English for academic purposes

The course is aimed at introducing the concept of English as a Lingua Franca and English for Specific Purposes. The main focus will be on the communication skills needed to succeed in academic studies, in particular, reading philosophical texts, and delivering formal presentations, and writing reports on elementary research.

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student
- knows the morphological and syntactic features of the English language, including English as a second language, and English as a lingua franca.
- knows the discursive modalities of English for specialized purposes and academic English.
- understands the relationships between language and culture, and language and society.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the study path, the student
- can apply the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) both in general and in academic contexts.
- can communicate effectively in English, being aware of the communicative objective and selecting the communication strategies mostly suited to the context.
- can read and interpret philosophical texts and write short essays using guided sample activities.
- can deliver short presentations on philosophical topics, on the basis of provided guidelines and language patterns.