Licia Masoni teaches English Language on the Primary Teacher Education Course, with a specific focus on Oral narrative and Children’s literature as a teaching tool for ESL. Her research interests include EFL narrative competence, second language identity, the role of narrative in language acquisition, and the study of folk narrative of the British Isles, in particular folk and fairytales.
Education
2007- University of Edinburgh- PhD in Literatures, Languages and Cultures with speciality in Scottish Ethnology, department of Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh
Thesis: Tanto per ridere. ‘Just for a laugh'. The Functions of Humorous Narratives in a Small Apennine Community.
2003- University of Edinburgh- MSc by Research in Ethnology (with distinction)
Thesis: Sabbath Stories: A Study of Motifs That Became Associated with Sabbath Observance in Scottish Oral Narrative.
2001– Laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere 110/110- Università di Parma
Thesis: Le Funzioni del Racconto Comico Anticlericale nel Tardo Medioevo Inglese; uno studio di AT 1875.(The Functions of the Anti-Clerical Tale in the English Late Middle Ages. A Study of AT 1875).
1996 –Dublin-Ireland- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
Academic/teaching Activity
October 2012 - present: University of Bologna, Italy.
Researcher and Assistant Professor in Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition in the Department of Education Sciences.
November 2012, March 2014, April 2015, April 2016: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Series of Seminars in Linguistics and Oral Narrative, in the Faculty of Medicine, within the degree of “Tecnico della Riabilitazione Psichiatrica”.
May 2011, May 2012, May 2013, May 2014:University of Bologna – School of Psychology (Cesena)
Narrative approaches for promoting well-being and growth: Seminar in English, within the Course in Positive Psychology of the University of Cesena.
May 2011- University of Modena – Faculty of Medicine and Psychiatry Ma che storia è questa? (what story is this?) : series of seminars on the healing aspects of oral narrative, and on the areas of overlap between folklore and psychological sciences. Aimed at psychologists, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses.
May 2010- University of Modena – Faculty of Medicine and Psychiatry - Cosa vuol dire Narrare (What does telling a story mean?): lesson on the concept of story in folklore, and on the healing power of telling and hearing stories. Aimed at psychologists, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses.
International Academic/Teaching Activity
January 2010 - June 2011: University of Edinburgh
Research investigator on a project aiming to promote the use of oral narrative as a means of personal expression in primary schools. Project title: “Listening to our Children's Stories:
Promoting Oral Expression in the Primary Classroom”. The project was sponsored by the Knowledge Exchange Office within the University of Edinburgh.
September 2009 - October 2011: University of Edinburgh- EERC (European Ethnological Research Centre): Research Assistant with EERC. Responsible for the compilation of a resource of primary material and ethnographic sources on the South West of Scotland.
September 2004- May 2009: University of Edinburgh- Tutoring, lecturing in areas of Scottish Ethnology, in particular in oral narrative, fieldwork practices and folk drama.
September 2007- April 2009: University of Edinburgh: Responsible for PG training programme “Bibliography and Study Methods” run by the department of Celtic and Scottish Studies. This involved personally delivering sessions on research practice, as well as organising weekly training classes (given by permanent members of staff) on specific topics of interest to the students.
April 2005 and March 2006: University of Edinburgh
School Liaison for Visiting Primary and Secondary School students.
Invited Lectures and Seminars
October 2017: Seminario Nazionale LEND "Apprendere le lingue: Strumenti? Cultura?"
Conducted a seminar entitled: "Storytelling and Story-making: picture books and folk narrative for Young learners"
October 2017: Seminario Nazionale LEND "Apprendere le lingue: Strumenti? Cultura?"
Conducted a seminar entitled: "Contemporary Urban Legends and EFL"
April 2015: LEND Seminar on “Uses of narrative in Primary and Secondary ESL Teaching”, British Council, Bologna-Italy.
1-5 Luglio 2014, Bellagio, Rockefeller Foundation: Invited talks at the international research congress “Survivor-Centered Responses to Massive Disasters”, sponsored by a Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship.
April 2014: LEND Seminar on “Folk narrative in the Primary EFL classroom”, British Council, Bologna-Italy.
October 2012, Edimburgo, University of Edinburgh, department of Celtic and Scottish Studies: Annual Alan Bruford Memorial Lecture
Community Teaching and teacher training
Feb 2015 e Nov 2015 and Nov 2016, Modena-Italy: Teacher training for the Council of Modena, in collaboration with the University of Bologna: “Storytelling and Narration for primary EFL teachers”.
6-7 Febbraio 2014: Once Upon a time, Storytelling seminars for primary and secondary school teachers. Provincia di Bolzano, Bolzano, South Tyrol.
Settembre 2014: Storytelling seminars for primary and secondary school teachers. “Maestre Pie” School, Bologna.
Conferences
May 2018 - Granada, Spain, Second International Conference on New Trends in Language Teaching
Pesented a paper entitled: "Use of Task-based Narrative Approaches to foster trainee NNESTs’ sense of efficacy and classroom communicative skills".
October 2017 - Milan, Italy: National Seminar LEND
Conducted two seminars entitled, "Storytelling and Story-making: picture books and folk narrative for Young learners" and "Contemporary Urban Legends and EFL"
June 2013: Vilnius - Lithuania
“How Do Traditional Fairy Tales Fit into Our Lives Today?”, ISFNR (International Society for Folk Narrative Research) 16th International Congress, Vilnius, Lithuania.
http://www.isfnr2013.lt/index.php?id=71
June 2012 - Göttingen – Germany- Contemporary Legend Conference Paper: “It all happened while I was asleep…”: conceptualising surgery through legend making and telling.
March 2010 – Iceland- Humour Conference
Online Paper: “I'm so clumsy!”: self-directed humour as a tool for social interaction. Licia Masoni (Háskólinn í Edinborg)
June 2009 - Athens – Greece.15th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR).Paper: “Stories as ‘Narrative Currency': Buying reintegration through community
narratives, and acquiring narrative rights through narrative skill”
Also chairing a session on “ Social Strategies and Collective Identities”
July 2007 - University of Edinburgh. “The Deep History of Stories”. Organised by the Traditional Cosmology Society. Paper: “What does the Clever Girl have to say about history?: an analysis of Scottish variants of ATU 875.”
July 2005 - Tartu University (Estonia).14th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR). Paper: “ Discussing Variation: The Functions of References to Reality in the Narratives of a Small Mountain Community in the North of Italy
March 2005 - University of Edinburgh.“Young Ethnologists”.
Paper: “The Maggio Drammatico in Frassinoro”.
August 2004 - University of Edinburgh.Traditional Cosmology Society Conference. Paper: “The Maggio Drammatico in Frassinoro: Its Meaning and Function”.
Awards
July 2005 University of Edinburgh- John Orr Research Award: for research in any Romance Literature, Language or Dialect.
Other Relevant Training
May 2008: University of Edinburgh (Transkills Department):
Certificate of Completion of the (RCiA) Research Communication in Action training (March 2007-May2008). This involved training in communicating academic knowledge to non-specialists, followed by outreach activities in an Edinburgh School (Tollcross Primary). As well as being personally involved in the course and in the school activities myself, I was also coordinating the participation of a group of PG Students and post-doctoral fellows from Celtic and Scottish Studies.
