English for Communication
Prof. Silvia Pireddu
COURSE AIMS
The course plans to provide the student with the analytical tools needed to understand and process micro-sector texts for cultural and social communication, focusing on their lexical, morphosyntactic, pragmatic and stylistic features.
In addition, the course intends to promote the student’s awareness of the linguistic dynamics of the various discursive genres of media communication in relation to the contexts in which the various text types are generated and used.
COURSE CONTENT
During the course, we will discuss the issues inherent in specialised texts by comparing examples written in Italian and in English, enabling us to review and/or further study the main grammatical and expressive specificities of the texts examined, in order to learn the distinctive lexicon and the stylistic peculiarities associated with them. That work will be the point of departure for processing similar text forms and types produced by the students, stimulating a discussion and comparison based on the experience gained by these same.
READING LIST
For all students (attending and non-attending students):
N. Ceramella, Cambridge English for the Media, student's book + audio cd, CUP, Cambridge, 2009.
A. Durant-M. Lambrou, Language and Media A Resource Book for Students, Routledge, London, 2009.
J. Seely, The Oxford Guide to Effective Writing and Speaking: How to Communicate Clearly,OUP, Oxford, 3rd ed 2013.
Materials on Blackboard
For non-attending students:
P. Long-T. Wall, Media Studies: Texts, Production and Context, Longman, 2012, Second Edition.
TEACHING METHOD
Lecturers, practical works guided through Blackboard.
ASSESSMENT METHOD
Attending students: written test at the end of the course.
Non-attending students: written and oral test.
NOTES
Students who have not yet progressed their linguistic skills to Level B are invited to contact the teacher to agree suitable remedial lessons. Learning materials and study aids will be provided during the course.
To maximize their expressive abilities in the English language all students are encouraged to use the SeLDA courses and solutions, especially those of the CUP self-learning centre:
Use of the Blackboard platform is indispensable for both attending and non-attending students, so all course students are advised to register in good time for the relevant course according to the instructions found on the following webpage:
Further information can be found on the lecturer's webpage at or on the Faculty notice board.