English I
A.Y. 2020/2021
Learning objectives
The course aims to present the main features of English from both a theoretical and an applied perspective. In particular, the course will introduce practical notions in English phonetics and phonology, as well as selected aspects of morphology and word formation strategies. It will then focus on developing students' critical listening and reading skills, as well as their knowledge of grammar. Parallel to these linguistic competences, students will also develop an awareness of the concept of language variation, both in relation to diatopic variation (varieties of English across the world) and in the context of diatypic variation (functional varieties linked to specific areas of language use) The required entry level is the B1 level of the CEFR. A working knowledge of Italian is also required. The exit level is set at the B2 level of the CEFR.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will have reached B2-level competences in English and will be able to master all the fundamental skills (especially listening and reading). They will be familiar with intermediate (B2) level English grammar, in particular verb tenses. They will be able to discuss non-specialized subjects in English. They will have acquired an awareness of the different varieties of English used across the world, and will be able to recognize and use the language strategies which characterize selected domains, with special regard for academic English (with special regards for the domain of linguistics) and English for tourism.
Lesson period: Activity scheduled over several sessions (see Course syllabus and organization section for more detailed information).
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
A-K
Responsible
Lesson period
year
In the first term of 2020-21, the course will be taught entirely online, as will language practice sessions ("esercitazioni"). For the second term, updates will be provided as soon as possible. Whether it will be possible to return to in-person lessons will depend on the evolution of the current health emergency. The goal is to go back to in-person teaching. As stated in the policy document "Piano didattico - organization of teaching", access to online teaching will be guaranteed to all students unable to attend throughout the entire academic year.
Online teaching will be delivered through the Teams platform, which is part of the Office 365 suite. The Office 365 package can be downloaded by UNIMI students from the university website free of charge. Teams has online interaction capabilities which will be fully exploited during classes. Students will be requested to fully participate in the suggested activities.
The main course classes will be primarily in lecture form and will be delivered live according to the timetable published on the MED website. Language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") will also be delivered live, at the appointed times. During the week devoted to selected in-person teaching (October 26th-30th 2020), all classes will be pre-recorded so that students can freely attend any classes that may be offered in person. Unfortunately, due to the large number of students involved, no in-person classes will be held for English during the appointed week, as participation would have to be extremely selective and too many students would be excluded from the opportunity.
In order to maximise teaching and learning effectiveness, students will occasionally be asked to do some autonomous work before classes. The topics dealt with in these activities will then be further discussed in class. Students are strongly encouraged to do all the homework assigned, so as to be able to devote as much time as possible to interaction during classes, which may be shorted than the customary 90 minute blocks because of the additional strain posed by online teaching on students and teachers alike.
For what concerns exams, please be advised that the first chance to sit an English Language exam will be in May 2021, as this is a yearly course which runs over two terms. Hopefully, we will be able to carry out exams in person. Updates on this issue will be provided promptly.
Please note that all updates and information will be published on the course website (Lingua Inglese 1 MED) on the Ariel platform. Students are strongly advised to check the course website regularly so as to be up to date will all information and instructions.
Online teaching will be delivered through the Teams platform, which is part of the Office 365 suite. The Office 365 package can be downloaded by UNIMI students from the university website free of charge. Teams has online interaction capabilities which will be fully exploited during classes. Students will be requested to fully participate in the suggested activities.
The main course classes will be primarily in lecture form and will be delivered live according to the timetable published on the MED website. Language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") will also be delivered live, at the appointed times. During the week devoted to selected in-person teaching (October 26th-30th 2020), all classes will be pre-recorded so that students can freely attend any classes that may be offered in person. Unfortunately, due to the large number of students involved, no in-person classes will be held for English during the appointed week, as participation would have to be extremely selective and too many students would be excluded from the opportunity.
In order to maximise teaching and learning effectiveness, students will occasionally be asked to do some autonomous work before classes. The topics dealt with in these activities will then be further discussed in class. Students are strongly encouraged to do all the homework assigned, so as to be able to devote as much time as possible to interaction during classes, which may be shorted than the customary 90 minute blocks because of the additional strain posed by online teaching on students and teachers alike.
For what concerns exams, please be advised that the first chance to sit an English Language exam will be in May 2021, as this is a yearly course which runs over two terms. Hopefully, we will be able to carry out exams in person. Updates on this issue will be provided promptly.
Please note that all updates and information will be published on the course website (Lingua Inglese 1 MED) on the Ariel platform. Students are strongly advised to check the course website regularly so as to be up to date will all information and instructions.
Course syllabus
COURSE SYLLABUS
In the course of your first-year course, you will develop competences - both linguistic and metalinguistic - relating to key features of the English language and its use.
