Course program
PROF.SSA ERSILIA INCELLI C1 LINGUA INGLESE 9 CREDITI
1 SEMESTRE A.A. 2025/26 - IL CORSO C1 ADVANCED ENGLISH INIZIA IL 22 SETTEMBRE.
IL PROGRAMMA E IL LIBRO DI TESTO SARANNO COMUNICATI FINE AGOSTO.
C1 Advanced English for Economics and Sustainability
70 hours (frontal) recommended (6 hours a week)
6-8 hours/week in class with mother-tongue English language lecturers (Silvia Polsinelli and Darragh Mulcahy)
Self- study is available in the Multimedia Language Laboratory (3rd floor above the Presidenza).
Target students and entry level
University undergraduates or MSc students in Economics, Finance or Tourism who already have a solid B2 / low C1. Aim to reach/confirm CEFR C1 in professional/academic contexts (reading reports, producing policy briefs, presentations, negotiation, academic writing).
Overall aims
1. Develop advanced receptive and productive English skills specific to economics, finance and tourism.
2. Enable students to read, interpret and critically evaluate complex authentic texts (The Economist journal, CSR reports, sustainability disclosures, financial news, OECD/UNWTO reports, academic articles).
3. Build fluency and accuracy for oral communication (presentations, debates, negotiations, interviewing, meetings) and writing skills (essay writing, summaries, policy briefs, report).
4. Teach specialized terminology (economics, finance, tourism, CSR/ESG) and the discourse features of the news reporting current affairs, CSR reports).
Learning outcomes (by course end)
Students will be able to:
• Read and summarise authentic English language journals such as The Economist, the Financial Times, sustainability / CSR reports and policy documents, identifying arguments, claims, evidence and limitations.
• Analyse and discuss sectoral data and trends (e.g., UNWTO tourism statistics) and present position papers.
• Produce coherent, register-appropriate written texts: themed essay writing, summary, short policy brief, company report critique, and relevant documents for tourism economics.
• Use advanced grammar and lexis accurately (see grammar reference book) and perform persuasive oral tasks (debates, meetings).
Course structure
Ist term of the a.year - 6/10 contact hours (interactive lessons) each week + 1–2 hours guided self-study. (See the timetable offered for English language courses)
Grammar and discourse applied to students’ academic studies
Including:
• Nominalisation / complex noun phrases - academic/professional writing (e.g., the implementation of carbon-reduction measures).
• Passive constructions and agentless passives — common in reports (interest rates were reduced, is expected to).
• Advanced conditionals/ future-in-the-past — forecasting scenarios.
• Modals for deduction / probability — must/could/may/might/should + have + past participle.
• Reduced relative clauses, inversion, ellipsis - to produce concise policy writing and headlines.
• Reported speech and reporting verbs – summarising, commenting, argumentation.
• Cohesion and referencing - demonstratives, linking phrases, logical connectors used in reports and arguments.
Specialized vocabulary related to students’ course of studies
For example:
• Economics and finance: e.g. GDP per capita, unemployment rate, fiscal consolidation, monetary tightening, yield curve, ROE, leverage, credit spread.
• CSR / sustainability / ESG: materiality assessment, scope 1/2/3, biodiversity, stakeholder engagement, sustainability disclosure, assurance, net-zero, sustainable transitions.
• Tourism: carrying capacity, seasonality, inbound/outbound flows, visitor management, sustainable tourism, cultural heritage management.
Case Studies
The course will also look at a various case studies – national and international case study examples.
These can be chosen and suggested by the students, e.g. Fast Fashion industry, Urban gardening to combat climate change, energy transitions, etc. etc
Course books: TO BE DEFINED SOON
Recommended - Cambridge Academic English' (Advanced) Cambridge University Press
Academic Writing (5th edition). A Handbook for International students
(S.Bailey), Routledge publishers.
Business Result Advanced Oxford University Press
English File Advanced - Oxford University Press
My Grammar Lab - Pearson/Longman
Suggested authentic materials for self-study
• Podcasts
• Corporate and sustainability / annual reports
• UNWTO Statistics and World Tourism Barometer for tourism trends and data.
• The Economist
• Financial Times
• The Guardian
• BBC NEWS
• TED TALKS
Assessment
Formative: peer review of presentations, short timed readings/summaries, essay writing for homework
Summative: Oral exam consisting of interview, and presentation - 12 minute individual presentation on a CSR/tourism policy topic: Final written test — reading comprehension (authentic extracts), grammar use in context, short essay (220–260 words).Students are tested for fluency, accuracy, complexity, register, use of authentic data.
Sustainable Development Goals
QUALITY EDUCATION
Prerequisites
B2 lower intermediate
Frequency
70 hours for the 1 semestre - students should attend at least 70% of the course