School, Bologna
- Preparing high school students for the First Certificate Cambridge exam (B2)
01/10/2013-01/06/2014
English Language Assistant (Comenius Project) | Istituto Comprensivo 1
- Teaching English to primary school children at the following schools: Scuola Elementare Giovanni XXIII, Scuola Elementare Morandi, Scuole Elementare Cesana, and Scuola Media Dozza