Over the three years of the BA, the English courses aim to provide students with a description of English in its various aspects. In year 1, the focus is on phonetics. Following this introductory module, we will devote our attention to diatopic variation (i.e., to the study of varieties of English across the world) and diatypic variation (i.e. the use of English in a specific domain, for specific purposes), with a focus on the language of tourism. This semi-specialised field will be analised, on the one hand, to provide students with the practical and critical competences needed to master English for tourism as a register and language variety, and, on the other, as an introduction to the notion of language for special purposes, which will be the focus of Years 2 and 3.
The course is organised in three separate modules, each of which will be tested separately (see above, in the section devoted to assessment methods and criteria):
Module 1
Phonetics and phonology for listening (semester 1)
English phonetics and phonology; the IPA; sounds and articulation; word stress, sentence stress, pitch and intonation. Practical applications for listening for academic purposes.
Module 2
Variation in English (semester 2)
This unit introduces sociolinguistic variation in today's English and focuses, in particular, on a selection of varieties of English.
Module 3
English for tourism (semester 2)
Unit 3 describes the characteristics of English for Tourism as a specialised language and introduces the main written genres of tourism discourse through the detailed linguistic analysis of selected excerpts from written tourist materials (advertisements, brochures, travel articles, guidebooks, websites, travel blogs, etc).
In the course of your first-year course, you will develop competences - both linguistic and metalinguistic - relating to key features of the English language and its use.
Over the three years of the BA, the English courses aim to provide students with a description of English in its various aspects. In year 1, the focus is on phonetics. Following this introductory module, we will devote our attention to diatopic variation (i.e., to the study of varieties of English across the world) and diatypic variation (i.e. the use of English in a specific domain, for specific purposes), with a focus on the language of tourism. This semi-specialised field will be analised, on the one hand, to provide students with the practical and critical competences needed to master English for tourism as a register and language variety, and, on the other, as an introduction to the notion of language for special purposes, which will be the focus of Years 2 and 3.
The course is organised in three separate modules, each of which will be tested separately (see above, in the section devoted to assessment methods and criteria):
Module 1
Phonetics and phonology for listening (semester 1)
English phonetics and phonology; the IPA; sounds and articulation; word stress, sentence stress, pitch and intonation. Practical applications for listening for academic purposes.
Module 2
Variation in English (semester 2)
This unit introduces sociolinguistic variation in today's English and focuses, in particular, on a selection of varieties of English.
Module 3
English for tourism (semester 2)
Unit 3 describes the characteristics of English for Tourism as a specialised language and introduces the main written genres of tourism discourse through the detailed linguistic analysis of selected excerpts from written tourist materials (advertisements, brochures, travel articles, guidebooks, websites, travel blogs, etc).
Prerequisites for admission
This course, entirely taught in English, requires a minimum English competence of CEFR B1. Only students who have obtained a minimum score of 25 out of 30 in the TOLC-SU test are eligible to enrol in the course. Students who have not obtained the required score are not permitted to transfer to the course in the following years unless they have sat the entry test set for that year and obtained a suitable score.
Students enrolled in the STRANIMEDIA curriculum are required to sit a dedicated test before they can be admitted to the course. Details of the test will be communicated to STRANIMEDIA students upon enrolment.
Students enrolled in the STRANIMEDIA curriculum are required to sit a dedicated test before they can be admitted to the course. Details of the test will be communicated to STRANIMEDIA students upon enrolment.
Teaching methods
Teaching of the official course is lecture-based, but students will be asked to actively participate in selected classroom activities, which may be technology-mediated (also in in-presence lectures).
Besides the official course, students will have the opportunity to attend language practice classes ("esercitazioni"). Students will be asked to enrol in these classes, which will have a maximum number of students so as to enable consistent interaction.
Besides the official course, students will have the opportunity to attend language practice classes ("esercitazioni"). Students will be asked to enrol in these classes, which will have a maximum number of students so as to enable consistent interaction.
Teaching Resources
Module 1
- Ballard, Kim, Frameworks of English: Introducing Language Structures, any edition, Basingstoke and London, Palgrave Macmillan.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Paul Carley, Inger M. Mees, Beverley Collins 2018, English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice, Milton Park, Routledge.
Module 2
- Trudgill, Peter and Hannah Jean 2008, International English: A guide to the varieties of Standard English (The English Language Series), 5th or 6th edition, London, Routledge.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Jenkins, Jennifer 2015, Global Englishes: A Resource Book for Students, 3rd edition, London, Routledge.
Module 3
- Cappelli, Gloria 2008, Sun, Sea, Sex and the Unspoilt Countryside: How the English Language Makes Tourists out of Readers, 2nd edition, Pari, Pari Publishing.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Language practice sessions
- Vince, Michael 2014, Language Practice for First, 5th edition, Student's Book Pack with Answer Key, Oxford, Macmillan Education.
