Overview
This language module is designed for students who have completed Stage 907 /007 Advanced Italian, or have a rusty B2 standard of the language in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), for example an A-level. Through a variety of methods, students will develop an advanced competence in reading, writing, listening, and speaking and an understanding of advanced grammar and syntax. At the end of this 12 week-module, students will have reached a B2 proficiency level in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and will be able to give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans as well as narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe their reactions to it. They will be able to produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects and to enter unprepared into conversation with native speakers with a degree of fluency on a variety of topics. They will have a good understanding of life and culture in countries where the language is spoken and intercultural skills necessary for their language proficiency level.
Syllabus
Functional Content:
- Discussing, verifying and confirming an argument in both informal and formal contexts
- Expressing criticism and dissent
- Expressing pros and cons of a situation
- Expressing wishes or intentions
- Reporting and evaluating statistics and data
- Talking about oneself and other people
- Describing emotions using different register
- Exchanging information and more complex advice relating to one’s job
Grammatical content:
- Time sequence of the verb in the subjunctive
- Pronominal verbs
- The position of pronouns in the infinitive and imperative
- The use of the gerund
- The historical past
- The indirect speech
- Verbs with double auxiliary
- Elements of syntax
Lexical content:
The topics covered in this module may vary from the suggested list below, as it anticipated that the content will be discussed, possibly amended, and agreed with the students during the first class.
- Vita digitale – informazione e identita digitale, la lingua dei social
- Natura e problemi ambientali – fenomeni naturali e città sostenibili
- Tracce del pasato – contaminazione ed eredità culturale nella società e nella cucina
- Oltre i confini – cittadini d’Europa, stereotipi, identità e immigrazione
Week 12: Written and speaking tests will take place this week. Completing the assessment is required for students taking the course as part of their degree. For all other students, taking the tests is also strongly recommended, as a measure of your progress and learning.
Textbook details:
Al dente 4, Barcellona: Casa delle Lingue, ISBN: 9788416943739, price: approx £25 (unit 5-8) We recommend our students to buy their textbooks from Blackwell’s on campus. They have a price match policy and you can pre-order over the phone with them and pick the book when you are on campus.
Study Hours
The total number of study hours for this module is 150 hours, in line with undergraduate university modules. This includes class meetings, assessment preparation and self-directed study in line with guidance from the course lecturer.
If you are studying on the extracurricular mode, we recognise that the total number of hours that you may be able to study every week may depend on your availability and previous experience studying languages, however, expected contribution to classes, homework completion, and learning outcomes will not vary.
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Course Lecturer: Federica Sturani
After her BA degree in Modern Languages obtained at the University of Macerata, in Italy, Federica moved to the UK where she gained an MPhil in Italian Studies at the University of Manchester for a study of adaptations of Dickens’s novels on Italian television, and, more recently, she was awarded a PGCert in Teaching In Higher Education from the University of Liverpool. She has an extensive background in education and language teaching, with a 25+ year experience in Italian teaching in various institutions of Higher Education and secondary schools in the UK. She has also managed a successful private language business offering language classes, translation and interpreting services to individuals and corporate clients. Her interest in the creative process of material development is proven by her record of published work in Italian language learning.
Fees for language courses are £180/£90.
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Visit our fee bands page to see which fee applies to you.
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