Course Topics
The topics covered are listed below. The emphasis will be on improving students’ productive skills, so that students can produce accurate, cohesive texts and presentations in English mainly for academic purposes, although many of the skills can be adapted for professional use. • General introduction to course incl. language review; • Introduction to and analysis of effective reading skills; critical thinking skills; • Specific academic writing skills: descriptions and comparisons, problem-solution texts, summarising and paraphrasing, organising paragraphs, creating cohesion, referencing sources; • Audience and effects on language register and style; • Presentations and discussions: coherence, discourse features, analysis, exemplification, description, supporting arguments. Exercise hours with the teaching assistant will allow for specific skills practice as well as a revision of some of the language areas that are problematic at this level.

Propaedeutic courses
none

Teaching format
Teaching format is based on the seminar format, which envisages teacher and student co-operation and participation in the classroom through individual, pair and group work.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding - to improve specific academic writing skills through the practice of subject-specific texts including, though not exclusively, writing paragraphs, introductions and conclusions, and essays; - to improve specific reading skills through the exposure to and analysis of various types of written discourse; - to develop grammatical and lexical range and accuracy so that written communication has a good degree of spontaneity and fluency. • Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge of advanced grammatical structures and subject-specific academic and professional lexis at the B2+/C1 level, understanding of authentic (general and subject-specific) longer written texts including specialised texts and other texts produced for various purposes and representing different varieties of English, as well as different registers and styles. • Applying knowledge and understanding: Producing written texts on specific design and art topics providing reasoned interpretations. Presenting clear, detailed descriptions of complex subject-specific topics, developing points, formulating opinions and persuading the audience in written texts. • Making judgments: Integrating knowledge and understanding acquired in the course with knowledge and understanding from other courses to achieve mainly academic, but also some professional purposes within the field of design and art. • Communication skills: Communicating flexibly and effectively in writing with a degree of fluency. Ability to adapt language style to show awareness of both the intended purposes and audience. • Learning skills: Ability to pursue autonomous learning based on the input provided in the classes and lectures and the feedback received.

Assessment
Assessment is the same for both attending and non-attending students. Formative assessment Extra credit exercises - writing practice and exercises Learning objectives (LO) assessed: 1,2,3,4,5 Summative assessment Written exam: written production of 400-450 words based on subject-specific input. Oral exam: speaking tasks based on subject-specific topics to demonstrate an advanced (C1) command of both spoken production and interaction. Portfolio: written work (approx. 400 words) demonstrating students’ own written production based on their art and design work. Non-attending students should complete all the writing exercises done in class (available on OLE) and they should send them to the lecturer for formative assessment following the submission guidelines posted with each exercise.

Evaluation criteria
Formative assessment The course will include Extra Credit Exercises (ECE), which will comprise up to 8 tests administered at regular intervals throughout the course. These tests will be scored for a maximum of 2 points per test, and this score will then be converted to a maximum of an extra 2 marks (out of the total 30 for the exam) that will be added to the Portfolio’s overall mark. These tests will solely be for extra credit. If students are not present in class when an ECE is administered, they receive no points, but any total points they may have already accumulated from previous ECEs will be unaffected. Summative assessment Written exam: 40% - writing production task of 400 - 450 words based on subject-specific input. LOs assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4 Oral exam: 30% - presentation on selected topic and Q&A session: to demonstrate a C1 command of both spoken production and interaction. LOs assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4 Portfolio: 30% - 300-400 words demonstrating students’ own written production based on their art and design work. LOs assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Students have to pass the written exam (min. 60%) and submit the Portfolio in order to be admitted to the oral exam. Only once the Oral and Portfolio together have been judged positive (minimum 10.8/18) can the student pass the entire exam for the course.

Required readings

• Vince, M. 2023. New Advanced Language Practice (4th edition) Oxford: Macmillan or any other student’s grammar at the B2 level or above.
• Advanced learners English dictionary, e.g. Longman DCE, Oxford Advanced Leaners Dictionary, Collins COBUILD or Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners.

 

All books are available in the University Library’s Reserve Collection.

(http://pro.unibz.it/rc)

 

Course slides and all the other material will be available on OLE.

Supplementary readings

Any other texts from English-language publications such as The Guardian, the Economist, etc. that are deemed suitable will be provided by the lecturer in the form of downloadable documents and/or links in the course’s OLE.

Further information
Any student who has specific learning needs that they feel may have an impact on their ability to benefit fully from this course will be offered individual support on request. The course is offered in both semesters (winter + summer semester).