- Kisslinger, Ellen & Lida Baker 2018, Skillful 3, Listening & Speaking, Student's Book Pack, B2, London, Macmillan Education.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students, are:
- Eastwood, John 2003, Oxford Learner's Grammar, Oxford, Oxford University Press, (both Grammar Finder and Grammar Builder).
- Hancock, Mark 2003, English Pronunciation in Use - Intermediate, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (with CD and CD Rom).
STRANIMEDIA students will be given specific information after they have sat the entry test.
- Ballard, Kim, Frameworks of English: Introducing Language Structures, any edition, Basingstoke and London, Palgrave Macmillan.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Paul Carley, Inger M. Mees, Beverley Collins 2018, English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice, Milton Park, Routledge.
Module 2
- Trudgill, Peter and Hannah Jean 2008, International English: A guide to the varieties of Standard English (The English Language Series), 5th or 6th edition, London, Routledge.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Jenkins, Jennifer 2015, Global Englishes: A Resource Book for Students, 3rd edition, London, Routledge.
Module 3
- Cappelli, Gloria 2008, Sun, Sea, Sex and the Unspoilt Countryside: How the English Language Makes Tourists out of Readers, 2nd edition, Pari, Pari Publishing.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Language practice sessions
- Vince, Michael 2014, Language Practice for First, 5th edition, Student's Book Pack with Answer Key, Oxford, Macmillan Education.
- Kisslinger, Ellen & Lida Baker 2018, Skillful 3, Listening & Speaking, Student's Book Pack, B2, London, Macmillan Education.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students, are:
- Eastwood, John 2003, Oxford Learner's Grammar, Oxford, Oxford University Press, (both Grammar Finder and Grammar Builder).
- Hancock, Mark 2003, English Pronunciation in Use - Intermediate, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (with CD and CD Rom).
STRANIMEDIA students will be given specific information after they have sat the entry test.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment is test-based. To obtain a final mark ('voto di esame'), students will have to pass course content tests covering the contents of the three teaching units, as well as preliminary language skills tests.
Students holding an official (e.g. Cambridge) certification (obtained before the beginning of the first semester and no older than 3 years), at First Certificate of English level or equivalent (a list of equivalent certifications will be provided), with an A or top grade, may skip the preliminary language skills test. A digital copy of the certificate will have to be uploaded in the student's personal portfolio on the course website on the Ariel platform (https://li1med.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx) at the beginning of the academic year. Further information regarding this aspect will be provided during classes and posted on the course webpage on the Ariel platform.
1. PRELIMINARY LANGUAGE SKILLS TESTS ('accertamento linguistico')
The language skills written test assesses students' grammar and listening skills, focusing in particular on the specific lexico-syntactic aspects dealt with primarily in the language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") throughout the academic year. The preliminary language skills written test is composed of the following parts:
1) a grammar test, with exercises including true-or-false questions, multiple choice questions, gap filling, sentence transformations - 31 questions in 30 minutes (pass mark: 18/30); and
2) a listening exercise with a lexical cloze-test - 10 gaps to fill in 10 minutes (pass mark: 6/10).
This is administered 3 times a year during 'appelli scritti', requires online UNIMIA registration, and must be passed by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2021). Dictionaries are not allowed. As the course is taught over two semesters, the first valid session for students to sit the exam is that of May 2021. Dictionaries are not allowed. This is the only part of the exam which you can skip if you have obtained (and produced within the deadline provided) a suitable certification.
2. COURSE CONTENT TESTS
Besides the preliminary English skills test, students will have to pass three written tests on the contents of the official course. Each test is composed of 31 questions, to be answered in 30 minutes. The three course content tests are administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and require online UNIMIA registration. Students may sit the three course content tests together or separately, in the order they prefer, during each of the 6 yearly sessions of 'appelli orali', as long as they pass them by the end of the last exam session of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2022). Marks obtained in the course content tests will go towards the formulation of the final mark.
3. FINAL ORAL TEST
A completamento del'esame, gli studenti sosterranno una prova orale volta a valutare le competenze acquisite in tema di linguaggio accademico e di discorso del turismo, oltre che le competenze orali fondamentali (comprensione, produzione orale, capacità di interazione; il tutto con adeguata scorrevolezza e qualità di pronuncia). La prova consiste in un breve colloquio di 2-5 minuti, in cui gli studenti devono dimostrare di poter parlare di temi e argomenti che verranno indicati durante il corso. Questa prova viene amministrata 6 volte l'anno durante gli "appelli orali" e richiede la registrazione online su UNIMIA.
