Media studies, digital communication and journalism

NICOLETTA DI CIOLLA
NICOLETTA DI CIOLLA

The main aim of the course is to help students to acquire a sufficiently broad knowledge of the lexis of business and marketing. Such knowledge is acquired by consolidating the students’ abilities in all four language skills in English (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing). This allows students to cope with specialized texts in various contexts, to become autonomous learners and to improve their communication skills. These tools will be particularly useful to students in their future work environment.

1. Knowledge and Learning: The course will start at a general English B2 upper-intermediate level and should reach a C1 level, especially as regards the analysis of specialised texts and materials. Students are therefore expected to have an intermediate level of English at the beginning of the course.

2. Ability to apply knowledge acquired: Students are encouraged to study the theoretical aspects of the language and do various types of exercises. This allows them to apply their theoretical knowledge through the use of specific study techniques and exercises.

3. Students’ ability to evaluate texts: Students are particularly encouraged to become autonomous learners and to develop their critical abilities in the analysis of various types of texts and their content. They should be able to assess their own performance and that of their colleagues.

4. Communicative ability: Through an interactive didactic approach, students are encouraged to actively participate in class activities through the use of presentations and discussions. This will help to improve their communication skills in English and to develop and apply what they have learnt during the course.

5. Student learning autonomy: By the end of the course, students will be expected to have acquired a good level of specialized language. This knowledge will allow them to understand specialized texts, to produce texts and to communicate efficiently by using appropriate English forms. These tools are also intended to encourage students to become autonomous learners so that they can progress in the acquisition of specialized English lexis on their own. Moreover, these tools will be particularly useful to students in their future work environment.

At the end of the course you will be able to:
Express yourselves in English in a professional manner
Understand (how to read and produce) academic and professional English
Use lexicon, structures, register appropriate to the contexts in which you are using English

B2- C1 of the CEFR

Our learning objectives are:
To enhance your competence in English – receptive and productive
(that is to say: grammar/syntax/lexicon)
To expand your competence in English to include professional/academic language
a. to reflect on and discuss topics linked to your area of study
b. to read and produce reports/technical presentations/ abstracts in your area of study
To analyse texts in English, responding to tone/language/style/register.

Bailey, S. (2017), Academic writing: a handbook for international students, 5th Edition, Abingdon: Routledge.
Murphy, R. (2012), English Grammar in Use, 4th Edition, Cambridge: CUP.
A selection of authentic materials recommended by the tutor and by the class.

We will follow an active learning method and follow the principles the flipped classroom, which requires you to do specific set work in advance of the class. Class time will be used to expand on concepts, address questions, practise, practise and then practise.
We will use authentic materials as much as possible – newspaper articles, reports, academic articles, videoclips, films etc.

You are warmly invited to make suggestions for materials – co-constructing the course invites participation and engagement.

attendance recommended

A comparative analysis of a small selection of articles (newspaper, academic, multimedia) covering style of language, tone, rhetorical strategies, visual features).

You will present your analysis through:
a. An oral presentation of your work;
b. A written plan of how your presentation has developed (detailing your methodology: how you selected your sources, what was your initial hypothesis, how the process of preparing the presentation evolved, how you analysed the data etc)

YOU WILL BE GIVEN SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT, AS WELL AS EXAMPLES ON HOW TO DESIGN A PROJECT AND PRESENT IT IN PUBLIC.
STUDENTS WHO ATTEND >= 70% OF THE LESSONS CAN DO THEIR PRESENTATION IN COURSE TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEMESTER.

Select two articles that cover theme x, and analyse the rhetorical strategies used by their authors to structure and expose their views.