To complete the exam, students will sit an oral test aimed at assessing their competences in the domains of academic English and in the discourse of tourism, besides basic oral skills (comprehension, oral production, interaction skills; all of the above accompanied by suitable fluency and adequate pronunciation).
The test consists of a short 2-5 minute interview in which students have to prove that they can talk about themes and subjects that will be indicated during the course in a linguistically correct and academically appropriate manner. This is administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and requires online UNIMIA registration.
FINAL MARK ('VOTO DI ESAME')
Only students who have successfully passed their preliminary language skills written test and the course content tests will be able to sit the final oral test and obtain a final mark.
The final mark for the English I course will be awarded at the end of the final oral test by one of the course subject professors, who will consider the marks obtained by the student in all the different tests, particularly in the course content tests. Speaking and interaction skills will be the object of specific assessment, which will consider all the component of this aspect of language competence (including pronunciation, which is dealt extensively in the course, especially in the part devoted to phonetics).
The marks obtained by students in the various tests during academic year 2020-2021 will be valid until the last exam session of the academic year, i.e. 28 February 2022 included. After that date, students will not be able to use those marks, and will have to sit and pass all the tests again (including the ones they may have successfully sat in the past), according to the new syllabus (which may be different; please check it for changes).
Students holding an official (e.g. Cambridge) certification (obtained before the beginning of the first semester and no older than 3 years), at First Certificate of English level or equivalent (a list of equivalent certifications will be provided), with an A or top grade, may skip the preliminary language skills test. A digital copy of the certificate will have to be uploaded in the student's personal portfolio on the course website on the Ariel platform (https://li1med.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx) at the beginning of the academic year. Further information regarding this aspect will be provided during classes and posted on the course webpage on the Ariel platform.
1. PRELIMINARY LANGUAGE SKILLS TESTS ('accertamento linguistico')
The language skills written test assesses students' grammar and listening skills, focusing in particular on the specific lexico-syntactic aspects dealt with primarily in the language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") throughout the academic year. The preliminary language skills written test is composed of the following parts:
1) a grammar test, with exercises including true-or-false questions, multiple choice questions, gap filling, sentence transformations - 31 questions in 30 minutes (pass mark: 18/30); and
2) a listening exercise with a lexical cloze-test - 10 gaps to fill in 10 minutes (pass mark: 6/10).
This is administered 3 times a year during 'appelli scritti', requires online UNIMIA registration, and must be passed by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2021). Dictionaries are not allowed. As the course is taught over two semesters, the first valid session for students to sit the exam is that of May 2021. Dictionaries are not allowed. This is the only part of the exam which you can skip if you have obtained (and produced within the deadline provided) a suitable certification.
2. COURSE CONTENT TESTS
Besides the preliminary English skills test, students will have to pass three written tests on the contents of the official course. Each test is composed of 31 questions, to be answered in 30 minutes. The three course content tests are administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and require online UNIMIA registration. Students may sit the three course content tests together or separately, in the order they prefer, during each of the 6 yearly sessions of 'appelli orali', as long as they pass them by the end of the last exam session of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2022). Marks obtained in the course content tests will go towards the formulation of the final mark.
3. FINAL ORAL TEST
A completamento del'esame, gli studenti sosterranno una prova orale volta a valutare le competenze acquisite in tema di linguaggio accademico e di discorso del turismo, oltre che le competenze orali fondamentali (comprensione, produzione orale, capacità di interazione; il tutto con adeguata scorrevolezza e qualità di pronuncia). La prova consiste in un breve colloquio di 2-5 minuti, in cui gli studenti devono dimostrare di poter parlare di temi e argomenti che verranno indicati durante il corso. Questa prova viene amministrata 6 volte l'anno durante gli "appelli orali" e richiede la registrazione online su UNIMIA.
To complete the exam, students will sit an oral test aimed at assessing their competences in the domains of academic English and in the discourse of tourism, besides basic oral skills (comprehension, oral production, interaction skills; all of the above accompanied by suitable fluency and adequate pronunciation).
The test consists of a short 2-5 minute interview in which students have to prove that they can talk about themes and subjects that will be indicated during the course in a linguistically correct and academically appropriate manner. This is administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and requires online UNIMIA registration.
FINAL MARK ('VOTO DI ESAME')
Only students who have successfully passed their preliminary language skills written test and the course content tests will be able to sit the final oral test and obtain a final mark.
The final mark for the English I course will be awarded at the end of the final oral test by one of the course subject professors, who will consider the marks obtained by the student in all the different tests, particularly in the course content tests. Speaking and interaction skills will be the object of specific assessment, which will consider all the component of this aspect of language competence (including pronunciation, which is dealt extensively in the course, especially in the part devoted to phonetics).
The marks obtained by students in the various tests during academic year 2020-2021 will be valid until the last exam session of the academic year, i.e. 28 February 2022 included. After that date, students will not be able to use those marks, and will have to sit and pass all the tests again (including the ones they may have successfully sat in the past), according to the new syllabus (which may be different; please check it for changes).
L-LIN/12 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - ENGLISH - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professors:
Catenaccio Paola, Paganoni Maria Cristina, Stan Irina Suzana
L-Z
Responsible
Lesson period
year
In the first term of 2020-21, the course will be taught entirely online, as will language practice sessions ("esercitazioni"). For the second term, updates will be provided as soon as possible. Whether it will be possible to return to in-person lessons will depend on the evolution of the current health emergency. The goal is to go back to in-person teaching. As stated in the policy document "Piano didattico - organization of teaching", access to online teaching will be guaranteed to all students unable to attend throughout the entire academic year.
Online teaching will be delivered through the Teams platform, which is part of the Office 365 suite. The Office 365 package can be downloaded by UNIMI students from the university website free of charge. Teams has online interaction capabilities which will be fully exploited during classes. Students will be requested to fully participate in the suggested activities.
The main course classes will be primarily in lecture form and will be delivered live according to the timetable published on the MED website. Language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") will also be delivered live, at the appointed times. During the week devoted to selected in-person teaching (October 26th-30th 2020), all classes will be pre-recorded so that students can freely attend any classes that may be offered in person. Unfortunately, due to the large number of students involved, no in-person classes will be held for English during the appointed week, as participation would have to be extremely selective and too many students would be excluded from the opportunity.
In order to maximise teaching and learning effectiveness, students will occasionally be asked to do some autonomous work before classes. The topics dealt with in these activities will then be further discussed in class. Students are strongly encouraged to do all the homework assigned, so as to be able to devote as much time as possible to interaction during classes, which may be shorted than the customary 90 minute blocks because of the additional strain posed by online teaching on students and teachers alike.
For what concerns exams, please be advised that the first chance to sit an English Language exam will be in May 2021, as this is a yearly course which runs over two terms. Hopefully, we will be able to carry out exams in person. Updates on this issue will be provided promptly.
Please note that all updates and information will be published on the course website (Lingua Inglese 1 MED) on the Ariel platform. Students are strongly advised to check the course website regularly so as to be up to date will all information and instructions.
Online teaching will be delivered through the Teams platform, which is part of the Office 365 suite. The Office 365 package can be downloaded by UNIMI students from the university website free of charge. Teams has online interaction capabilities which will be fully exploited during classes. Students will be requested to fully participate in the suggested activities.
The main course classes will be primarily in lecture form and will be delivered live according to the timetable published on the MED website. Language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") will also be delivered live, at the appointed times. During the week devoted to selected in-person teaching (October 26th-30th 2020), all classes will be pre-recorded so that students can freely attend any classes that may be offered in person. Unfortunately, due to the large number of students involved, no in-person classes will be held for English during the appointed week, as participation would have to be extremely selective and too many students would be excluded from the opportunity.
In order to maximise teaching and learning effectiveness, students will occasionally be asked to do some autonomous work before classes. The topics dealt with in these activities will then be further discussed in class. Students are strongly encouraged to do all the homework assigned, so as to be able to devote as much time as possible to interaction during classes, which may be shorted than the customary 90 minute blocks because of the additional strain posed by online teaching on students and teachers alike.
For what concerns exams, please be advised that the first chance to sit an English Language exam will be in May 2021, as this is a yearly course which runs over two terms. Hopefully, we will be able to carry out exams in person. Updates on this issue will be provided promptly.
Please note that all updates and information will be published on the course website (Lingua Inglese 1 MED) on the Ariel platform. Students are strongly advised to check the course website regularly so as to be up to date will all information and instructions.
Course syllabus
In the course of your first-year course, you will develop competences - both linguistic and metalinguistic - relating to key features of the English language and its use.
Over the three years of the BA, the English courses aim to provide students with a description of English in its various aspects. In year 1, the focus is on phonetics. Following this introductory module, we will devote our attention to diatopic variation (i.e., to the study of varieties of English across the world) and diatypic variation (i.e. the use of English in a specific domain, for specific purposes), with a focus on the language of tourism. This semi-specialised field will be analised, on the one hand, to provide students with the practical and critical competences needed to master English for tourism as a register and language variety, and, on the other, as an introduction to the notion of language for special purposes, which will be the focus of Years 2 and 3.
The course is organised in three separate modules, each of which will be tested separately (see above, in the section devoted to assessment methods and criteria):
Module 1
Phonetics and phonology for listening (semester 1)
English phonetics and phonology; the IPA; sounds and articulation; word stress, sentence stress, pitch and intonation. Practical applications for listening for academic purposes.
Module 2
Variation in English (semester 2)
This unit introduces sociolinguistic variation in today's English and focuses, in particular, on a selection of varieties of English.
Module 3
English for tourism (semester 2)
Unit 3 describes the characteristics of English for Tourism as a specialised language and introduces the main written genres of tourism discourse through the detailed linguistic analysis of selected excerpts from written tourist materials (advertisements, brochures, travel articles, guidebooks, websites, travel blogs, etc).
Over the three years of the BA, the English courses aim to provide students with a description of English in its various aspects. In year 1, the focus is on phonetics. Following this introductory module, we will devote our attention to diatopic variation (i.e., to the study of varieties of English across the world) and diatypic variation (i.e. the use of English in a specific domain, for specific purposes), with a focus on the language of tourism. This semi-specialised field will be analised, on the one hand, to provide students with the practical and critical competences needed to master English for tourism as a register and language variety, and, on the other, as an introduction to the notion of language for special purposes, which will be the focus of Years 2 and 3.
The course is organised in three separate modules, each of which will be tested separately (see above, in the section devoted to assessment methods and criteria):
Module 1
Phonetics and phonology for listening (semester 1)
English phonetics and phonology; the IPA; sounds and articulation; word stress, sentence stress, pitch and intonation. Practical applications for listening for academic purposes.
Module 2
Variation in English (semester 2)
This unit introduces sociolinguistic variation in today's English and focuses, in particular, on a selection of varieties of English.
Module 3
English for tourism (semester 2)
Unit 3 describes the characteristics of English for Tourism as a specialised language and introduces the main written genres of tourism discourse through the detailed linguistic analysis of selected excerpts from written tourist materials (advertisements, brochures, travel articles, guidebooks, websites, travel blogs, etc).
Prerequisites for admission
This course, entirely taught in English, requires a minimum English competence of CEFR B1. Only students who have obtained a minimum score of 25 out of 30 in the TOLC-SU test are eligible to enrol in the course. Students who have not obtained the required score are not permitted to transfer to the course in the following years unless they have sat the entry test set for that year and obtained a suitable score.
Students enrolled in the STRANIMEDIA curriculum are required to sit a dedicated test before they can be admitted to the course. Details of the test will be communicated to STRANIMEDIA students upon enrolment.
Students enrolled in the STRANIMEDIA curriculum are required to sit a dedicated test before they can be admitted to the course. Details of the test will be communicated to STRANIMEDIA students upon enrolment.
Teaching methods
Teaching of the official course is lecture-based, but students will be asked to actively participate in selected classroom activities, which may be technology-mediated (also during in-person lectures).
Besides the official course, students will have the opportunity to attend language practice classes ("esercitazioni"). Students will be asked to enrol in these classes, which will have a maximum number of students so as to enable consistent interaction.
Besides the official course, students will have the opportunity to attend language practice classes ("esercitazioni"). Students will be asked to enrol in these classes, which will have a maximum number of students so as to enable consistent interaction.
Teaching Resources
Module 1
- Ballard, Kim, Frameworks of English: Introducing Language Structures, any edition, Basingstoke and London, Palgrave Macmillan.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Paul Carley, Inger M. Mees, Beverley Collins 2018, English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice, Milton Park, Routledge.
Module 2
- Trudgill, Peter and Hannah Jean 2008, International English: A guide to the varieties of Standard English (The English Language Series), 5th or 6th edition, London, Routledge.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Jenkins, Jennifer 2015, Global Englishes: A Resource Book for Students, 3rd edition, London, Routledge.
Module 3
- Cappelli, Gloria 2008, Sun, Sea, Sex and the Unspoilt Countryside: How the English Language Makes Tourists out of Readers, 2nd edition, Pari, Pari Publishing.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Language practice sessions
- Vince, Michael 2014, Language Practice for First, 5th edition, Student's Book Pack with Answer Key, Oxford, Macmillan Education.
- Kisslinger, Ellen & Lida Baker 2018, Skillful 3, Listening & Speaking, Student's Book Pack, B2, London, Macmillan Education.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students, are:
- Eastwood, John 2003, Oxford Learner's Grammar, Oxford, Oxford University Press, (both Grammar Finder and Grammar Builder).
- Hancock, Mark 2003, English Pronunciation in Use - Intermediate, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (with CD and CD Rom).
STRANIMEDIA students will be given specific information after they have sat the entry test.
- Ballard, Kim, Frameworks of English: Introducing Language Structures, any edition, Basingstoke and London, Palgrave Macmillan.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Paul Carley, Inger M. Mees, Beverley Collins 2018, English Phonetics and Pronunciation Practice, Milton Park, Routledge.
Module 2
- Trudgill, Peter and Hannah Jean 2008, International English: A guide to the varieties of Standard English (The English Language Series), 5th or 6th edition, London, Routledge.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students:
- Jenkins, Jennifer 2015, Global Englishes: A Resource Book for Students, 3rd edition, London, Routledge.
Module 3
- Cappelli, Gloria 2008, Sun, Sea, Sex and the Unspoilt Countryside: How the English Language Makes Tourists out of Readers, 2nd edition, Pari, Pari Publishing.
- PPT presentations and any other material used in class that will be uploaded on the Ariel e-learning platform.
Language practice sessions
- Vince, Michael 2014, Language Practice for First, 5th edition, Student's Book Pack with Answer Key, Oxford, Macmillan Education.
- Kisslinger, Ellen & Lida Baker 2018, Skillful 3, Listening & Speaking, Student's Book Pack, B2, London, Macmillan Education.
Additional textbooks recommended, especially to non-attending students, are:
- Eastwood, John 2003, Oxford Learner's Grammar, Oxford, Oxford University Press, (both Grammar Finder and Grammar Builder).
- Hancock, Mark 2003, English Pronunciation in Use - Intermediate, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (with CD and CD Rom).
STRANIMEDIA students will be given specific information after they have sat the entry test.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment is test-based. To obtain a final mark ('voto di esame'), students will have to pass course content tests covering the contents of the three teaching units, as well as preliminary language skills tests.
Students holding an official (e.g. Cambridge) certification (obtained before the beginning of the first semester and no older than 3 years), at First Certificate of English level or equivalent (a list of equivalent certifications will be provided), with an A or top grade, may skip the preliminary language skills test. A digital copy of the certificate will have to be uploaded in the student's personal portfolio on the course website on the Ariel platform (https://li1med.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx) at the beginning of the academic year. Further information regarding this aspect will be provided during classes and posted on the course webpage on the Ariel platform.
1. PRELIMINARY LANGUAGE SKILLS TESTS ('accertamento linguistico')
The language skills written test assesses students' grammar and listening skills, focusing in particular on the specific lexico-syntactic aspects dealt with primarily in the language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") throughout the academic year. The preliminary language skills written test is composed of the following parts:
1) a grammar test, with exercises including true-or-false questions, multiple choice questions, gap filling, sentence transformations - 31 questions in 30 minutes (pass mark: 18/30); and
2) a listening exercise with a lexical cloze-test - 10 gaps to fill in 10 minutes (pass mark: 6/10).
This is administered 3 times a year during 'appelli scritti', requires online UNIMIA registration, and must be passed by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2021). Dictionaries are not allowed. As the course is taught over two semesters, the first valid session for students to sit the exam is that of May 2021. Dictionaries are not allowed. This is the only part of the exam which you can skip if you have obtained (and produced within the deadline provided) a suitable certification.
2. COURSE CONTENT TESTS
Besides the preliminary English skills test, students will have to pass three written tests on the contents of the official course. Each test is composed of 31 questions, to be answered in 30 minutes. The three course content tests are administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and require online UNIMIA registration. Students may sit the three course content tests together or separately, in the order they prefer, during each of the 6 yearly sessions of 'appelli orali', as long as they pass them by the end of the last exam session of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2022). Marks obtained in the course content tests will go towards the formulation of the final mark.
3. FINAL ORAL TEST
A completamento del'esame, gli studenti sosterranno una prova orale volta a valutare le competenze acquisite in tema di linguaggio accademico e di discorso del turismo, oltre che le competenze orali fondamentali (comprensione, produzione orale, capacità di interazione; il tutto con adeguata scorrevolezza e qualità di pronuncia). La prova consiste in un breve colloquio di 2-5 minuti, in cui gli studenti devono dimostrare di poter parlare di temi e argomenti che verranno indicati durante il corso. Questa prova viene amministrata 6 volte l'anno durante gli "appelli orali" e richiede la registrazione online su UNIMIA.
To complete the exam, students will sit an oral test aimed at assessing their competences in the domains of academic English and in the discourse of tourism, besides basic oral skills (comprehension, oral production, interaction skills; all of the above accompanied by suitable fluency and adequate pronunciation).
The test consists of a short 2-5 minute interview in which students have to prove that they can talk about themes and subjects that will be indicated during the course in a linguistically correct and academically appropriate manner. This is administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and requires online UNIMIA registration.
FINAL MARK ('VOTO DI ESAME')
Only students who have successfully passed their preliminary language skills written test and the course content tests will be able to sit the final oral test and obtain a final mark.
The final mark for the English I course will be awarded at the end of the final oral test by one of the course subject professors, who will consider the marks obtained by the student in all the different tests, particularly in the course content tests. Speaking and interaction skills will be the object of specific assessment, which will consider all the component of this aspect of language competence (including pronunciation, which is dealt extensively in the course, especially in the part devoted to phonetics).
The marks obtained by students in the various tests during academic year 2020-2021 will be valid until the last exam session of the academic year, i.e. 28 February 2022 included. After that date, students will not be able to use those marks, and will have to sit and pass all the tests again (including the ones they may have successfully sat in the past), according to the new syllabus (which may be different; please check it for changes).
Students holding an official (e.g. Cambridge) certification (obtained before the beginning of the first semester and no older than 3 years), at First Certificate of English level or equivalent (a list of equivalent certifications will be provided), with an A or top grade, may skip the preliminary language skills test. A digital copy of the certificate will have to be uploaded in the student's personal portfolio on the course website on the Ariel platform (https://li1med.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx) at the beginning of the academic year. Further information regarding this aspect will be provided during classes and posted on the course webpage on the Ariel platform.
1. PRELIMINARY LANGUAGE SKILLS TESTS ('accertamento linguistico')
The language skills written test assesses students' grammar and listening skills, focusing in particular on the specific lexico-syntactic aspects dealt with primarily in the language practice sessions ("esercitazioni") throughout the academic year. The preliminary language skills written test is composed of the following parts:
1) a grammar test, with exercises including true-or-false questions, multiple choice questions, gap filling, sentence transformations - 31 questions in 30 minutes (pass mark: 18/30); and
2) a listening exercise with a lexical cloze-test - 10 gaps to fill in 10 minutes (pass mark: 6/10).
This is administered 3 times a year during 'appelli scritti', requires online UNIMIA registration, and must be passed by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2021). Dictionaries are not allowed. As the course is taught over two semesters, the first valid session for students to sit the exam is that of May 2021. Dictionaries are not allowed. This is the only part of the exam which you can skip if you have obtained (and produced within the deadline provided) a suitable certification.
2. COURSE CONTENT TESTS
Besides the preliminary English skills test, students will have to pass three written tests on the contents of the official course. Each test is composed of 31 questions, to be answered in 30 minutes. The three course content tests are administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and require online UNIMIA registration. Students may sit the three course content tests together or separately, in the order they prefer, during each of the 6 yearly sessions of 'appelli orali', as long as they pass them by the end of the last exam session of the 2020-2021 academic year (28 February 2022). Marks obtained in the course content tests will go towards the formulation of the final mark.
3. FINAL ORAL TEST
A completamento del'esame, gli studenti sosterranno una prova orale volta a valutare le competenze acquisite in tema di linguaggio accademico e di discorso del turismo, oltre che le competenze orali fondamentali (comprensione, produzione orale, capacità di interazione; il tutto con adeguata scorrevolezza e qualità di pronuncia). La prova consiste in un breve colloquio di 2-5 minuti, in cui gli studenti devono dimostrare di poter parlare di temi e argomenti che verranno indicati durante il corso. Questa prova viene amministrata 6 volte l'anno durante gli "appelli orali" e richiede la registrazione online su UNIMIA.
To complete the exam, students will sit an oral test aimed at assessing their competences in the domains of academic English and in the discourse of tourism, besides basic oral skills (comprehension, oral production, interaction skills; all of the above accompanied by suitable fluency and adequate pronunciation).
The test consists of a short 2-5 minute interview in which students have to prove that they can talk about themes and subjects that will be indicated during the course in a linguistically correct and academically appropriate manner. This is administered 6 times a year during 'appelli orali', and requires online UNIMIA registration.
FINAL MARK ('VOTO DI ESAME')
Only students who have successfully passed their preliminary language skills written test and the course content tests will be able to sit the final oral test and obtain a final mark.
The final mark for the English I course will be awarded at the end of the final oral test by one of the course subject professors, who will consider the marks obtained by the student in all the different tests, particularly in the course content tests. Speaking and interaction skills will be the object of specific assessment, which will consider all the component of this aspect of language competence (including pronunciation, which is dealt extensively in the course, especially in the part devoted to phonetics).
The marks obtained by students in the various tests during academic year 2020-2021 will be valid until the last exam session of the academic year, i.e. 28 February 2022 included. After that date, students will not be able to use those marks, and will have to sit and pass all the tests again (including the ones they may have successfully sat in the past), according to the new syllabus (which may be different; please check it for changes).
L-LIN/12 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - ENGLISH - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Tuesday afternoon, by email appointment.
Room 4013/Teams
Reception:
13.30 Thursday
Private meeting room on Microsoft Teams - Schedule an appointment - [email protected]